Bulletin du Musée National de Varsovie (14.1973)

Heemskerck, Bruegel und Goltzius. Die auf diesen Reisen entstandenen Landschafts- Ort- und
Stadtaiisichten verstarkten naturgemass die realistischen Tendenzen in der Entwicklung des
Landschaftsbildes. Im Wesentlichen ahnlich war ihre Rolle bei dem zu Ende des sechzehnten
und am Anfag des siebzehnten Jahrhunderts entstandenen Darstellungen mit topographischer
Genauigkeit. Einesteils durch Wiedergabe tatsachlicher Motive, andererseits mit Hilfe klar
iiberblickbarer Kompositionen halfen sie zur Uberwindung des manieristischen Schemas in
der Landschaftskomposition und trugen so zur Entfaltung der Landschaft- und Vedutenmalerei
des 17. Jahrhunderts auf ihre Art bei.

Jaromir Sip
SAVERY IN AND AROUND PRAGUE

There is little doubt indeed that Emperor Rudolf II made an excellent choice wben he took
Roelant Savery to Prague to work for him. This truły gifted artist was then in his late twenties,
without being already strictly specialized to a limited field of activity. After all, be was of Flemisb
origin and temperament. Belonging to tbe same generation as Rubens, he tended to be in first
place a „ gentleman-artist ", meaning a person of rather high standing, capable of performing
with ecpial skill and brilliance in more than one artistic, and possibly even diplomatic task,
simply in order to please his patron. All I am trying to do right now is to suggest, how sensitive
and responsive Savery was to the city, as well as to both its immediate and more distant sur-
roundings, which became the artist's main temporary residence, while in the Emperor's service.

Without exaggeration one is probably right in saying that Savery was not only impressed
by the very centrę of the Habsburg dominious in Central Europę, because Prague obviously
made a real impact on him. This statement may sound daring at first, but it can be easily proved
by a number of excellent drawings the artist made while walking with his sketchbook within
the city-walls. He certainly noticed the tremendous difference between the already congested
Amsterdam, where he came from and Prague boasting a generous supply of empty space offering
the possibilities of long-range and wide-field views. The river Vltava flowing through Prague
carved its bed in the hills on both sides in such an intricate way that any landscape — minded
artist going simply up or downstream was constantly exposed to a number of unexpected
panoramas. Climbing the hills especially on the left-side river bank brougt even more satisfactory
reward, sińce one could better appreciate the absolutely unique setting of tne city.

One of the finest examples of Savery's enthusiasm over the panorama of Prague can be found
in the Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam. The dating of this superb drawing suggested by K.G. de
Boon — that means between the year of Savery's arrival to Prague in 1604 and his trip to
Tyrol from 1606 on — is most convincing indeed. So is the stylistic analysis of drawing stressing
the fact that up to this time Savery worked following mainly the technical advice of Pieter
Brueghel. That means he tried to catch first quickly the generał outlines using soft chalk and
then to work out the details with sharp pen. In one point however I cannot agree with K.G.
de Boon.

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