DOI Artikel:
Murár, Tomáš: ‘I am wrong about my qualifications, or I do not have any friends’: Archival Research on the First Professorship of Max Dvořák
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.73804#0062
61
ing Goll, complained 'that the ministry itself might ap-
point me at its own initiative is out of the question, espe-
cially since the faculty doesn't even know about me. Be-
cause of the complete omission of my name, it is almost
impossible for me to get into Prague [University]'.13
Yet two months later, on 23 June 1903, the ministry of
education responded to the University of Prague's pro-
posal to appoint Matejka that it seemed odd to nominate
only one candidate and asked why Max Dvorak was not
also being considered for the job. At the end of its reply,
the ministry included a direct order that the committee
draw up an expert report on Dvorak's scholarly work.14
Not long after that Dvorak went to Vienna and met An-
tonin Rezek,15 his second history professor at the Univer-
sity of Prague, who from 1900 to 1903 served as the minis-
ter for Czech affairs in the Austro-Hungarian parliament.
According to a letter Dvorak wrote to Wickhoff on 29 July
1903, the first thing Rezek said to Dvorak at this meeting
was, so, you are going to become a professor'.16 In the let-
ter, Dvorak said that he thanked Rezek for interceding on
his behalf at the ministry of education, indicating that it
was Rezek, acting at the instigation of Wickoff, who had
seen to it that the ministry would respond to the univer-
sity in the way it did. In a letter to Susta from the follow-
ing day, 30 July 1903, Dvorak referred to his meeting with
Rezek and added that Goll had in the meantime asked him
for a list of his scholarly work in art history.17 In a letter
to Wickhoff from 18 August 1903 Dvorak reported Goll's
claim that 'there was nothing that could be done with the
first proposal' for the professorship in Prague,18 but that
Goll then assured Dvorak that he had done everything he
could to get the ministry of education to propose Dvorak
as a candidate. However, Dvorak knew that it had been
Wickhoff and Rezek who had been instrumental in get-
ting the ministry to mention his name, and he thus con-
sidered Goll's claim to be merely laughable. Nevertheless,
on 10 October 1904 the Prague professorial appointment
committee, including Goll, submitted a positive appraisal
of Dvorak's scholarly work,19 even though the committee
was still convinced that the professorship in art history
at the University of Prague should be given to Matejka,
13 aiah jp, 'Dvorak to Susta on 23 April 1903'.
14 The reply from the ministry of education is reproduced in a letter
dated 1 July 1905 dealing with Dvorak's appointment to the posi-
tion of associate professor at Prague University. This process was
stopped at Dvorak's request in October 1905. See acu bm, 'A Let-
ter from the Professorial Committee from 1 July 1905'.
15 See F. Kutnar, J. Marek, Prehledne dejiny ćeskeho a slovenskeho
dejepisectvi, Praha 1997, pp. 403-416.
16 Archive of the Institute of Art History of the Vienna University,
Estate of E Wickhoff, Correspondence of M. Dvorak (further as
aiahvu fw), 'Dvorak to Wickhoff on 29 July 1903'.
17 aiah jp, 'Dvorak to Susta on 30 July 1903'.
18 aiahvu fw, 'Dvorak to Wickhoff on 18 August 1903'.
19 acu bm, 'The Professorial Appraisal of M. Dvorak's scholarly
work in art history from 10 October 1904'.
mostly because he was already teaching at the university
and had been doing so since 1896. Dvorak knew by Feb-
ruary 1904 that he was not going to get the professorship
in art history because Wickhoff told him of the minis-
try's intention to appoint Matejka, which Wickhoff had
learned directly from the minister of education, Wilhelm
von Hartel,20 who had been Wickhoff's friend since 1895
when they published the Wiener Genesis together.21
Another opportunity for Dvorak to become a univer-
sity professor came a short time later, at the beginning
of March 1904, when he was sent an offer by telegraph
to take up an art history professorship at the university
at Fribourg in Switzerland. Dvorak discussed this offer in
letters to Wickhoff dated 9 March 1904,22 to Susta dated
10 March 1904,23 and to Kramar dated 13 March 1904.24
In all of these letters Dvorak informed his friends that
he would accept this offer, even though, as he wrote to
Kramar, he would 'be leaving Vienna with a heavy heart,
almost as though I were going into exile'.25 He went on,
however, to say, what else can I do? They do not want me
in Prague and it is impossible for the ministry to establish
a third professorship in art history in Vienna; what should
I then be waiting for?'26 In the letter to Susta, Dvorak
praised the conditions in Fribourg - he was supposed to
20 aiah jp, 'Dvorak to Susta on 27 February 1904'.
21 E Wickhoff, W. v. Hartel, Die Wiener Genesis, Wien 1895.
22 aiahvu fw, 'Dvorak to Wickhoff on 9 March 1904'.
23 aiah jp, 'Dvorak to Susta on 10 March 1904'.
24 Archive of the National Gallery in Prague, Estate of V. Kramar,
Personal Correspondence - M. Dvorak (further as ang vk),
'Dvorak to Kramar on 13 March 1904'.
25 Ibidem. So far, it is not clear on which basis the university of Fri-
bourg decided to appoint Dvorak. The most likely explanation is
that it could have been connected to Dominican Catholic Bibli-
cal scholar Vincent Zapletal, born near Olmutz in 1867, who was
studying in Vienna around 1890. As a Czech, he most likely came
into a contact (so far we do not know if personal or through the
academic work) with young Dvorak, also Catholic, referencing
to his Czech origin in many occasions as Zapletal did, who e.g.
was writing into Czech Catholic journals (Vlast). Zapletal could
have been the key connection between university in Fribourg and
Dvorak, since Zaplelal was appointed the professor of the exege-
sis of the Old Testament at the Theological Faculty of this new-
ly founded university in 1893, coming through a personal cri-
sis around 1898 connected with the leave of German professors.
However, this thesis needs to be examined more from the archi-
val point of view. The author is thankful to Martin Bedfich and
Tomas Petracek for their notice on this possible connection. See,
T. Petracek, Od vedecke exegeze k psani beletrie. Biblicke roma-
ny Vincenta Zapletala OP, 'Studia Theologica 11, 2009, pp. 48-62;
idem, Vyklad Bible v dobe (anti-)modernisticke krize: Zivot a dilo
Vincenta Zapletala OP, Praha 2006. See also, U. Altermatt, Die
Universitat Freiburg auf der Suche nach Identitat. Essays żur Kul-
tur- und Sozialgeschichte der Universitat Fribourg im 19. und 20.
Jahrhundert, Fribourg 2009.
26 ang vk, 'Dvorak to Kramar on 13 March 1904'.
ing Goll, complained 'that the ministry itself might ap-
point me at its own initiative is out of the question, espe-
cially since the faculty doesn't even know about me. Be-
cause of the complete omission of my name, it is almost
impossible for me to get into Prague [University]'.13
Yet two months later, on 23 June 1903, the ministry of
education responded to the University of Prague's pro-
posal to appoint Matejka that it seemed odd to nominate
only one candidate and asked why Max Dvorak was not
also being considered for the job. At the end of its reply,
the ministry included a direct order that the committee
draw up an expert report on Dvorak's scholarly work.14
Not long after that Dvorak went to Vienna and met An-
tonin Rezek,15 his second history professor at the Univer-
sity of Prague, who from 1900 to 1903 served as the minis-
ter for Czech affairs in the Austro-Hungarian parliament.
According to a letter Dvorak wrote to Wickhoff on 29 July
1903, the first thing Rezek said to Dvorak at this meeting
was, so, you are going to become a professor'.16 In the let-
ter, Dvorak said that he thanked Rezek for interceding on
his behalf at the ministry of education, indicating that it
was Rezek, acting at the instigation of Wickoff, who had
seen to it that the ministry would respond to the univer-
sity in the way it did. In a letter to Susta from the follow-
ing day, 30 July 1903, Dvorak referred to his meeting with
Rezek and added that Goll had in the meantime asked him
for a list of his scholarly work in art history.17 In a letter
to Wickhoff from 18 August 1903 Dvorak reported Goll's
claim that 'there was nothing that could be done with the
first proposal' for the professorship in Prague,18 but that
Goll then assured Dvorak that he had done everything he
could to get the ministry of education to propose Dvorak
as a candidate. However, Dvorak knew that it had been
Wickhoff and Rezek who had been instrumental in get-
ting the ministry to mention his name, and he thus con-
sidered Goll's claim to be merely laughable. Nevertheless,
on 10 October 1904 the Prague professorial appointment
committee, including Goll, submitted a positive appraisal
of Dvorak's scholarly work,19 even though the committee
was still convinced that the professorship in art history
at the University of Prague should be given to Matejka,
13 aiah jp, 'Dvorak to Susta on 23 April 1903'.
14 The reply from the ministry of education is reproduced in a letter
dated 1 July 1905 dealing with Dvorak's appointment to the posi-
tion of associate professor at Prague University. This process was
stopped at Dvorak's request in October 1905. See acu bm, 'A Let-
ter from the Professorial Committee from 1 July 1905'.
15 See F. Kutnar, J. Marek, Prehledne dejiny ćeskeho a slovenskeho
dejepisectvi, Praha 1997, pp. 403-416.
16 Archive of the Institute of Art History of the Vienna University,
Estate of E Wickhoff, Correspondence of M. Dvorak (further as
aiahvu fw), 'Dvorak to Wickhoff on 29 July 1903'.
17 aiah jp, 'Dvorak to Susta on 30 July 1903'.
18 aiahvu fw, 'Dvorak to Wickhoff on 18 August 1903'.
19 acu bm, 'The Professorial Appraisal of M. Dvorak's scholarly
work in art history from 10 October 1904'.
mostly because he was already teaching at the university
and had been doing so since 1896. Dvorak knew by Feb-
ruary 1904 that he was not going to get the professorship
in art history because Wickhoff told him of the minis-
try's intention to appoint Matejka, which Wickhoff had
learned directly from the minister of education, Wilhelm
von Hartel,20 who had been Wickhoff's friend since 1895
when they published the Wiener Genesis together.21
Another opportunity for Dvorak to become a univer-
sity professor came a short time later, at the beginning
of March 1904, when he was sent an offer by telegraph
to take up an art history professorship at the university
at Fribourg in Switzerland. Dvorak discussed this offer in
letters to Wickhoff dated 9 March 1904,22 to Susta dated
10 March 1904,23 and to Kramar dated 13 March 1904.24
In all of these letters Dvorak informed his friends that
he would accept this offer, even though, as he wrote to
Kramar, he would 'be leaving Vienna with a heavy heart,
almost as though I were going into exile'.25 He went on,
however, to say, what else can I do? They do not want me
in Prague and it is impossible for the ministry to establish
a third professorship in art history in Vienna; what should
I then be waiting for?'26 In the letter to Susta, Dvorak
praised the conditions in Fribourg - he was supposed to
20 aiah jp, 'Dvorak to Susta on 27 February 1904'.
21 E Wickhoff, W. v. Hartel, Die Wiener Genesis, Wien 1895.
22 aiahvu fw, 'Dvorak to Wickhoff on 9 March 1904'.
23 aiah jp, 'Dvorak to Susta on 10 March 1904'.
24 Archive of the National Gallery in Prague, Estate of V. Kramar,
Personal Correspondence - M. Dvorak (further as ang vk),
'Dvorak to Kramar on 13 March 1904'.
25 Ibidem. So far, it is not clear on which basis the university of Fri-
bourg decided to appoint Dvorak. The most likely explanation is
that it could have been connected to Dominican Catholic Bibli-
cal scholar Vincent Zapletal, born near Olmutz in 1867, who was
studying in Vienna around 1890. As a Czech, he most likely came
into a contact (so far we do not know if personal or through the
academic work) with young Dvorak, also Catholic, referencing
to his Czech origin in many occasions as Zapletal did, who e.g.
was writing into Czech Catholic journals (Vlast). Zapletal could
have been the key connection between university in Fribourg and
Dvorak, since Zaplelal was appointed the professor of the exege-
sis of the Old Testament at the Theological Faculty of this new-
ly founded university in 1893, coming through a personal cri-
sis around 1898 connected with the leave of German professors.
However, this thesis needs to be examined more from the archi-
val point of view. The author is thankful to Martin Bedfich and
Tomas Petracek for their notice on this possible connection. See,
T. Petracek, Od vedecke exegeze k psani beletrie. Biblicke roma-
ny Vincenta Zapletala OP, 'Studia Theologica 11, 2009, pp. 48-62;
idem, Vyklad Bible v dobe (anti-)modernisticke krize: Zivot a dilo
Vincenta Zapletala OP, Praha 2006. See also, U. Altermatt, Die
Universitat Freiburg auf der Suche nach Identitat. Essays żur Kul-
tur- und Sozialgeschichte der Universitat Fribourg im 19. und 20.
Jahrhundert, Fribourg 2009.
26 ang vk, 'Dvorak to Kramar on 13 March 1904'.