Staří mistři = Alte Meister = Old masters

Along with the new permanent exhibition Old Masters that has just opened in the Schwarzenberg Palace, an eponymous publication was released presenting 100 masterpieces from the Collection of Old Masters of the National Gallery Prague which cover the period from the Renaissance to the Baroque era. The following criteria were used to select the artworks: art quality, time of origin, iconographic and thematic context, and form and style influences. The publication seeks to further accentuate dialogues, relations, and connections in historical and stylistic context as well as highlight the international character of Czech art in Central Europe. The book starts with two introductory chapters. The first article reflects the long and disturbing history of collections of outstanding Central European artworks. The second article offers an insight into the history of the Schwarzenberg Palace, an excellent example of Central European Renaissance architecture that has retained its character throughout the Baroque and historicism periods. Furthermore, it shows the outcome of international artistic contacts and provides an exceptional space for the Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, and Rococo masterpieces.00Exhibition: National Gallery Prague, Schwarzenberg Palace, Prague, Czech Republic (permanent exhibition).