Abstract
The monograph deals with the decoration of Padeř's Bible, which is one of the most remarkable works from the linguistic point of view because it is a preserved example of the 3rd edition of the translation of the Holy Scripture into Old Czech. However, the rich linguistic research on the Padeř's Bible does not have an adequate counterpart in the art-historical literature since its decoration was rather underestimated.
The manuscript is dated in colophons (1432-1435), which includes the name of the scribe (John of Prague, Aliapars - f. 443r) and the name of the client - Tábor's county representative, Filip of Padeřov (f. 443r) and also the place of the origin of its part at his castle Ostromeč (in Příbram near Hrazany - f. 161v). The great extent of decoration was considered to be exceptional since the client belonged to the radical part of the Hussites, which was more famous for its iconoclastic tendencies.
The monograph summarizes the most important linguistic literature on the manuscript and maps the evolution of the views of historians and art historians on the work. The codicological analysis is followed by an analysis of the decoration in relation to the text of the manuscript; then there is the typology of decoration in terms of its sources, contemporary parallels and the subsequent occurrence of individual motifs and also the analysis of the progressive development of the iconographic program (including the drolerie decorations of the border) - changed after the Battle of Lipany.
This is followed by a proposal for the clarification of the authorial share of the decorators (including possible interventions by the scribe) and the inclusion of these artists in the context of the contemporary development of book painting in Bohemia and Central Europe. Some of the allegations (below average quality, minimal developmental potential, curious character due to the circumstances of the origin, scribe as an illuminator) are refuted by the author.
The monograph also presents questions for further studies of the late Middle Ages.