Karel Škréta a univerzitní teze v českých zemích

Besides being acknowledged for his pioneering work in the field of Czech Baroque painting, Karel Škréta also played a crucial role in the forming of Baroque printmaking in the Czech Lands. As an inventor (author of model drawings for prints), he designed both loose graphic sheets and book illustrations that were, in turn, transposed into engravings mainly by prominent printmakers of Augsburg.

In Škréta’s work for prints, an important place in terms of the number of works and artistic quality is held by prints created for the academic milieu, particularly the Prague Jesuit university. These were namely thesis prints – large-size, poster-type sheets that announced Bachelor’s and Master’s degree defences prevalently of students of noble birth. They are characterised by original subject matter, a wealth of iconographic detail, and an interconnection between the textual and pictorial components. In the first half of the 17th century in the Czech Lands, thesis prints rapidly gathered momentum as a prestigious and luxurious type of graphic art. Škréta manifested extraordinary talent and expertise in designing thesis prints, and contributed fundamentally to their enormous popularity at the Prague university.

The book is the first comprehensive work treating this interdisciplinary subject, related not only to art history alone but also to general history, heraldry, hagiography, literature, and philosophy. It comprises an introductory treatise that sheds light on questions of thesis prints from multiple points of view, as well as chapters devoted to Škréta’s oeuvre. Divided into a number of categories, the extensive catalogue section presents drawings and prints from many different Czech and foreign collections. The entries also provide translations of cited Latin texts.

The richly illustrated publication significantly expands existing knowledge of Škréta’s output and interprets the period language of symbols and allegories. It also discusses the representational and commissioning practices of noble families and religious orders associated with university studies.