Leckteří národové : Schwarzenbergská sbírka kostýmních miniatur na zámku Český Krumlov = Plusieurs nations : the Schwarzenberg collection of costume miniatures in Český Krumlov castle

Abstract

The book presents the collection of sixty costume miniatures owned by Schwarzenberg family from the first half of the 18th century (housed in Český Krumlov Castle.) It contains a large number of colorful photographs and studies focused on several groups of depicted figures: images of European townsmen and country people Czech and Moravian country people, oriental figures, theater costume of the Commedia dell'Arte, and fanciful disguises of the Baroque aristocracy. This unique collection of 60 gouaches are displayed on parchment which comes from Český Krumlov Castle, and captures with impressive accuracy the variety of costumes from Europe as well as more distant regions of the world. The authors categorize the diverse society of the first half of the 18th century into groups such as people from France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Scotland, and Scandinavia, as well as characters from the Commedia dell'arte. The miniatures originally decorated the cabinet next to the bedroom of Princess Eleonora Amalie Schwarzenberg at the said castle, but they were moved to the nearby Kvítkov Dvor and then to another Schwarzenberg's residence, Červený Dvůr in the middle of the 18th century. The miniatures originally decorated the cabinet next to the bedroom of Princess Eleonora Amalie Schwarzenberg at the said castle, but they were moved to the nearby Kvítkov Dvor and then to another Schwarzenberg residence, Červený Dvůr in the middle of the 18th century. Although the main purpose of the miniatures was to decorate an intimate interior, they probably also served as an inspiration for masquerade costumes for popular dance parties. Their precise design, variety, and diversity of shapes, sometimes even bizarre, still cast a smile, admiration, and astonishment.