The Panel of Dubeček

before 1393) Anonymous (Prague

before 1393) Anonymous (Prague - The Panel of Dubeček
This originally double-sided panel formed one of the wings of an altarpiece. It depicts a donor clad in canon’s attire, along with his personal patron saint, St Andrew, and the patron of the Prague Archbishopric, St Adalbert. Six Bohemian patron saints complete the composition: St Wenceslas, St Vitus, St Methodius (?), St Sigismund, St Procopius and St Ludmila. The iconography suggests that the altarpiece which included the present panel originally resided in St Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Numerous formal features in the painting - the architectural arcades and their execution, the facial types of the male saints especially, and the drapery motifs - are undoubtedly drawn from the style of the Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece. However, the present work is closest to The Epitaph of Jan of Jeřeň, likely produced by the same workshop. The elaborate decoration of the panel, assigned for the principal church in the kingdom, demonstrates features of an immensely precious work of art. The exclusive character of the work is clearly apparent from the decorative style of the gowns worn by a so far unidentified archbishop and St Adalbert. The colour layer was applied on a gilded surface and the décor itself was scratched into the layer in a sgraffito manner and supplemented with a minute hallmark. The drapery folds are suggested by a thin brownish or, respectively, green-yellow glaze. The surviving original frame, too, bears engraved and scratched decoration.
date:
measurements: height 118,5 cm
width 96,5 cm
material: pine wood covered with linen canvas (obverse) and shredded cloth (reverse)
technique: tempera
inventory number: O 693
gallery collection: Collection of Old Masters