A Front Page Design for the Bohemian-Moravian Chronicle

In its day, the Bohemian−Moravian Chronicle of Karel Vladislav Zap was very popular reading matter on Czech history. The Chronicle was issued from the 1860s in instalments, initially in the form of booklets each discussing an individual chapter and later as a comprehensive book, with the first volume published in 1862 and the second volume following six years later. These two volumes are linked with the name of the painter and illustrator Petr Maixner. Housed in the National Gallery in Prague’s Collection of Prints and Drawings are most of Maixner’s sketches and preparatory drawings for the illustrations to the Chronicle. These works document the artist’s creative process – from his search for form in his dense pencil drawings, via the peaceful lines of the definitive compositions, to their versions done on tracing paper that were intended for transfer to the printing plate. Apart from its instructive purpose targeted at the general public, the Bohemian−Moravian Chronicle was also an important source of inspiration for artists dealing with historical subjects.