An outstanding selection of early baroque Italian drawings from public art collections in the Czech Republic, the exhibition centres around particularities of style in drawings as they relate to function in the process of creating an artwork.
The exhibition will showcase drawings of Venetian, Lombard, Bolognese and Tuscan-Roman provenance, alongside pieces from the Marks originated after the Council of Trent (1545-1563). The council defined Catholic teachings on salvation and the dogma of justification, the sacraments and the biblical canon against the Reformation. The period of the Catholic Counter-Reformation is reflected in works of art drawing on a rich Christian iconography. The exhibition features an abundance of studies for paintings on canvas, such as the forerunner of the Holy Michalina in the Vatican Museums (F. Barocci), preparatory studies for wall paintings in some of the most important Roman churches, such as Il Gesú and S. Giovanni in Laterano (A. Ciampelli), as well as in the splendid dome of Santa Maria dei Fiori, Florence (F. Zuccari). Magnificent illustrations for Tasso's famous epic Jerusalem Delivered will also be exhibited (A. M. Viani), part of the precious loot brought from Mantua, plundered by the imperial army, to Teplice by the Clary-Aldringens in the 17th century.
