The aim of this study is to offer a description and evaluation of the ceremonial carriages collections preserved in museums across Bohemia and Moravia, and to put them in the context of European artistic and artisan production in the 16th - 18th century. The study provides an overall account of the development of carriage from technical, as well as art history angle, together with the necessary overview of the issues of courtly hierarchies, ceremonials and visual demonstrations of the modern aristocracy, leading ultimately to the transformation of a simple personal mode of transport into a pompous work of art. Many important Baroque artists took part in carriage construction and decoration, and this study attempts to ascertain the extent of their contribution in this area. By presenting a descriptive summary of the history of the ceremonial carriages found in the collections in Bohemia and Moravia, and providing a comparison study with such carriages from other European countries, we can assert their position within the context of Europe-wide museum collections, as well as provide the opportunity for foreign scholars to take the Czech collections into account in their research.

This thesis discusses depictions of stories from Homer's Odyssey to ancient art. The thesis is divided into ten chapters. The first chapter is devoted to Homer and the Odyssey, where closely acquainted with Homer's perception of the person and his iconography, as well as a focus on the importance and value of his literary work. In the second chapter I try bringing different perspectives of researchers on locations of Odysseus's journey, which also briefly introduces Odysseu's stops in connection with the story. The following chapters focus on individual stories and becoming familiar with their iconography in connection with the literary pattern. I realize the extent to which individual scenes were shown from the perspective of chronological and geographical, eventually on what types of artistic monuments (vase painting, reliefs and sculpture, murals, mosaics, etc.). Together I am trying to explain the reasons for eventual higher frequency of certain themes. Keywords Homer, Odysseus, iconography, Greek Art, Etruscan Art, Roman Art

(in English) The work deals with the latest development in a period of Roman coinage, which stands off the general interest. The purpose of this work is to define and describe the motives used on Roman coins in the early period defined at the beginning of the government of Valentinian I in 364 and coinage reform of Anastasius I in 498; to classify the individual image groups and explain their importance in terms of state propaganda. The work also notes the relationship between the coin images and legends; use of mint marks as a part of the image content, and describes the relationships among the coin images and contemporary sociopolitical phenomena and events. An important part of the work will be integration of the field of late Roman coins into historical context. The aim will be to determine how the late Roman coins in character were based on previous coinage and then on the contrary how they influenced Byzantine coins.

The subject of this study is to chronicle and elaborate on the existing mural paintings in our territory depicting Passion of Christ in the first half of the 14th century in particular, from the iconographic perspective. The cycles from the first half of the 14th century in this thesis are follows: (i) The Passion Cycle in St. Wenceslas church in Bubovice; (ii) The Passion Cycle in St. George church in Čebín; (iii) The Passion Cycle in St. Peter and St. Paul church in Dalešice; (iv) The Passion Cycle in St. Martin church in Dolní Město; (v) The Passion Cycle in castle Houska chapel; (vi) The Passion Cycle in St. John the Baptist church in Jindřichův Hradec; (vii) The Passion Cycle in St. James the Greater church in Křeč; (viii) The Passion Cycle in Church of the birth of the Virgin Mary in Starý Plzenec; (ix) The Passion Cycle in the Former Johanit Commandery and the Church of St. Prokop at Strakonice. Keywords: mural painting, 14th century, The Passion of Christ, iconography

This thesis focuses primarily on the iconographic analysis of ten medals made by Antonio Abondio, a court medallist at the court of Emperor Maximilian II and his son Rudolf II. The introductory part of the thesis dedicated to the biography of Antonio Abondio is followed by a short outline of the development of art medals production in Italy and in Central Europe and of the factors which had an impact on Abondio's work. The core of my study is an actual analysis of some selected pieces made on commission for prominent individuals of the said period. A particular emphasis is put on the images found on the reverse side of the medals and on theirs paradigm detecting.

Diploma thesis, titled "Mural painting in Bohemia in the 14th century" is focused on two particular locations, The Chapel of the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Český Rudolec and on the ancient minorit church of Saint John the Baptist in Jindřichův Hradec. The first part of this thesis deals with the contemporary, historical, political, religional and art situation and consequently discusses the question of the wall paintings of these two locations mentioned above in the broader context. The next two chapters are focused on the locations on their own and discuss their history and the history of the dynasties as the owners of these landed estates. In brief the thesis also presents the historical sacral monuments - the Church in Jindřichův Hradec and the Chapel in Český Rudolec, where the described wall paintings are situated. The main attention is devoted to the murals and to the iconographic motifs. The main goal of this thesis is to describe and assess the wall paintings in Český Rudolec and in Jindřichův Hradec and to interpret the wall paintings in Český Rudolec in terms of their style and iconographic context in which they have not been presented before.

Iconography of the Czech written Utraquist graduals Abstract: My doctoral thesis is devoted to the iconographic problems of painting decorations of a specific type of liturgical manuscripts. The subject of my doctoral thesis are illuminated chant books (graduals) with Czech texts of Gregorian chant, which originated in the 16th century for the needs of utraquist Confraternities of Litterati. The iconography of illuminations is interpreted with regards to their liturgical and codicological context within single part of the gradual. In the text, I especially accentuate the topics and motives from the whole complex of the themes which deserve attention and which newly appear in the structure of painting decorations or it is possible to interpret them in connection with the haecceity of the (utraquist) iconography and confessional identity. Heuristic compilation of illuminated utraquist chant books, which is the part of the structured catalogue, and interpretation of their iconography, represents the first elaboration which is fundamental to successive study dealing with iconography of single subjects, illustrations of particular saints and patron saints of places and specificity of the utraquist and catholic iconography in the epoch before the battle of White Mountain in Bohemia. My thesis, with regards to...

The thesis named Typology and Iconography of Christ in Distress motive. Devotional theme of Christ in Distress in historical Czech lands in late Gothic and early Renaissance wants to survey the occurrence of an unusual topic that began more often appear in the last quarter of the 15th century in central Europe. It expanded at the beginning of the following century in our territory. The thesis reflects a problem of terminology, seeks views on the origin and typological comparison of the theme. Different iconographic types sitting Suffering Christ are located and the most important artworks are presented in the accompanying catalog. The author concludes that the motive was very close to Franciscan spirituality, but also to notable feature of medieval spiritual life of human, namely the expectance of Apocalypse. Key words Christ in distress / devotional (subject) / iconography / sculpture / Czech

1 Summary The thesis, Imago gratiosa - Crowned Madonnas in Central Europe in the Baroque Period presents original research results primarily focused on the Madonne Coronate collection in the Archivio Capitolo di San Pietro at the Vatican Library, which was realised as part of Charles University grant project no. 356911 Coronation of Merciful Marian Imagos in Central Europe in the 17th and 18th Century. To become merciful (imago gratiosa) or miraculous (imago miraculosa) a Marian imago must demonstrate divine mercy (save lives during a disaster, cause miraculous recovery from illness, conception, etc.). The greatest expression of veneration and devotion to a merciful or miraculous imago or statue of the Virgin Mary is its coronation. The theological basis of this liturgical ceremony is the coronation of the Virgin Mary on her assumption to heaven. On earth, the Virgin Mary was crowned with imitations of the crowns of worldly monarchs and her crowned imago placed on a royal throne or altar, usually made especially for this occasion for greater honour and glory. This was always the exquisite work of goldsmiths and silversmiths, which if not preserved until today, we can see in numerous manuscripts, prints and engravings specially published to mark the coronation. The nature of the coronation ceremony developed...

This thesis examines contemporary street art and its exhibition in galleries and museums in connection with Walter Benjamin's concepts of aura and authenticity in the postmodern period. Street art is posited as a marginal art evolving out of the tradition of 1970's New York graffiti that can be made to function as a type of anti-spectacle within the spectacle of the mainstream. Situationist theory and concepts within the agenda of Unitary Urbanism (psychogeography, the dérive, and détournement) are used to evaluate contemporary street art as anti-spectacle. Photography, as a primary method of documenting street art, is considered as a mechanically reproduced medium bringing into play discourses of repetition and originality, which are in turn related back to Benjamin's concepts of aura and authenticity. Andy Warhol, his Pop Art iconography, and practice of seriality are also considered as an influence on contemporary street art's imagery and underlying practice. Warhol's promotion of an "art star" persona is also related to such contemporary street art "stars" as Banksy and Mr. Brainwash.