Pavla Savická

Social and Economic Aspects of Sculpture in Prague in the 17th and 18th Century

The social history of the artist has for some time been a focus of interest in art history, but in many branches of the discipline the fragmentary nature or total absence of sources makes it a subject difficult to tackle coherently. The results of research on Bohemian Baroque sculpture are concentrated primarily in general syntheses, monographs on individual artists, and typologically orientated catalogues. Interest in the Baroque sculptural workshop represents another distinctive research line. Details of the social and economic background of sculptors partially rises to the surface in such studies, but systematic analysis, supported by a reasonably large amount of statistically interpretable information, is still lacking. The article therefore outlines the whole wide range of questions and research possibilities concerning the social and economic status of Prague sculptors, with some reference to other Bohemian and Moravian towns and developments abroad. Recent similarly orientated publications about Prague painters mean that there is now a prospect of comparison of the data obtained from tax registers, and potentially a more precise comparison of income for commissions and ultimately standard of living. The text considers several themes that can be at least partially illuminated from surviving written sources: guilds and other institutions regulating the professional lives of artists; the property of sculptors, above all house ownership, which was a fundamental precondition of higher social status and rights; fees paid for works and difficulties in comparing them. Last but not least there is the evidential value of material sources, above all the statues themselves, but also stylised representation of sculptors’ workshops in painting of the period. The article presents a summary of research to date in the field of the social history of Prague sculptors and suggests possible starting points for further research especially with an eye to data that can be quantitatively processed and the limits of its use. Pavla Savická: p.savicka@gmail.com

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