Zprávy památkové péče 2017, 77(Příloha):11-18

Repository of the Jesuit Pharmacy in Telč: outline of the art-historical context

Anna Hamrlová

NPÚ, ÚOP v Telči

The history of the Jesuit Pharmacy in Telč dates back to the 17th century; the first mention is from 1657, shortly after the foundation of the Jesuit College in the town. The pharmacy was part of the college until the abolition of the Jesuit Order, after which it was bought by the last pharmacist Ignác Lyr and moved to house No. 39 on the Telč main square. The original preserved equipment includes three pharmacies which can be dated to the second half of the 17th century to the beginning of the 18th century. The dynamic concavely-curved shape of the cabinet is divided by a series of drawers with painted faces according to the fashion of the period. The main themes are grisaille lonely landscapes, or landscapes completed with churches, towns, and poor houses. Although the style of the paintings corresponds to the work of a Central European painter, the trees follow the Flemish style; in one town, for example, one can see the influence of the Italian urban environment with typical elongated towers and rounded bridges. The overall composition of the repositories is supplemented by standing figures probably representing a monk, St. Roch, a hunter with rifle, and Neptune portrayed as a naked man with a shell. The figures present a mythological and religious aspect as reflected in the humanistic teachings of the Jesuits, at the same time pointing to the protective function of the figures and the constant reminder of the transience of human life. The location of these pictures on the sides of the cabinets further hints at their original positioning, in which one cabinet had to stand closely to another at right angles to form a wider whole, while the other of them certainly stood alone. These facts, quite unusual in the context of preserved Baroque pharmacies, could indicate which room of the convent the cabinets were once located. Most of the painted pharmacies are mainly located in southern Bohemia, where the furnishings have been preserved in Jindřichův Hradec and Český Krumlov; in contrast to the pieces in Telč, both of these collections are decorated with colorful scenes. Other examples of painted pharmacies can be found in Central Europe, for example at the pharmacy in the Schongau monastery in Bavaria, S. Emmeram's Abbey in Regensburg, on a cabinet located at the Arany Sas Pharmacy Museum in Budapest, and the pharmacy in the Červený Kameň Castle in Slovakia. Within this indicated area, the Telč pharmacy stands out with its monochrome landscape design; unlike the profound symbolic subtext of the pharmacy from the Schongau monastery, a similar symbolic aspect of landscape scenery in Telč has not been proven.

Keywords: Baroque Pharmacy, Jewish Communion, 17-18th century, painted pharmacies, pharmacy iconography

Published: December 1, 2017  Show citation