Lot 96

Mikoláš Aleš (1852 - 1913) THE ARRIVAL OF ČECH AT ŘÍP MOUNTAIN

According to the inscription on the reverse side, this important drawing – capturing a crucial moment in the lore of the Czech nation, the moment Father Čech and his tribe arrived in the promise land – was made as the design for the theater curtain at the Czech & Slavonic Ethnographic Exhibition. Mikoláš Aleš exhibited a number of his sgraffito etchings at the 1895 exhibition. One of the most important exponents of the “National Theater Generation”, this classic of 19th century Bohemian art was acclaimed already during his lifetime as an illustrator and decorator; his oil paintings were not fully appreciated until the 20th century. Aleš created the large series Homeland, Pictures from Czech History and Tales, Pegan Gods, Pictures from Russian Legends and History, Pictures from Polish History, Pictures from South Slavic Legends and History, etc.