The painting The Holy Family saves Souls from Purgatory, which Brandl created for the Loreto Brotherhood Jesus, Mary, Joseph, was loaned to the National Gallery exhibition at the Waldstein Riding School (October 20, 2023 – November 2024).

After over fifty years, this exhibition will show the work of the most important Baroque artist in Bohemia – Petr Brandl(1668 Prague - 1735 Kutná Hora). It will present his monumental altarpieces, which have been restored specially for the occasion, as well as his portraits and genre paintings of very interesting subject matter. Visitors will also see newly discovered works by Brandl for the very first time.

The exhibition is organized around two parallel narratives: the painter’s works and his life.  We have numerous archival documents of Brandl’s life of bohemian revolt, which is remarkable even today and also offers interesting contexts for the problems of our time. For instance, Brandl was a lifelong debtor due to his penchant for the luxury lifestyle of nobility, which he was keen to enjoy himself. It also led him to court battles with his wife Helena over alimony. Brandl was also in trouble with his commissioners, as he often failed to comply with the terms of his contracts. The painter’s unbound life has inspired a contemporary theatre play Three Women and a Hunter in Love, which will be staged together with the exhibition (Geisslers Hofcomoedianten).

However, none of this changes the fact that Brandl was the highest-paid artist of his time, probably because of his very distinctive and original style of painting, in which we can trace certain parallels with Rembrandt. X-rays and macro-photographs of Brandl’s works complement the exhibition to give visitors a glimpse into the inner workings of his painting.

Curator: Andrea Steckerová

Waldstein Riding School

A remarkable painting from the master's early period, Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus and St. Joseph saves Souls from Purgatory, was loaned from our collections for the exhibition. The painting is currently on display in the rear choir of the monastery church.