Restaurování portrétu Frebonie Eusebie z Pernštejna

Zprávy památkové péče 2013, 73(2):109-112

Restoration of the portrait of Frebonie Eusebie of Pernštejn

Marta Sedláková

In preparation for the exhibition "Pernštejns and Their Time", portrait paintings were restored in 2012. After the restorative survey by restorer Dr. Pavel Klimeš, it was found that the original size of the image "Frebonie Eusebie of Pernštejn" (159 × 95 cm, oil on canvas, unknown painter from the early 17th century, Pernštejn State Castle, inv. No. PE 1790) was smaller and that there was a single-line inscription located beneath the portrait. After consultation with NHI ÚOP in Brno, X-ray images were also taken; the text did not contain heavy metals and could not be more closely identified, given the time and financial conditions. Probably in the middle of the 17th century, the canvas was set and another inscription was added, the content of which is to emphasize the merits of the portrayed figure as the founder of the Piarist College in Litomyšl with a date of 1646. So far, there are three portrait versions known of adult Frebonie of Pernštejn. The first, today at the Pernštejn State Castle, was probably located in the Piarist College in Litomyšl and likely became the acquisition of the castle's future owners. The larger painting "Frebonie passes her estate to the Carmelites" (205 × 131 cm) with votive character and the Virgin Mary is located in a private collection in the Kvasiny Castle, is also dated to 1646, but is most likely a Baroque work. The clothes of the portrait's subject are almost identical, varying only in details; the lace collars and other items of clothing, for example, are different. From an iconographic point of view, it is interesting mainly because it captures in detail the form of the Carmelite Convent in Malá Strana, the Salthouse in illustration, and a significative view of the Renaissance fortress in Kvasiny. The third image is reportedly owned by the Carmelites in Prague and was not seen by the author of the article. A further direction of research will be directed towards the identification of an older inscription using modern methods, a detailed mutual comparison of three paintings to determine the "oldest" which served as the model for the creation of free period copies.