Odvěká. Příběh zkoumání nejstarší polychromované sošky v Čechách

Hradilová J., Hradil D.: Odvěká. Příběh zkoumání nejstarší polychromované sošky v Čechách. Museum Montanelli Praha, 2022. ISBN:978-80-7422-905-3, ISBN:978-80-906445-5-7

We would like to announce that the book can be ordered at alma@alma-lab.cz or through the publisher (Museum Montanelli) or publishing house (NLN, s.r.o.).

The wooden polychrome statue of the Madonna of the Sedes Sapientiae, which is the subject of this book, is missing its head and is therefore essentially a torso. However, based on all available information and new research findings, it is a unique and historically extremely valuable Romanesque work of art – dating from the second half of the 12^th century at the latest, as evidenced by radiocarbon dating of the wood. When the rare statue of the Madonna changed owners in 2017 and became part of the Montanelli Museum collection, it was decided to conduct a thorough follow-up investigation focused on the origin of the work and its historical journey, which ultimately brought it to this private collection. The book presents the results of cutting-edge material research on the work as a story that leads the reader from the search for the roots of the first depictions of the Virgin Mary, through the observation of changes in the color of the statue throughout history, to the determination of its probable place of origin in the environment of medieval monastery workshops. The regional identification is based primarily on an analysis of the pigments used in the painting and also on a description of old gilding techniques.

Supported by the Czech Science Foundation, project no. 22-17966S, and the AV21 Strategy.