Zprávy památkové péče 2017, 77(1-2):18-25

Schlick's Baroque landscape

Lucie Rychnová

The subject of this article is the landscape of the estate of Franz Joseph Schlick (1656-1740) in eastern Bohemia (Kopidlno, Staré Hrady, Veliš, Vokšice). Attention is focused in particular on the composed landscape of the Veliš-Vokšice estate, where a set of chapels was built that were interconnected by viewing axes. Part of this set was also the noble court with a small castle in Vokšice. This landscape composition has received attention in terms of its formal design, but so far the circumstances associated with the actual motivations of their builder have been less examined. The author presents the composition alone as well as presenting the possible impulses that may have led Franz Joseph Schlick to building the chapel and situating it in the landscape.
The builder, also the owner and administrator of the estate, was mainly an agriculturalist. For this reason, the management of his estate also reflected in the appearance of the landscape, especially as agricultural farmsteads that, given their size, dominated both the landscape and residences. One of the most important farmsteads was also the aforementioned one with residence in Vokšice. It was in the area of Vokšice and near the original center of the estate, in Veliš, that Count Schlick had a set of chapels built - Loreta, chapel of St. Anne, Holy Guardian Angels, and the Holy Trinity. These smaller sacral architectural structures were interconnected in the landscape by a system of paths and visual relationships, and bore a strong representative and spiritual significance. At the time of their construction, Franz Joseph was at the peak of his career. In 1690, he entered the service of J. B. Mathey, who certainly designed the chapels of Loreta and St. Anne. While the Loreta used stone slabs to represent Franz Joseph, St. Anne could have been a reference to his famous grandfather (Heinrich von Schlick) and the history of the family in western Bohemia (Church of St. Ann near Planá).
The remaining parts of the composition may have had a more intimate character. The Chapel of the Holy Guardian Angels depicting Archangel Raphael in the interior, built under Franz Joseph and his first wife Sylvie Catherine († 1713), could symbolize a plea or a thanksgiving for healing the seriously ill countess. Finally, the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, connected with the whole indirectly and located in a nearby forest, was a place of physical and spiritual cleansing, standing at a simple spa and summer houses. Finally worth mention is the visual and symbolic connection of the religious buildings with the residential and farm buildings. The set of chapels was directly connected with the castle and courtyard in Vokšice, which was designed by Mathey and built in 1700 by the count's builder and architect Filip Spannbrucker. The Loreta was indirectly connected by a visual axis to the castle and courtyard in Jičíněves (Filip Spannbrucker), which was likely the main residence of Franz Joseph Schlick. Using construction, the landscape therefore became a means for the builder to represent himself and his family. In the landscape of his estate, the builder presents himself as a good manager who cares about the economic and spiritual success of his entrusted and his own assets, who cares about the welfare of his subjects, and who fulfills God's will.

Keywords: Jičínsko, Schlick family, Baroque architecture, landscape composition, J. B. Mathey

Published: March 1, 2017  Show citation