4:30 p.m.– 6 p.m.

Lecture by Marek Zágora. Only in Czech.

One of the most beautiful manuscripts from the tradition of French Gothic book art is Joan of Evreux’s Book of Hours, which was commissioned by the French King Charles IV (at whose court the future Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia Charles IV grew up) for his third wife Joan of Evreux (1310–1371). This fascinating manuscript, modest in size (just 9.1 x 6.4 cm), was ornamented en grisaille (in monochrome) by Jean Pucelle (active 1319–1334) – the painter who introduced three-dimensional representation to book art and had a major influence on artists not only in Paris, but all over France. The ornamentation comprises 25 miniatures, 115 figural initials, and over 700 various figures dominating the marginal ornamentation of the codex. Most of them are products of the artist’s imagination. The manuscript is a unique source of information about medieval life, and its marginal ornamentation providers an insight into medieval thought and the wonderful world of the medieval imagination.

The lecture will be streamed live on Facebooku and the gallery’s YouTube channel.

Booking advance necessary  

free entrance