In the third episode, we will travel into the 17th century. In this era, the Habsburg Emperor Rudolph II resided in Prague. Thanks to his interest in collecting, he was an exceptional connoisseur and lover of art. His court hosted a number of famous European artists and personalities of the time. Among them was the Flemish painter Roelandt Savery, distinguished by his ability to depict local and exotic fauna and flora in very realistic detail. The painting Paradise, which includes a small figure of Adam surrounded by abundant fauna and flora, is a first-rate example of Savery´s mastery.
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Roelandt Savery, Paradise
1618
Height 55 cm x width 107 cm
Oil on wood panel
Rudolph II’s court hosted a large number of outstanding artists, for instance, Hans von Aachen, Bartholomeus Spranger, or the author of this work, Roelandt Savery.
The Dutch master was distinguished by his ability to capture fauna and flora in a very realistic and detailed way. Even Emperor Rudolph II took notice and sent the painter on a two-year trip to the Tyrolean Alps to further improve his art of depicting animals and plants. Let’s have a look at Savery’s mastery of animal representation. This painting from 1618 on the theme of paradise depicts a number of animals, often in pairs, which could hardly live side by side under normal conditions. These are predators and their prey, but in paradise, they all live in harmony. It is a very charming and realistic depiction of a pair of leopards, and next to them, dogs, a deer, a camel; above them a lion with a lioness; a bit further away is a wild boar, a monkey, a horse, a cow, a pair of pelicans, pheasants, and a hen with a rooster. In paradise, heaven is full of birds. We can observe an eagle, a crane, and a stork here. But what attracts our attention the most is a pair of parrots. One is blue and the other is distinctly red. Of course, Roelandt Savery had many opportunities to study these exotic birds in Rudolph’s large aviaries. Besides animals, we should also direct our attention to plants. Roelandt Savery depicted tulips, irises, and meadows, and forest flora with great credibility. The richness and colors of animals capture our attention to such an extent that we almost fail to notice a small figure in the background – Adam. He stands alone – it means at the moment before the creation of Eve. God gave him a task to give a name to each of the animals. That is why they parade in front of him in pairs.
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The project was realized in cooperation with the National Gallery Prague and the Czech Centres.
