Who liked the paintings of the old German and Austrian masters? Art collecting of the German and Austrian panel paintings from the 14th to the 16th century at the National Gallery in Prague
Abstract
The article deals with the art collecting of the panel paintings which are considered to be works from the present-day Germany and Austria. Two items were probably created in today's Switzerland; six panels originated from the South Tyrol (today belonging to Italy) and two pictures can be placed to Silesia, to Wrocław (Breclau) respectively.
The thesis includes works created in the period from the late 14th century to the late 16th century. The paintings have appeared in the region of the present-day Czech Republic in various periods, many of them belonged to aristocratic collections, which prospered mainly from the 18th to the 19th century.
Many secondary sources from this period have survived, in them the particular works of art can be often found. The article focuses on the paintings which are now at the National Gallery in Prague (or belonged to the collections of its historical predecessors).
Based on the primary and above all the secondary documents certain facts concerning the time of the appearance of the works of art in our region, furthermore the circumstances of their appearance can be verified. On the basis of these sources it can also be confirmed how they subsequently came to the funds of our largest public art collection.