Zprávy památkové péče 2016, 76(Příloha):37-44

Art collections of the Luka nad Jihlavou castle as related to the figure of Countess Anna Widmann-Sedlnitzky, née Lazarev

Lucie Bláhová, Jana Petrová

The castle in Luka nad Jihlavou is one of a number of subtle noble residences scattered throughout the Czech countryside. Until 1945, however, this building concealed a great cultural treasure in an extremely high-quality art collection. The castle was built in late Baroque style in the 1740's by Maximilian Ulrich Kaunitz as his country residence. In 1768 the estate was bought from the Kaunitz family by the Widmanns, originally a German family which acquired citizenship in Bohemia in 1720. In 1864, Victor Emmanuel Widmann, Earl of Sedlnitzká, married Anna Emma Lazarev. Anna was the daughter of Major General Lazarev and Antoinetta Frederica, the princess of Biron-Courland. The Lazarevs were originally part of the ruling class in Armenia and the family was financially well secured. The photographs of the interiors of the Lazarevs' impressive palace in St. Petersburg, which are part of the Luka collection in Jaroměřice, comprise a large collection of quality paintings and art works. It is more than likely that as a girl, Anna was already collecting, inspired by the example of her family. The items that she took to her new home significantly enriched the existing collection of the family of her husband, Victor Emmanuel. Some of the artwork captured in the photographs of the St. Petersburg residence can today be traced to the castle in Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, which after 1945 served as collection facility for confiscated art objects from the surrounding castles of the Vysočina region. Documents of the estate as well as Widmann-Sedlnitzky family documents related to the furnishings of the castle were apparently destroyed after the war. From the modest remains of these documents an inventory of silver objects can be retrieved, today placed in the Museum of Vysočina in Jihlava, as well as from a 1948 inventory of items sorted by the National Cultural Commission (NKK) at the castle of Luka nad Jihlavou a designated for the collection point of Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou. This was essentially the entire art collection of Widmann-Sedlnitzky. According to the NKK list, more than 3,100 inventory numbers representing both individual pieces and sets of paintings, prints, photographs, furniture, and art objects made of porcelain, glass and metals were transported to Jaroměřice. The Luka collection preserved at the Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou state castle today includes 4 974 inventory items including 157 paintings, 129 drawings, 2 721 photographs, 1 437 pieces of graphics, 106 containers, 14 pieces of furniture, and other art objects such as clocks, small statues, medals, stamps, etc. In 1955, part of the Luka art collection (about 50 items - particularly furniture and porcelain) were moved to the Bítov castle, where they became part of the exhibition. In the same year, some of the paintings deposited in Jaroměřice were loaned to the National Gallery. A subsequent unilateral act of state heritage management in 1963 was the final transfer of these works to the management of the National Gallery. A further division of the fund occurred in 1957, when the sculptures from the original Widmann collection in Jaroměřice were moved to the castle in Dačice. These are also captured in period photographs and art prints depicting the interior of the St. Petersburg residence of the Lazarevs. The couple of Viktor Emmanuel and Anna Emma Widmann-Sedlnitzky managed to create one of the most important Moravian collections of art objects. The collection of paintings was built with particular purpose. According to documents, we know that a collection of paintings by world masters existed within the family Widmann. The couple also gathered a quality collection of drawings by different authors. Works of art from all of Europe came to Russia, the home of Anna Lazarev's ancestors. Empress Catherine II was enchanted primarily by French art, which was selected for her by her artistic adviser Denis Diderot, known to his contemporaries as one of France's greatest robbers. During the reign of Catherine the Great, the Lazarevs had a close relationship to the Tsarist Court. It is therefore quite logical that the taste and choice of artworks into the collection of Anna's family was affected by the artistic directions of the royal court. An outstanding collection formed at the castle in Luka nad Jihlavou which now enriches the collections of a number of cultural buildings, especially the castles in Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou Castle and Bítov. The individual items from the Luka nad Jihlavou collection are parts of the installations of the castles of Boskovice, Dačice, Vranov nad Dyjí, Rájec nad Svitavou, Milotice, Velké Losiny, and Červená Lhota; the collection of silver from Russia is stored in the Museum of Vysočina in Jihlava while some paintings are exhibited in the National Gallery in Prague.

Keywords: Luka nad Jihlavou castle; family; collection; pictures; artistic items; Russia

Published: December 1, 2016  Show citation