Zprávy památkové péče 2013, 73(5):404-411

The sacral works of Josef Břenek

Pavla Cenková

Josef Břenek is considered the leading representative of the local art scene in Brno of the second and third quarter of the 19th century. He worked independently from 1844, when he became a burgher sculptor in Brno, while most of his works have been preserved in the Tišnov region. Břenek worked for a more or less permanent group of clients which also included some noble families (particularly the Serényi and Mitrovský families) and religious institutions (Benedictine Abbey in Rajhrad, Porta Coeli monastery in Předklášteří near Tišnov). In addition to this, he also accepted small orders, mainly for small parishes and villages in the Moravian countryside. This article is devoted to the little-known interior sacred work of Josef Břenek and is based on the study of discovered archival sources and research of the period press, thus contributing to a deeper general understanding of Moravian sculpture of the 19th century and the Moravian middle estate culture of this period. The text focuses on Břenek's interior sacred works in Bedřichov (1850), Šerkovice (1852), Lomnice (1852), Doubravník (1853 and 1867), in Brno-Komárov (1856), Hlín (1850's), Brno-Řečkovice (1860), Březí near Mikulov (1862), Syrovice (1864), Mohelnice (1865), Předklášteří (1866), Bogatynia (1866), Zatonie (1866), Unín (1872-1873), Deblín (1873), Rapotín (1873-1874) and Ochozi near Tišnov (1876).

Keywords: Movable cultural monuments; Josef Břenek; Moravia; sculpture; 19th century

Published: December 1, 2013  Show citation