Jiří of Poděbrady Elected King of Bohemia, study

One of many studies and sketches (and replicas), Brožík made in preparation for the definitive picture commissioned by the Prague municipal council for the 440th anniversary of the election of Jiří of Poděbrady king of Bohemia. The painting was intended for the main hall of the Old Town Hall. Jiří of Poděbrady (1420 - 1471) was an outstanding political figure in 15th-century Europe, who wanted to prevent armed conflicts by diplomatic negotiations. He was elected king of Bohemia at the Prague Old Town Hall on 2 March 1458; to this day he is remembered as the "Hussite king". Brožík painted the moment when Zdeněk of Štemberk, head of the delegation of leading Czech lords, kneels before Jiří of Poděbrady and hails him as king of Bohemia. Brožík found the necessary historical information in Palacký's History and in Alois Jirásek's short story Maryla, published in 1885. In composition and size he was restrained by his older painting Magister Jan Hus before the Constance Council, at the Old Town Hall since 1884.