The Master of the Trebon Altarpiece - Hardcover

Royt, Jan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 8024622610 ISBN 13: 9788024622613

Publisher: Karolinum Press, Charles University, 2015

Synopsis

The Master of the Trebon Altarpiece was a painter active in Prague in the fourteenth century and one of the most important gothic artists of the international style. He is named for his most famous work, a triptych depicting the death and resurrection of Christ, from an altar in a church in Trebon, a medieval town in the southern Czech Republic. Today, the masterpiece is in the collection of the National Gallery in Prague.
           
Because little is known about this artist, scholars have ascribed to the Master various pieces of art, speculating about their dates of origin, their chronology, and their artistic and ideological points of departure. Art historian Jan Royt’s extensive scientific research into the Master of the Trebon Altarpiece attempts to definitively identify and contextualize this unknown artist’s oeuvre.
           
Royt begins by outlining historical events in Bohemia during the last third of the fourteenth century, including the development of painting and religious atmosphere of the time. He then offers an artistic and iconographic analysis of works of the Master of the Trebon Altarpiece and his workshop and circle. The book closes with a detailed critical overview of art historians’ views of the work of this medieval artist.
           
With more than eighty color reproductions and illustrations depicting the results of a restoration survey of the panel paintings by the Master of the Trebon Altarpiece, this book will be warmly received by scholars of art history as well as European art aficionados.

About this title

About the Author

Jan Royt is head of the Institute of Christian Art History and vice-rector of Charles University, Prague. He is the author of Medieval Painting in Bohemia, also published by Karolinum Press, Charles University, Prague.

Review

"Marks a significant addition to the study of painting in the late Middle Ages. During the second half of the fourteenth century, when the Master of the Trebon Altarpiece was active, the Kingdom of Bohemia, with its capital in Prague, was rich and powerful, an international center of culture and art. Royt, a highly respected scholar in the Czech Republic, published this book in English, thereby greatly increasing readership and making the work of this major and influential master better known to scholars throughout the world. Situating the artist within both local and European contexts, Royt pays close attention to the creative process. In addition to details of iconography, composition, and technique, he examines various reconstructions of the original arrangement and installation of the altarpiece in its ecclesiastical setting, thereby creating a fully rounded image of the Master of the Trebon Altarpiece and of his place within the history of late medieval art. Beautifully produced, with excellent color reproductions, including many close details, The Master of the Trebon Altarpiece will be a welcome addition to any library. . . . Recommended.” (E. B. Smith, Pennsylvania State University Choice)

“Royt approaches the altarpiece of Trebon with sensitivity and caution. . . . This book has wonderful fully illustrated photographs and high resolution detailed images of smaller aspects in the Trebon Altarpiece. There is a plethora of beautiful photographs of Bohemian works (not just of the Trebon Altarpiece), and easily accessible language that makes this an attractive read to the lay public and the art historian enthusiast. Royt’s The Master of the Trebon Altarpiece sheds light on both the structure of the Bohemian court and ecclesiastical religious issues. The conclusion offers exciting possibilities for further studies in art restoration and the legacy of the master of Trebon and his workshop.”
  (Comitatus)

Edition details

• Publisher: Karolinum Press, Charles University
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 8024622610
• ISBN 13: 9788024622613
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 288