SOFFA 18 / THE BAROQUE, English edition by SOFFA

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SOFFA ISSUE 18 IS DEDICATED TO THE BAROQUE SOFFA issue 18 offers the best from Czech Baroque. This exceptionally rich epoch touched all spheres of creativity – architecture, visual arts, literature, theatre, fashion and music – and we explore them all from different angles. Our stories reveal how the Baroque era was not just gloomy and pretentious, but also joyous and full of hyperbole. In addition to celebrated examples of Czech Baroque heritage, such as Kuks and the Waldstein Garden, we show you some lesser known Baroque gems. And to make sure you find your way there, we have made a special indestructible map! You will discover that the principles of the Baroque aesthetic are as relevant today as they were during Baroque times, whether in architecture, fashion or the art of scent. We also touch on other Baroque cultural phenomena, such as fairytales, annual pilgrimages, wayside shrines and sites commemorating the Stations of the Cross. Finally, we honour Baroque spas and Folk Baroque, a style typical of Czech folk architecture. If the goal of the Baroque was to amaze its patrons, our aim with this issue has been to amaze you – our beloved readers. Whether we have succeeded is for you to decide!

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ISSUE THEME: THE BAROQUE Grandiose, full of emotion and rich in detail â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just like the Baroque period to which this issue is dedicated. Join us and indulge all your senses in the fabulous Baroque aesthetic.

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CONTENTS - VOLUME | 18

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EDITORIAL Baroque Through All The Senses

Waldstein’s Garden

03 | LET’S BAROQUE Erratic – Erotic

04 | SOFFA & VOLVO Acrobatics on Four Wheels 6

01 | BAROQUE AESTHETIC 18 02 | TIME OF SILENCE Baroque Principles Life in Baroque Times

05 | SOFFA & FEDRIGONI Where Paper is Born

Halo: A Triptych

06 | EDITORS’ CHOICE The Latest for Winter

07 | MEMENTO MORI Sister Death

08 | TRAVEL Baroque Treasure Pilgrimage

112

114

118

131

Small Sacral Structures

09 | FASHION & PERFUME Scent and Sensibility

135

146

154

Baroque in the Country

Café Morgal: Icing on the Cake

11 | INTERIORS Rediscovered Church

Return to the Landscape

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10 | BAROQUE HYGIENE No Soap No Water

BA RO Q U E THRO U G H A L L T H E S EN S ES text: Adéla Kudrnová | photo: Adéla Havelková

Welcome to SOFFA issue 18, which is special to us for several reasons. First, the full issue was prepared in collaboration with the CzechTourism agency, which has selected ‘Baroque Through All The Senses‘ as the theme for 2017 to promote the Czech Republic. We have attempted to contribute to this rich theme mainly through the sense of sight, because whether we like it or not, we haven’t yet mastered how to imprint scent or taste onto our paper.

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In spite of this we hope that you find this issue to be lavish, splendid and stunning – such as befits the Baroque! Two new features should help in this endeavour – the embossed SOFFA logo on the cover and the indestructible Map of Czech Baroque printed on Tyvek. The map will take you to renowned but also lesser known Baroque gems and heritage sites, many of which are featured here. Inspired by this issue, we have also decided to help return statues to their rightful place in the landscape. Baroque epoch was a time when statues were purposefully placed in public spaces, and Baroque statues are today an inseparable feature of the Czech countryside. If you would like to help us return statues to the landscape, or if you know a place where a statue used to stand and could be returned – whether in an alleyway, roadside, village common, bridge or a hill – read more on page 112. Wishing you a winter rich in Baroque splendour, Your SOFFA team We thank the printing house H.R.G. for the embossed logo on the cover. We thank Europapier-Bohemia for the Tyvek and the printing house Žaket for the printing of the map.

SOFFA 2017 CREATIVE CALENDAR

Size: A4 – six evocative and six creative pages Paper: Oikos Extra White 150 g and 300 g from Fedrigoni Illustration: Lucie Šatková/Eyeej.com

n The beginning of each year brings new hopes and expectations. The SOFFA 2017 Calendar features the six themes that will shape the six issues of the SOFFA magazine in 2017. Created in collaboration with the artist Lucie Šatková, the interactive calendar and its six themes are sure to inspire your creative spirit in 2017!

BAROQUE AESTHETIC And Its Characteristics

BARO QU E PR I N C I PL ES text: Kristýna Drápalová | styling: Lenka Hlaváčová | photo: Adéla Havelková

THE BAROQUE PERIOD SPANNED NEARLY TWO CENTURIES AND LEFT BEHIND AN AESTHETIC LEGACY FEW OTHER ARTISTIC PERIODS CAN MATCH. MANY OF THE FEATURES OF THE CZECH LANDSCAPE WE CONSIDER QUINTESSENTIAL HAVE THEIR ROOTS IN BAROQUE TIMES – ROUNDED CUPOLAS OF VILLAGE CHURCHES, STATUES OF ST JOHN NEPOMUK PERCHED ATOP BRIDGES, AND PORTICOS WITH ELABORATELY SHAPED COLUMNS. JOIN US ON A JOURNEY TO UNVEIL THE PRINCIPLES OF THE BAROQUE AESTHETIC. To find the source of the Baroque aesthetic one must begin in Rome and then travel through northern Italy, Bavaria and Austria. Bohemia was introduced to the Baroque style through generations of architects, plasterers and painters who brought their craft from the Lake Como area and from the region of Ticino in today’s Switzerland. Aristocrats played an equally important role in the spread of Baroque art and architecture – desiring to emulate the fashionable style they encountered on travels through Italy, France and Germany, they commissioned the creation of many Baroque buildings and works of art. Although the spread of the Baroque aesthetic was influenced by outside sources, Czech Baroque is far from an adapted imitation. Indeed, the first three decades of the eighteenth century witnessed an extraordinary burst of original creativity in Czech Baroque art. During this brief period Prague was the creative centre for a generation of brilliant artists who were, without doubt, among Europe’s best. ‘Radical Baroque of Bohemia’ triumphed in the expressive contours of the cathedrals and chapels designed by Kryštof Dientzenhofer and Jan Blažej Santini, and Kryštof’s son Kilián Ignác followed Continues on page 16 ►

HARMONY IN CONTRAST (PREVIOUS SPREAD LEFT): Contrast is inherent to the Baroque aesthetic, just as it was to life in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries – contrast between life on earth and the afterlife, contrast between the poverty of villagers and the opulence of aristocrats, and contrast between everyday toil and the distraction of festivities. In Baroque art this contrast is evident in the sharply lit faces of saints emerging from a dark backdrop, or the stark white dome rising above undulating walls.

DYNAMICS & TEMPORALITY (PREVIOUS SPREAD RIGHT): Baroque art was about movement, epitomised in the quick strides and flowing capes depicted in Baroque paintings and in the wavy facades of elaborate buildings. The dynamics of movement in architecture were also carefully considered from the perspective of the visitor. One need only to take a few steps from a tightly spaced entranceway to find oneself in a monumental hall with a grand stairway branching out in three directions. The character of the place changes with every turn, offering new vistas and perspectives.

INTENSITY AND DRAMA (RIGHT): Baroque artists were bold in their expression of raw emotion. Every event depicted through the artist’s hand is accompanied by strong emotional display – the eyes of saints tell of exalted piety, the bodies of martyrs contort with suffering, and ancient heroes eagerly await to take their oaths. Drama also plays out in the walls of Baroque cathedrals, which stretch tightly like the strings of a bow, and architectural features become props for an unsettling theatre performance.

ADORNMENT (LEFT): Richly coloured ceiling frescos compete for space with exquisite stucco or scroll topped columns. The carved vines on painting frames shimmer with gold leaf, and plague columns are lost under the folds of saints’ vestments and clouds of angels’ wings. Is too much decoration a crime? Not in Baroque times.

INTERPLAY OF LIGHT AND SHADOW (NEXT SPREAD LEFT): In spite of the Baroque penchant for expressing passion and emotion, rational symmetry reigns in Baroque architecture and art. The complex patterns of cloister and palace gardens were always symmetrically aligned, and balance ruled in the blueprints for chateaus and their rooflines – statues placed across from one another, pavilions designed to mirror each other. The Baroque need for symmetry even ‘corrected’ asymmetrical outlines of medieval castles and citadels by adding new towers or additions for improved balance.

SYMMETRY (NEXT SPREAD RIGHT): In spite of the Baroque penchant for expressing passion and emotion, rational symmetry reigns in Baroque architecture and art. The complex patterns of cloister and palace gardens were always symmetrically aligned, and balance ruled in the blueprints for chateaus and their rooflines – statues placed across from one another, pavilions designed to mirror each other. The Baroque need for symmetry even ‘corrected’ asymmetrical outlines of medieval castles and citadels by adding new towers or additions for improved balance.

ILLUSION Cathedral vaults are open to the skies through painted vistas, the veneer on columns gives the impression of marble, and clergy conduct religious service in front of an illusionary altar backdrop – the Baroque mind revelled in imitation and optical illusion. The commissioning aristocracy liked to support artists who knew how to deceive the eye, and requested chateau corridors with non-existing niches sheltering non-existing statues.

GESAMTKUNSTWERK [TOTAL WORK OF ART] The Baroque epoch attempted to create places that were completely removed from everyday reality and its rules. Architecture, sculpture and paintings crossed boundaries to create a complete body of work. And during celebrations honouring God or a king the desire to create gesamtkunstwerk was further satisfied with fireworks, bell ringing, building of triumphal arches, and adornment with ephemeral architecture made from wood, fabric and paper. Oh the splendour of the Baroque!

in the footsteps of the two giants with an equally impressive creative verve. Along with the dazzling lines of radical Baroque architecture came the less striking yet equally important ‘Baroque Minimalism’ – austere buildings of refined scale and graceful proportions. Sculpture also reached new heights during this period through the work of Ferdinand Maxmilián Brokoff and Matyáš Bernard Braun, and the works of these two masters inspired other local sculptors to adorn the Czech landscape with an impressive number of statues. The growing panoply of Baroque style was completed by the work of the exceptional portrait painter Petr Brandl and the fresco painter Václav Vavřinec Reiner. ■

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PHOTO: JULIA HETTA / ART + COMMERCEMATA

TOSCA CONDUCTOR: ANDREAS SEBASTIAN WEISER STAGE DIRECTOR: ARNAUD BERNARD STATE OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS PREMIERES: 28. & 29. 1. 2017

T I M E O F S I L EN C E The Lesser Known Baroque

L IF E IN B A RO Q UE T I M ES text: Kristýna Drápalová

SOME SAY THAT IN THE CZECH COUNTRYSIDE THE BAROQUE PERIOD ENDED ONLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. STILL THEN ONE COULD JOIN IN HOLY TRINITY PILGRIMAGES DECORATED WITH COLOURFUL BANNERS, PROCESSIONAL CROSSES AND FLOWER WREATHS, LED BY PRIESTS IN EMBROIDERED HABITS WALKING TO THE ACCOMPANIMENT OF RINGING BELLS. On Sundays people gathered in church and attended to spiritual matters, and in the evenings they sat around telling fairytales about princesses and brave knights, tales that often originate in the Late Baroque period. Fundamental changes in the organisation of people’s lives came only in the next century, heralded by the arrival of electricity and industrialisation, and the resulting migration to cities. The Church stopped being the centre of people’s lives and their buildings changed into heritage sites or ruins. The circumstances of our own lives are so different today that we can hardly imagine the cornerstones of a Baroque person’s life, just as we cannot imagine the backdrop against which it played itself out. The Baroque was a time of silence. Sometimes when travelling in a remote village you realise you hear no noise: no cars, no stereo music, no ringing tone of a mobile phone. All you hear are your footsteps, the same sound that accompanied the lives of all generations that came before the last one hundred years. There was no possibility to turn music on at a moment’s whim – all people heard were the sounds of nature and their own movement, work and conversation. ►

The Baroque was also a time of visual silence. While we encounter all imaginable shades of colour on a daily basis, in Baroque times one might see a particular colour only once a year – when a specific purple flower was in bloom, or perhaps in one specific place – the painting in a local chapel. Whole months, like those that herald the arrival of spring, were spent in the dull monochromatic tones of melting snow and muddy earth. It was also a time of a close connection to place, as it was not common for people to travel further than the edge of one’s land. A visit to the neighbouring village was considered a special event, and many people crossed the boundaries of the manor to which they belonged only a few times in their lives. This is perhaps why one of the most important events in the life of a Baroque person was the annual pilgrimage. After the Thirty Years’ War the Catholic Church made great strides to bring the people of Bohemia back to the Roman Catholic faith, and one of the most important instruments of re-Catholicisation was a focus on old and new pilgrimage sites. For the common person a pilgrimage was a respite from hard work and an event to dazzle all senses. Some of the most popular pilgrimage sites, such as Svatá Hora u Příbrami or Bohosudov in northern Czechia, ►

welcomed at the height of their popularity more than a hundred thousand pilgrims each year – more than the number of people living in Prague at the time. Pilgrimage was the one opportunity to learn how people lived in places lying further than a day’s walk away. The journey itself must have been a special experience. Villagers walked in a large crowd, led by a priest dressed in festive garb. His assistants carried the processional cross and colourful banners. The journey was dotted by resting places with statues or wayside shrines, and there the crowd would pause, sing songs and read from the Holy Scriptures. The pilgrimage site itself was a spellbinding place – dominated by a magnificent church fringed by elaborately arched corridors and side chapels. The pilgrimage church was usually the tallest building a Baroque person would have ever seen, and probably also the most beautiful. After all, pilgrimage churches were built by the most accomplished architects of the day, and the walls of their structures seemed to be ruled by forces that defied gravity. And then there were the interiors: stucco garlands, gilded woodcarvings, throngs of saints and angels painted in most vivid colours in frescoes that opened onto the heavens! When listening to the ethereal sound of the organ and the choir, who wouldn’t have believed that the statue of the saint around whom the pilgrimage site was created really held miraculous powers? ■

M O NA S T I C L I B R A RY text: Helena Stiessová | photo: Lina Németh

ROWS OF NEATLY ORDERED BOOKS CONTRAST AGAINST THE UNDULATING CURVES OF NEO-BAROQUE STUCCO. OAK BOOKSHELVES NESTLE IN THE PROTECTIVE ARMS OF GUARDIANS IN RELIEF, WHILE PASTEL CEILING FRESCOS FLOAT ABOVE. WELCOME TO THE DIZZYINGLY VAST LIBRARY OF THE MONASTERY IN TEPLÁ. The Premonstratensian monastery on the river Teplá in western Czechia was founded towards the end of the twelfth century by the Czech noble Venerable Hroznata. The first reference to a library on site comes from 1501, although books must have accompanied the lives of the religious brothers since the very beginning. The monastery experienced many difficult periods during its existence, including several fires that nearly burnt it to the ground. It always rose from the ashes, however, and survived even the devastating years of the Communist period, when knowledge and faith went out of favour. Over the centuries the library moved to different locations within the monastery, and suitable spaces were sought to house rare manuscripts and prints. In the eighteenth century the Baroque architect Kryštof Dienzenhofer designed the so-called ‘large library’ to house the growing collections, and at the beginning of the twentieth century the library moved to an entirely new wing. The Neo-Baroque design of architect Josef Schaffer remained true to the original Baroque style, and it included modern amenities like electricity and central heating. By placing the library in a wing located outside the seclusion area reserved for monks, the library could now be opened to the general public. Today the library collection holds more than 100,000 volumes. These can be admired for aesthetic pleasure or accessed for their historical knowledge. It is then that the true meaning of a book is realised, when treasured knowledge passes on. For more go to: www.klastertepla.cz

CHOTĚ Š OV CO N V EN T text: Helena Stiessová | photo: Adéla Havelková

THE CORRIDORS OF THE CHOTĚŠOV CONVENT HAVE BORN WITNESS TO THE DEVOTION OF COUNTLESS WOMEN. THE WALLS EXUDE A QUIET ENERGY THAT HAS PROTECTED ITS RESIDENTS THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES, BUT THE CONVENT IS SHOWING ITS AGE AND IS IN NEED OF SOMEONE ELSE’S DEVOTED HANDS. The convent in Chotěšov was founded by the nobleman Venerable Hroznata at the beginning of the thirteenth century at the urging of his sister Vojslava, who later joined the convent community. The present four-winged Baroque structure was designed in the middle of the eighteenth century by the architect Jacob Auguston Jr, and its walls and ceilings were painted by the artist František Julius Lux. The convent was closed shortly after the completion of the Baroque building on the edict of Emperor Joseph II and religious sisters returned only at the end of the nineteenth century. Through time the convent served as a shelter for underprivileged women, and during the Second World War it housed women working for the war effort. By this time the walls of the convent had begun to crumble and cracks continued to grow through the Communist period, when the building was nearly lost. The return to democracy saved the convent, but the building carries the scars of neglect to this day, and in 2006 it was placed on the list of one hundred most endangered heritage sites in the world. Thanks to dedicated supporters this Baroque gem is now slowly being rebuilt, with windows fitted into the once empty frames and restoration on rare frescoes underway. Today the arched corridors echo with the footsteps of busy volunteers and curious visitors, and each summer a festival is organised by the Chotěšov Convent Society to support the repairs of this cultural treasure. We wish them much success! For more go to: www.klasterchotesov.eu

AT THE W H I T E UN I CO R N text: Helena Stiessová | photo: Lina Németh

THE OLD DOORS CREAK OPEN AND YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THE MIDST OF MYSTERIOUS ALCHEMY WITH ENEMAS AND GROUND COCKROACHES ON OFFER. IF THESE CURES DO NOT APPEAL THERE IS NO NEED TO WORRY, AS AT THE WHITE UNICORN APOTHECARY THEY ARE ACCUSTOMED TO PEOPLE TURNING UP THEIR NOSES. The apothecary in the main square of Klatovy dates back to 1639. Its name was coined in the eighteenth century by the pharmacist Štěpán Schmidt who hung an imposing two meter-long whale tooth above its doors and claimed it came from a unicorn. This symbol of magical cures earned the apothecary its prosperity and contributed to its unending fame. Today the famous Klatovy apothecary is a European treasure thanks to generations of farsighted pharmacists who managed and preserved this beautiful repository of healing knowledge. In 1966 the apothecary became an experiential museum offering something for everyone. Visitors can admire precious Baroque furnishings from the middle of the eighteenth century while putting their noses to exotic concoctions that conjure the fascinating yet somewhat bizarre reality of our forebears. We have all been unwell and can easily imagine coming here in search of a remedy or some healing advice. In the preparatory room you will find horrifying implements and appalling potions. Some are sure to make you faint, while the acrid smell of others, such as the devil’s excrement, is guaranteed to bring you back to life. The apothecary is an amazing cabinet of curiosities where you can easily spend the whole day – that is until the smell of ammonia wafts in and you find yourself in search of some fresh air. For more go to: www.klatovy.cz

WAL D ST EI N’ S G A R DEN text: Lukáš Paderta | photo: Adéla Havelková

NEATLY ORDERED HEDGES STAND IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE BIZARRE STALACTITE WALL WITH MYSTERIOUS EYES. BETWEEN THE SCULPTED GREENERY WHITE PEACOCKS PARADE WHILE THE TAUT MUSCLES OF THE MANNERIST STATUES HINT AT THE TENSION OF THE PLACE. WELCOME TO ALBRECHT VON WALDSTEIN’S GARDEN.

The Waldstein Garden is like a grand ballroom under the open sky, delineated by an enclosure wall on one side and the Waldstein Palace and Riding School on the other. The bold vision of the architects and artists who created the garden is admirable even to this day. Designed by the Italian architects Andrea Spezza and Nicolo Sebregondi, the garden was established at the same time as the Waldstein palace in the years 1623 to 1630. The architect, astronomer, and brilliant mathematician Giovanni Pieroni is credited to the monumental sala terrena [garden pavilion], which is decorated with scenes from the Trojan War. In contrast to other palace gardens, the Waldstein Garden is organised along a ‘broken’ axis. One part of the axis leads to the sala terrena and a parterre with a square fountain, four grassy areas with trimmed box trees, and an alley of replica mythological statues from the Mannerist sculptor Adriaen de Vries – the originals having been taken by the Swedish army during the Thirty Years’ War. The second part of the garden axis passes through a hornbeam grove and a sizeable pool with a statue of Hercules, and culminates at the front of the Riding School. A large artificial stalactite wall looms like a backdrop to an anxious dream, and the observant eye will find both human and animal faces staring back from among the stalactites. The wall is connected to a large aviary with several pairs of the Eurasian eagle-owl. Although the sculpted trees, animals and water features suggest a peaceful atmosphere, the garden exudes a certain disquiet – embedded in the expressive ornamentation ►

and frescoes depicting war scenes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; perhaps a troubled reflection on the untimely death of Albrecht von Waldstein, who was murdered only a few years after the creation of this magnificent oasis in the middle of Prague. â&#x2013;

L ET â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S B A RO Q U E Fashion & Halo

FULL FIGURE | Location: Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, Svatobor Two layers of skirts hid a metal pannier, stiffened petticoats and small padding pillows.

E R R AT I C – EROT I C text: Patrik Florián | costumes and styling: Terezie Dvořáková stylist’s assistant: Kateřina Kovaříková | flowers and styling: Lukáš Paderta | models: Terezie Kovalová, Dina Cassama and Kateřina Vintrová | make-up and hair: Margita Skřenková | postproduction: Petra Vokjan | photo: Alžběta Jungrová

SHE BEGINS WITH SEVERAL PETTICOATS. THEN THE CORSET, CINCHING THE WAIST TO EXAGGERATE HER BREASTS. SHE REVEALS HER NECKLINE AND COMBS HER HAIR HIGH, STEPS INTO THE METAL PANNIER AND ADDS PADDING, LOTS OF IT. TWO SKIRTS, A TRAIN, A SHIRTFRONT AND FINALLY THE DRESS. LACE AND MORE LACE, AND A SUMPTUOUS CLOAK ON TOP. THEN COME THE PEARLS, COLLAR AND JEWELS. SHE ARRANGES HER WIG, COMBS IT HIGH TO THE SKY, AND ADORNS IT WITH FLOWERS. ENOUGH? NOT IN A MILLION YEARS! Is it reality, fantasy or perhaps an illusion? To indulge in the endless play of seduction – the colours, the textures, the patterns. To run around the forest half naked and invite the attention of the whole world. To glisten in the sunlight and command everything around. To shed clothes and put them on again. To breathe in nature, caress it and adore its beauty, to abandon boundaries of ‘proper’ behaviour and live life to the fullest. Is it reality or an illusion? An intimate play of light and movement? A flirtation with epithets and allegories? There is nothing to regret. There is only a prayer, a grimace, a hide-out in the forest, and with the first rays of sun the continuing journey onwards with a smile on her face. Life is so beautiful, amazing and grandiose, it may seem at times too much to bear. In reality there is never enough! ■

WIGS | Location: Ruin of a hunting lodge, Mořičov Wigs became a fashion accessory at the beginning of the seventeenth century, and by the height of the Baroque period they ruled the world of fashion. Wigs were so important in fact, that they were often combed more frequently than the owner’s actual hair.

ENSEMBLE | Location: Ruin of a hunting lodge, Mořičov The dressing process had to be carefully arranged – garments were layered and folded, various shapes and colours were considered. Embroidered lace reached the height of its craft during the Baroque period, and floral motifs were highly prized.

COLOURS | Location: Interior of the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, Skoky u Ĺ˝lutic Colours, drama and emotion. The Baroque period awoke all the senses â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it celebrated movement and idealised rounded shapes like the oval.

TRIANGLE | Location: Chotěšov Convent Towards the end of the seventeenth century the manteau became a key wardrobe item – an outer gown with an open skirt that extended to a train. The manteau was fastened at the front and splayed open to reveal a stiffened triangle – a so-called punt. The beginning of the eighteenth century saw the arrival of the robe à la francoisse, inspired by an early version of the négligée. Wavy hairstyles gave way to backcombing and raised hair to new heights!

CORSET | Location: Glasshouse at Chateau ValeÄ? To be fashionable at the height of the Baroque period a woman relied on the corset, which shaped the torso into a curvy figure by narrowing the waist and exaggerating the bust and the hips. A corset was stiffened with up to one kilogram of metal or fish and whalebone.

COLLAR AND PEARLS | Location: Lake in the park of Chateau ValeÄ? Fashionable ladies at court wore uncovered necklines and decorated them with collars of all shapes and sizes. In the countryside low necklines were replaced with layered collars and shirtfronts. Pearls, the status symbol for which the Baroque period is named, were layered in multiple strands and found their way into earrings, skirts, bonnets and wigs.

ACCESSORIES AND DECORATION | Location: Chotěšov Convent Baroque designers knew nothing of ‘minimalism’ – bold glittery jewels were the perfect accessory to ostentatious make-up and dress.

LA GRANDE BELLEZA | Location: Chotěšov Convent Baroque buildings, works of art and fashion were intended to move human emotion and inspire awe with their magnificence, luxuriance and splendour.

Here I sit... had Jesus walked on water it would have been here water of trust as a constant reminder not to be touched anymore but to be witnessed from a boat my body buried on an island my heart dislodged in a golden box suddenly in the right place before i came to you i wanted to do everything right but where was i when you were creating everything new? show me the mirror you were looking into and see me as i am rejoice in my glory and love me when i fail

Venice – winter 2016

HALO : A T R I PT YC H text and photo: Ladislav Babuščák

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S O F FA & VO LVO Anna Schmidtmajerovรก

ACRO BAT IC S O N F O U R W H EEL S partner for the article: Volvo Car Czech Republic | text: Patrik Florián styling: SOFFA | make-up: Aleksandra Sidorina | hair: Tomáš Koblása photo: Adéla Havelková

AN ON STAGE ASTRONAUT AND PILOT, ANNA SCHMIDTMAJEROVÁ IS ALSO A MUSICIAN, DANCER, SWIMMER AND FENCER. MOST OF ALL, SHE IS A DETERMINED SPIRIT FULL OF ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM. AND THANKS TO HER VOLVO, WHICH OFTEN SERVES AS A DRESSING ROOM, SHE MANAGES TO BE EVERYWHERE AT ONCE. As a little girl Anna dreamed to become a fighter pilot or an actress, and has been lucky to become both. She revelled in her theatre studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, and when offered to join Rostislav Novák’s project La Putyka, Anna began to discover her special skills. Since she pumps adrenaline in her blood, she chose aerial ribbons, trampoline and AcroYoga, disciplines that require rigorous training. When she winds her feet and hands in the ribbons and then lets go at a height of 12 metres, what matters most is Anna’s perfected technique and her belief in herself. For Anna perfect movement is the basis of any successful performance. When moving between venues she most values a skilled driver and a no-fuss car large enough to carry the whole troupe with their costumes. The Volvo V90, the new face of the legendary wagon, provides Anna and her colleagues with plentiful space and a great sense of safety. The vehicle’s four-zone air-conditioning assures comfort for the entire troupe, and the built-in Bowers & Wilkins audio system creates a pleasant atmosphere between performances. And what a performance it is when the panoramic glass sunroof opens up like a theatre curtain for ►

an audience seated in comfort and elegance. Just as Anna is always learning new roles and tricks, the Volvo carmaker is constantly discovering new technologies to enhance performance, connectivity and safety. For example, the CleanZone air system filters out contaminants and dust that normally enter a vehicle and delivers air as fresh as that of a Scandinavian forest. Forests are also brought to mind through the interior trim made from rare Nordic wood. Finally, special driver assistance features – such as collision warning, automatic breaking and driver fatigue control – ensure the safety of all passengers. Anna feels that every actor should continue to grow and find within herself new skills and abilities, and the same could be said of a car. The Volvo V90 fills Anna’s expectations completely. Don’t miss Anna as a stage actress and a flying acrobat in the new Cirk La Putyka in Prague’s Jatka78, Divadlo na Jizerce and Theatre Minor. She will also soon premiere as the heavenly Marilyn. ■ For more information about Anna and Cirk La Putyka go to www.laputyka.cz For more information about the Volvo V90 go to www.volvocars.cz

Following the Stories of Baroque Head out for the Czech Republic to discover the most splendid Baroque gems

Do you know how many faces Czech Baroque has? In 2017, we will take you to majestic chateaux amidst gardens and to rural landscapes with churches and chapels dotted around, we will show you masterpieces of ingenious Baroque architects and let you relax in Czech Spas.

www.czechbaroque.com www.barokovsemismysly.cz

SO F FA & F EDR I G O N I Visit to Verona

WHE R E PA PER I S B O R N text: Adéla Kudrnová | styling: SOFFA | photo: Michaela Karásek Čejková

WHERE DID YOU GET THIS BEAUTIFUL PAPER? – THE MOST FREQUENT QUESTION WE GET FROM THOSE WHO HOLD SOFFA IN THEIR HANDS FOR THE FIRST TIME. ALTHOUGH WE ALWAYS ANSWER WITH PRIDE THAT IT IS FEDRIGONI PAPER, IT WAS ONLY THIS NOVEMBER THAT WE HAD A CHANCE TO VISIT FEDRIGONI’S OLDEST PAPER MILL IN VERONA, WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN MAKING DISTINCTIVE ART PAPER SINCE 1888. JOIN US TO HAVE A PEEK. The Italian family-owned paper maker has thirteen factories, and we visited the oldest one, which is also the main seat of the Fedrigoni company. The Fedrigoni product range includes over 3,000 different kinds of paper, but the Verona factory produces only some of this vast range. Seven machines are involved in the production of more than 100 types of special art paper in Verona: two machines for making paper, two for coating it and three for embossing. There are highly glossed papers, cast coated board (Splendorlux), coloured papers with a pearly finish (Siriopearl), ►

uncoated embossed papers and embossed papers with a light sparkly coating (Constellation Jade), and luxurious natural papers in various shades of white (Arcoprint Extra White). The Verona plant also produces custom-made paper for various fashion and design brands, so if you desire to have your very own, unique paper, you know where to turn. Fedrigoni’s art paper is cherished by creatives from all around the world, and those who use it can submit their creations to the Top Fedrigoni Award competition. This year there were almost 1,200 entries and during our visit we had a chance to speak about the competition with Chiara Medioli, Fedrigoni’s Marketing Director, who showed us more than 100 of the best submissions. Who has won? We don’t know and just like you, we have to wait in anticipation. We will tell you more in SOFFA’s January mini issue. For more information go to www.fedrigoni.cz and www.fedrigonitopaward.com ■ RIGHT AND PREVIOUS SPREAD: Paper making is alchemy. It can be said that each paper has its own unique recipe that depends on the cellulose fibre used and the various mechanical and chemical processes that follow. One begins by grinding the fibres together with pigments in a water bath to make pulp. In the next phase the pulp is transformed into paper on paper-making machines. The most important part is the drying process, as the 94% water content in the pulp must be reduced to the 6-7% found in paper. Then comes additional treatment such as coating or embossing. And before the paper can be shipped, the massive paper rolls must be cut into reams. NEXT SPREAD: The quality of the manufactured paper must be tested. The testing process is complicated, and can involve testing its resistance with wax. | The ideal paper storage environment has 15% humidity and a temperature of 24°C. | Fedrigoni takes an ecological approach to paper manufacturing, with minimal waste and great efforts to recycle. | Massive rolls of paper weighing four tons wait for the next step in the manufacturing process – coating or embossing.

E DI TO R S â&#x20AC;&#x2122; C H O I C E Not Just for Giving

THE L ATE S T F O R W I N T ER styling: Adéla Kudrnová | photo: company archives

WHETHER YOU LIKE THE WINTER OR NOT, YOU ARE SURE TO ENJOY THESE NOVELTIES THAT WILL WARM AND BRIGHTEN ANY COLD WINTER NIGHT. WE HAVE SELECTED ONLY THE BEST!

Stem Vase by DUBOKK, menu.as, $ 180 | Living Dish, www.boconcept, $ 139 | Phenomena Lighting, design Studio Dechem, lighting.bomma.cz, 53 000 Kč | 2017 My Guide to Barcelona, design David Ehrenstråhle, www.artilleriet.se, € 72 | iPone 6/6s Case, www.volcanohandmade.com, 1 990 Kč | Bag, Uashmama, www.nila.cz, Price upon request | Stool Moon, www.llev.cz, Price upon request 77

I NS PIR E D BY T HE BARO Q UE

styling: Adéla Kudrnová | photo: company archives

ALTHOUGH OUR 21ST CENTURY LIVES ARE DEPENDENT ON THE NEWEST MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES, WE STILL RETURN TO BAROQUE TIMES IN THE SHAPES, COLOURS AND PATTERNS OF DECORATIVE OBJECTS. SEE FOR YOURSELF!

Candelabra Chandelier, www.klarasumova.com, Price upon request | Bird Tray, design Klaus Haaapaniemi, www.klaush.com, £ 35 | Turkey Feather Pen, www.anthropologie.com, $ 12 | Cloud 1 Carpet, www.jan-kath.de, € 16 590 | Ring from Last Drop Collection, www.janjaprokic.com, 60 000 Kč | Ace Ottoman, Normann Copenhagen, www.finnishdesignshop.com, € 270

M EM EN TO M O R I Still Life With Flowers

SIST ER DEAT H text: Martin Sova, Lukáš Paderta | styling: Lukáš Paderta/Flower Deli photo: Lina Németh

ADVANCES IN SCIENCE HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE MODERN MIND TO EXPECT TO LIVE A LONG LIFE, SO IT IS DIFFICULT – AND PERHAPS FRIGHTFUL – TO CONSIDER HOW ACCEPTING OUR ANCESTORS WERE OF DEATH. WITH FREQUENT DEPICTIONS OF SKULLS AS MEMENTOS MORI, THE BAROQUE EPOCH IS PARTICULARLY ELOQUENT IN ITS EMBRACE OF DYING. When walking through places like the hospital in Kuks, admiring Baroque period paintings, or contemplating the ossuary in Sedlec near Kutná Hora, one cannot escape the feeling that the Baroque was bewitched by the idea of death and impermanence. Braun’s statues depicting angels of blissful and repentant death, still lifes portraying transience through partial decomposition, and shrines and ornaments built from human bones – none of these, it seems, were intended to invoke dejection or morbid thoughts. The concept of death was a bit more complicated in Baroque times. In the Renaissance, death was perceived as a matter of fact, a simple physiological process that was necessary and unavoidable, just as ► THE MEAL (PREVIOUS SPREAD AND NEXT SPREAD LEFT): bouquet of French roses, Flower Deli; bowl Stones by Sebastian Kitzberger, Cihelna Concept Store; jewellery Prokov by Janja Prokič, Debut Gallery; sprouted potatoes octopus; Egyptian canopic jars made of stone; pomegranate THE POISON (RIGHT): porcelain deer skulls by Shit Happens, Debut Gallery; toadstools; dried branch of an oak; berries of red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa); deer antlers; the spherical fruit aggregate of eastern goatsbeard (Tragopogon orientalis)

predestined as other natural events. Death was something one approached not only with stoic calm and equanimity, but also with courage. In contrast, the Baroque mindset approached the process of dying through more complex angles. First there was the stronger role of religion – and by extension closer connection to God – and greater emphasis placed on morality and proper conduct. On one side of the religious coin was the growing concept of the so-called ‘good death’, the reward for a lifetime of service to God, and the first step on the continuing journey beyond. Departure from this life and entry into the afterlife were seen as one interconnected event, depicted in paintings as the soul departing the body in one moment and being greeted in heaven in the next. On the other side, death was a journey into the unknown, the mysterious and immeasurable Nothing, which could not be grasped with reason or growing understanding. Death commanded respect and repentance. This sharp conflict was typical for the emotion-filled Baroque. The dramatic expressions and dynamic poses of Baroque statues and painted figures seem to convey an irresolute stance towards human existence. All around was wild and indomitable Nature, full of powerful temptations for the human body and its senses, guarded carefully from above by the righteous God. The world that had previously seemed discoverable and measurable lost its clear boundaries during the Baroque period, as seafaring explorers pushed the horizon further and further back and returned home with ever more fantastic stories of life in distant lands. For the mere mortal the incomprehensible mightiness of the Baroque era was difficult to bear. Even the massive and increasingly ‘moving’ structures seemed to want to crush us, inconsequential humans. ► THE STUDY (NEXT SPREAD): ring Boop de Boop by Markéta Kratochvílová and vase Ova by Sebastian Kitzberger, both at Cihelna Concept Store; porcelain skull Filigrán by Daniel Piršč, Debut Gallery; crystal vase; compass and stone paperweight with an egg; plate with figs

Memento mori, the artistic reminder of our mortality, has appeared in various motifs throughout history, but it was in the Baroque period that it became more potent and endowed with greater meaning. The Vanitas style of symbolic art began to arrive from Flanders and the Netherlands during this period, often taking the form of still life paintings, portraits, statues and reliefs. The style portrayed the worthlessness of all earthly goods through symbols of death and impermanence such as the human skull, the hourglass, rotting fruit and withering flowers. These allegorical expressions of the inevitable passage of time juxtaposed the mighty eternity of God, showing the perceived futility of human endeavour. They were also a powerful reminder of the fleeting nature of earthly possessions and of the importance to not take one’s life lightly, making good use of that with which one has been endowed. Another important symbolic representation was the Danse Macabre [Dance of Death], a dancing skeleton or corpse. Sometimes it tempts and pulls its victims against their will, while at other times it appears as if the whole world is one large whirl of a dance led by Sister Death, and everyone, rich or poor, eventually joins of their own free will. Finally, our Baroque-era ancestors found a certain comfort in books – their lifelong guides – which prepared them for their departure from this world. It was in these books that the ideal of a ‘good death’ emerged: reconciliation with members of their community, settled debts, blessings for their children and forgiveness to those who had done them harm. Isn’t this Baroque attitude to death worth our consideration? ■ STIGMATA (PREVIOUS SPREAD): Crystal from ruby glass by Sebastian Kitzberger, Cihelna Concept Store; wilting bouquet of roses called ‘Ashwednesday’, Flower Deli; metallic glass urn by Krikri, Debut Gallery We thank entomologist Petr Kabátek, Nina Jánská from the Genius Loci restaurant, Rostislav Křivánek from Bytová Restaurace Na faře, Jana Drobílková and Ivana Zavadilová for lending us objects, insects and scorpions for the photo shoot.

Get the sense of baroque Take a stroll through Kroměříž’s Flower Garden, which was painstakingly converted from what was once marshland, and enjoy the wonderful variety of scents and colours it has to offer. Visit the Czech Republic and experience Baroque through all of your senses.

www.czechbaroque.com www.barokovsemismysly.cz

Kroměříž

T R AV EL Gems of Czech Baroque

B ARO Q U E TREA S U R E PI LG R I M AG E text: Adéla Kudrnová, Helena Novotná | styling: SOFFA photo: Adéla Havelková, Lina Németh

THE CZECH LANDSCAPE IS STUDDED WITH RENOWNED BUT ALSO LESSER KNOWN BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE AND STATUES – FROM SACRAL STRUCTURES LIKE CHURCHES, CLOISTERS AND CHAPELS TO PURELY SECULAR BUILDINGS OF FOLK BAROQUE AND THE ESTATES OF THE GENTRY. WE HAVE GONE IN SEARCH OF THE MOST INTERESTING AMONG THESE GEMS, ONES THAT ARE DEFINITELY WORTH YOUR VISIT. IN PLANNING YOUR TRIP BE SURE TO CONSULT THE MAP INCLUDED AT THE END OF THIS ISSUE. CHAPEL OF THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD, CHATEAU IN SMIŘICE The Baroque Chapel of the Epiphany of Our Lord – a true European gem of the High Baroque – adorns the chateau in Smiřice in eastern Czechia. The chateau chapel was built in the years 1699 to 1711 by Jan Josef, the Count from Sternberg. It was built as a solitary structure within the larger chateau complex and connected to the chateau via a corridor. The builder of the chapel is thought to have been Kryštof Dientzenhofer, although some sources attribute the work to Jan Blažej Santini. The chapel and the ceiling vault were built on a complicated concaveconvex plan that resembles the shape of the octagonal Star of Bethlehem. The star motif is repeated above the altar and brings to mind the Sternberg family’s coat of arms. The chapel is an exquisite example of the dramatic High Baroque style with a rare, stylistically uniform interior. ► THIS PAGE: The frescoes in the octagonal ceiling vault of the Chapel of the Epiphany of Our Lord in Smiřice were painted by Jan Jakub Steinfels. The frescoes depict the prophesy of the coming of Jesus Christ.

THIS SPREAD: The Chapel of the Epiphany of Our Lord in SmiĹ&#x2122;ice

CHURCH OF ST PETER AND ST PAUL IN LIBERK The wooden Church of St Peter and St Paul is found in the village of Liberk in the Orlické Mountains. Together with the adjoining parsonage, belfry and burial ground, the church is a regional heritage treasure. The Baroque church was built in the years 1691 and 1692 on the site of the original medieval church under the patronage of Jan Norbert Libštejn from Kolowrat. Made entirely of wood, the church features many distinctive elements of folk architecture. The single-aisle structure has a saddleback roof clad with shingles and a three-storey high gable. The ceiling is covered with decorative panels and the interior is adorned with paintings on wood. Baroque furnishings from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are complemented by wooden statues of Czech patrons by the Liberk native Filip Jakub Prokop, who served for most of his life as the Empress Maria Theresa’s court sculptor in Vienna. BRAUN’S NATIVITY SCENE NEAR KUKS Braun’s Nativity Scene is a remarkable collection of outdoor sculptures in the New Forest bordering the town of Kuks – without exaggeration one of the best examples of open-air Baroque sculptural art in all of Europe. The Nativity Scene was commissioned by Count Francis Anthony Spork, the owner of the nearby hospital in Kuks, for his country estate covering former hunting grounds. He entrusted his commission to the prominent Baroque sculptor Matyáš Bernard Braun, whose name is now attached to this magnificent outdoor sculptural theatre depicting biblical scenes and stories from the lives of pilgrims. Braun’s Nativity Scene was created between 1725 and 1732. Some of the works have sadly been lost due to erosion, but some of the preserved pieces can be viewed in the hospital garden in Kuks. PREMONSTRATENSIAN MONASTERY IN TEPLÁ In western Czechia near Mariánské Lázně lies the town and monastery named Teplá. The renowned Premonstratensian monastery was ►

founded in 1193 by the Czech noble Venerable Hroznata, who called upon the Premonstratensian clergy from Prague’s Strahov to join the monastery. After more than 800 years the monastery is still home to a religious community whose calling is to serve the people. The monastery gained its present Baroque look during the period of 1690 to 1724 under the direction of the eminent architect Kryštof Dientzenhofer. The last period of growth came at the turn of the nineteenth century when a Neo-Baroque library was added, built according to an original Baroque design. You can learn more about the library, which is open to the public, on page 22. CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY IN HORNÍ JIŘETÍN The Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Horní Jiřetín was built between 1694 and 1700 by the Prague Archbishop Johann Friedrich von Waldstein. The structure, which was built in the style of ‘Moderate Baroque’ and is considered an echo of Roman architecture of the day, was entrusted to Jean Baptiste Mathey, one of the most prominent architects working in Bohemia towards the end of the seventeenth century. His body of work includes the Church of St Francis of Assisi near the Charles Bridge in Prague, the Troy Chateau, and the Riding School at the Prague Castle. In the church in Horní Jiřetín Mathey attempted to define a style for a village church, a pioneering task for the day as it was only in the eighteenth century that churches became common features in villages. CHATEAU JEZEŘÍ The state chateau Jezeří is a heritage site with a fascinating history. The monumental building – once called the ‘pearl’ of the Ore Mountains ► THIS SPREAD: The Chapel of the Epiphany of Our Lord in Smiřice

THIS SPREAD: Church of St Peter and St Paul in Liberk

– is exceptional not only for its history, in which periods of luxury and grandeur took turns with periods of neglect and decay, but also for its unique location on the edge of an open-pit coal mine. Thanks to the coal mining industry the surrounding area resembles a desolate moonscape, an odd analogy for the sad history of the chateau. However, renovations have been underway for the past few years, and the chateau has begun to re-awaken to its former glory. The foundation of the vast Baroque chateau – one of the largest in Czechia with 240 rooms and nine different levels – originates from the Gothic castle Eisenberg. The castle was first reincarnated into a Renaissance chateau, and after that chateau burnt to the ground, the Lobkowicz family began in 1696 to rebuild it into its current Baroque glory. The Lobkowicz family was renowned for its patronage of the arts, and in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the chateau became an important cultural centre visited by foremost personalities in the world of music and art, including Johann Wolfgang Goethe. In those days the chateau complex also included an arboretum with many exotic species of trees. CHATEAU MANĚTÍN The state chateau Manětín and its beautiful grounds can be found in the small town of the same name in western Czechia. The present Baroque facade of the chateau is the result of a complete renovation that took place in 1712 after a fire had destroyed the town centre and a large part of the former Renaissance chateau. The architect was Tomáš Haffenecker, who later became the Court Master of Works for imperial estates. In Manětín Haffenecker was commissioned by the Countess Marie Gabriela Lažanská to build the entire chateau complex: the main chateau building, the Church of St John the Baptist, ► THIS SPREAD: Braun’s Nativity Scene near Kuks

THIS SPREAD: Premonstratensian Monastery in Teplรก

THIS SPREAD: Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Horní Jiřetín

THIS PAGE: Chateau Jezeří

the terrace decorated with statues and the chateau garden. The Countess’ noble family lived in Manětín for more than 300 years until the end of the Second World War, when the property was confiscated by the state. During Communist years the chateau fell into disrepair, but today the newly renovated interiors with original furnishings and stunning frescoes beckon for visitors. ROCK CASTLE AND HERMITAGE IN SLOUP The rock castle and hermitage in the village of Sloup v Čechách were built into a large sandstone rock that stands 35 metres high, 100 metres long and 60 metres wide. Throughout history the rock has been shaped to suit the needs of its inhabitants and various additions have been made. During the Thirty Years’ War the rock castle sustained heavy damage from the Swedish army and much of it was abandoned at the time. Around 1680 Count Ferdinand Hroznata from Kokořov was inspired to transform the rock castle into a pilgrimage site and several interconnected buildings were constructed on the ruins – today you can see the remains of hermitages, a church, a chapel, a covered gallery, terraces and other structures. A statue of a pilgrim holding a telescope in his hand reminds us that this was once a place to which pilgrims flocked, and the site is blessed with a very special genius loci. When standing amidst the remnants of Baroque and earlier structures, one is not certain whether the castle emerges from the rock, or whether it is the other way around. ►

THIS PAGE: Prominent Baroque artists, including Petr Brandl, worked on the interior decoration of Chateau Manětín.

THIS SPREAD: Chateau Manětín

THIS SPREAD: Rock Castle and Hermitage in Sloup

THIS PAGE: Farmstead Hubenov

FARMSTEAD HUBENOV Hubenov is a farmstead that belonged to the Cistercian monastery in Plasy, located in the now abandoned village of the same name near the town of Kralovice. The farmstead, built in 1726 most likely from a plan drawn up by Jan Blažej Santini – who had died by this time – is a perfect example of a Baroque farm complex. Santini’s characteristic facades can be found on individual buildings, and the dominant feature of the courtyard is a single-story manor house with an intimate chapel, which was used to house important representatives from the monastery. CHURCH OF ST PROCOPIUS IN BEZDĚKOV The Baroque Church of St Procopius in Bezděkov nad Metují belongs to the so-called ‘Broumov group’ of churches that were built in the first half of the eighteenth century by the Broumov Abbot Otmar Zinke. The church is included in the ‘Broumov group’ in spite the fact that the village of Bezděkov does not fall into the Broumov geographic region, perhaps because the construction of the church was connected with Benedictine activities in the area. Abbot Zinke commissioned Kryštof Dientzenhofer and his son Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer to build the ‘Broumov group’. The octagonal church in Bezděkov was built in the years 1724 to 1727 and is situated on a small hillock at the edge of the village – in the original Baroque plan it was intended to be a solitary structure on top of a hill. ■

THIS PAGE: The Church of St Procopius in Bezděkov nad Metují is the most beautiful and most complete Baroque building in the micro-region. A symmetrical ceiling vault arches over the central space of the church, and the ceiling in the nave and the presbytery is decorated with a Rococo fresco.

THIS SPREAD: Church of St Procopius in Bezděkov nad Metují

R E TU R N TO T H E L A N DS C A PE text: Adéla Kudrnová | photo: Lina Németh

BAROQUE STATUES ARE AN INSEPARABLE FEATURE OF THE CZECH LANDSCAPE. TOGETHER WITH PILGRIMAGE SITES AND WAYSIDE SHRINES, THEY ARE THE LAST WITNESSES TO HOW BEAUTIFULLY ADORNED THE LANDSCAPE WAS DURING BAROQUE TIMES. PERIOD PAINTINGS DEPICT STATUES OF ST JOHN OF NEPOMUK, ST FLORIAN AND OTHER EMINENT SAINTS PERCHED ON VILLAGE COMMONS, BRIDGES AND ALONG ROADS AND ALLEYWAYS. THE PLANTING OF THESE STATUES WAS A PURPOSEFUL ACT OF THE BAROQUE MINDSET TO CLAIM AND SHAPE THE LANDSCAPE. THE END OF THE BAROQUE PERIOD BROUGHT A DECLINE IN THIS CULTURAL PHENOMENON, AS IT HAS NOT BEEN REPEATED ON THE SAME SCALE SINCE THEN. IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT THE SCULPTOR AND PROFESSOR JAN HENDRYCH – WHOM WE INTRODUCED IN SOFFA ISSUE 07 – CONSIDERS THE BAROQUE TO BE THE LAST REAL ARTISTIC PERIOD. INSPIRED BY THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ISSUE, WE HAVE DECIDED TO HELP RETURN STATUES TO THE LANDSCAPE. MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES ARE WONDERFUL PLACES, BUT THE IMPRESSION A STATUE MAKES IN A PUBLIC SPACE IS INCOMPARABLE. IF YOU KNOW A PLACE WHERE A BAROQUE STATUE USED TO STAND – BE IT AN ALLEY, ROADSIDE, VILLAGE COMMON, BRIDGE OR THE TOP OF A HILL – AND WHERE IT WOULD BE LOVELY TO SEE IT RETURNED, THEN WRITE TO US. WE WILL TRY AND FIND A SPONSOR TO HELP JAN HENDRYCH, WHO TURNS 80 THIS YEAR, TO CREATE AND PLACE A BAROQUE REMINISCENCE IN THE GIVEN LOCATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! RIGHT: Study of Venus | Jan Hendrych

SMAL L SAC R A L S T RU C T U R ES text: Adéla Kudrnová, Helena Novotná photo: Adéla Havelková, Lina Németh

SMALL SACRAL STRUCTURES LIKE WAYSIDE SHRINES, CALVARIES, MARIAN COLUMNS AND SMALL CHAPELS ARE AN INSEPARABLE PART OF THE CZECH LANDSCAPE. DURING THE BAROQUE ERA SACRAL STRUCTURES WERE SEEDED ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE AS PART OF A GROWING NETWORK OF PILGRIMAGE TRAILS THAT LED TO PILGRIMAGE SITES WITH LARGER SACRAL BUILDINGS, CHURCHES AND CATHEDRALS. THE SMALL SACRAL STRUCTURES ALONG THE WAY WERE PLACES WHERE A TIRED PILGRIM COULD REST, RECITE A PRAYER, AND REMIND HIMSELF OF THE PURPOSE OF HIS JOURNEY. THUS THE LANDSCAPE BECAME A KIND OF ‘VIRGIN MARY’S GARDEN’, INTERWOVEN WITH SHRINES, STATUES OF SAINTS AND LINDEN OR OAK TREE ALLEYS. SOME SACRAL STRUCTURES – LIKE MARIAN COLUMNS – HAD AN ALMOST CULT-LIKE FUNCTION IN THEIR CELEBRATION OF FAITH OR THANKSGIVING FOR THE ENDING OF A PLAGUE, WHILE OTHER SMALL SACRAL STRUCTURES SERVED TO MARK AN IMPORTANT EVENT – SUCH AS SOMEONE’S PASSING – OR AS BOUNDARY OR LOCATION MARKERS. TO THIS DAY MANY OF THE PLACES ON WHICH THE STRUCTURES STAND ARE VEILED IN LEGENDS, AND THEIR TALES KEEP THE CONNECTIONS STRONG BETWEEN THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND THEY CALL HOME. CALVARY HILL IN OSTRÉ The Úštěcko region has a Baroque pilgrimage site with a Calvary Hill that was built in the years 1704 to 1707 by the architect Octavio Broggio. The path to the top of the Calvary Hill is fringed with niche chapels depicting the Stations of the Cross, which were fully restored in 2011. A massive sandstone stairway with recesses containing remnants of Baroque statue leads to the top, where three symmetrically arranged chapels await.

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MONUMENT TO EMPEROR CHARLES VI IN HLAVENEC Count František Antonín Špork built the monument honouring the Emperor Charles VI in an attempt to win the Emperor’s favour. Designed by František Maxmilián Kaňka, the monument was built in the form of an open belvedere. The sculptural work was done by Matyáš Bernard Braun.

ZÁKUPY The dominant features of Zákupy are the chateau, the Capuchin monastery and two old bridges. The Baroque bridge from 1713 leads from the chateau to the monastery, and the second bridge from 1849 is near the Chapel of St Anne. Baroque statues stand on the second bridge and next to the chapel, and include the statue of St Sebastian.

CALVARY IN PRAHA-KUNRATICE This September Praha-Kunratice unveiled a Calvary comprising three sculptural pieces created by the sculptor Jan Hendrych. The statues were placed in a loca-tion where, according to historians, a Baroque-era Calvary used to stand. This sculptural work is a wonderful example of the initiative to return statues to the landscape.

HOLY TRINITY COLUMN IN HOŠTKA The column is found in the centre of the town Hoštka in the district of Litoměřice. Designed by the sculptor Mathias Tollinger and carved by sculptors from Úštěk and Bílina, the column was raised to commemorate a great fire that engulfed the town in 1735. Statues of the Holy Trinity are perched on top of the column.

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FASHION & PERFUME Baroque Reminiscence

SCE NT A N D S EN S I B I L I T Y concept and text: Yasmin Keshmiri Hejduk | styling: Patrik Florián model: Jacqueline Kahlová | make-up: Aleksandra Sidorina hair: Tomáš Koblása | photo: Michaela Karásek Čejková

SCENT IS OUR MOST PERSONAL ARMOUR, DELICATE YET POTENT. IT HAS THE POWER TO CREATE ATTRACTIONS THAT LINGER DEEP INTO OUR CONSCIOUSNESS, FORMING MEMORIES AND CONNECTIONS TO LAST A LIFETIME. WITH A DELICATE VEIL OF SCENT A TRANSFORMATION OCCURS, CREATING AN INTENSE EMOTIONAL BRIDGE BETWEEN OUR INNER SELF AND OUR OUTWARD EXPRESSION. IN THIS STORY WE EXPLORE THE THEMES OF MOVEMENT, STILLNESS, DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, SENSITIVITY AND STRENGTH, AND THE WAY IN WHICH THEY BALANCE OUR COLLIDING WORLDS. Light filters through muslin curtains, falling gently on wooden floors and filling the room with a magical touch. Everything is still, just like a tender moment before the setting of the moon and the rising of the sun. Still, quiet, lovely. The room is bare, with white walls, arched columns, and subtle hints of opulence. No distractions, no disturbances. Nostalgia lingers in the air, and the vapour – iridescent and fragrant – carries a hint of substance, just enough to awaken a thought, a memory. The curtains flutter gently on the breeze, each movement dispersing a delicate scent. The light, caressing the edges of the columns, casts shadows on the walls. Though it is bare the room feels rich in light, in texture, in emotion. There are many stories to be told here, not apparent on the surface but hidden under the layers of time. The simplicity of the room does not mask its sentiments – on the contrary, it provides a backdrop, a canvas on which to paint its mood. An eternity is condensed into a drop of scent, an ocean of fantasy. With every breath the mystery unveils, leaving only a trace of scent and sensibility. ■

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The UK based perfume brand Roads has created Cloud 9, a unisex scent with hints of chamomile, geranium and jasmine. The clean and light scent is a perfect daytime perfume to induce a feeling of serenity. Sold exclusively at www.dusni3.cz dress, Lukáš Lindner background book, Dialog tvarů [Dialogue of forms] by Vladimír Uher and Milan Pavlík

Masque Milano sets the scene for opulence and intrigue with the newly launched Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Attesa. The blend of Italian iris absolute, iris root and leather accord keeps the tone dark while notes of tuberose and champagne bring out your sensual side. Perfect for the start of an unforgettable evening. Sold exclusively at www.vava-voom.cz dress, Denisa NovĂĄ

The allure of the spicy scent by Byredo can – as the name suggests – set the night alight. Reine de Nuit is a mesmerising mix of black rose, incense, saffron and black current. Sold exclusively at www.ingredients-store.cz dress, Denisa Nová

The new and innovative Czech cosmetics brand Onest has a deep respect for ingredients derived from nature. Derived from sugar cane, Squalane Face Oil creates velvety skin that is able to breathe and find its natural balance. For stockists visit www.onest.cz dress, Zuzana Kubíčková background book, Dialog tvarů [Dialogue of forms] by Vladimír Uher and Milan Pavlík

Born from the love of all things natural, the beautiful brand Jagaia has developed an extensive range of herbal and crystalline oils and perfumes derived from ingredients collected in nature. A drop of Okina Oil will set your natural inner self free. For stockists visit www.jagaia.cz top, Denisa Novรก

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BA RO Q U E H YG I EN E Accessories With a Purpose

NO SOA P N O WAT ER text: Tereza Škoulová | photo: Tereza Menclová

WHAT APPEARS TO BE A BEAUTIFUL BAROQUE OBJET D’ART WAS IN ITS TIME A PERSONAL HYGIENE TOOL WITH AN ODIOUS PURPOSE. DOLLED UP LADIES LOOKED FABULOUS ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT UNDERNEATH THEY WERE PLAGUED BY STENCH AND FLEAS. WELCOME TO BAROQUE HYGIENE.

Today elegant fur collars are considered a symbol of luxury. In Baroque times they had another purpose – to attract the lice and fleas that thrived in noble courts. The warm bodies of lapdogs, ferrets and ermines were even more attractive to hungry fleas, and so the little darling pets were also living insect traps. Lady With an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci? The lady had fleas!

Baroque toilets may have smelt to high heaven, but the cistern handle looked like a jewel. The first flushing toilet was commissioned for Queen Elizabeth I in 1597, and you can experience the same ‘Baroque’ toilet with a trap-door bottom when you visit a toilet on a train run by České dráhy [Czech Rails]. The flushing toilet with a water trap was patented by the English watchmaker Alexander Cummings in 1775.

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Annoying insects bothered people of all social classes, and nifty flea traps were an essential part of any outfit. Beautifully crafted insect traps made of wood, ivory or bamboo were worn as accessories or hidden in elaborately coiffed hair. The small perforated repositories held pieces of blood-soaked cloth, and when the cloth was full of feeding fleas the insect traps were submerged in hot water so the fleas would drown.

Gorgeous porcelain chamber pots could not hide the fact that the Baroque was a smelly time, as most people had no washroom. After toileting people wiped with natural materials on hand, and aristocrats used silk or even the soft fur of small kittens. With advances in letterpress came newspapers, and it was only in the nineteenth century that toilet paper became an option. The Baroque noble knew nothing of the saying ‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’. At first glance the clothes made from rich materials and scented with refined perfume presented a picture of luxury. But underneath their fancy clothes people were dirty and insect bitten, and they smelt to high heaven. To alleviate the constant itching from flea bites they used all manner of scratchers – exquisitely made of course.

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I N T ER I O R S Echoes of the Baroque

R E D ISCOV ER ED C H URC H text: Helena Novotná | photo: Adéla Havelková

SOME SAY A CHURCH CANNOT BE DECONSECRATED – ONCE SANCTIFIED, IT SHALL ALWAYS BE SACRED. THE ONCE DECONSECRATED PIARIST CHURCH IN LITOMYŠL WAS SO DILAPIDATED THAT DEMOLITION SEEMED INEVITABLE. ITS SANCTITY HAS PREVAILED AND IT IS NOW A BEAUTIFUL UNION OF BAROQUE AND MODERN STYLES. The Church of the Discovery of the Holy Cross dates to the start of the eighteenth century, when construction began according to plans drawn by the famous Baroque architect Giovanni Battista Alliprandi, who is also responsible for many Baroque palaces in Prague. Over the next two centuries the church, and in particular the inner fittings, suffered great damage from four separate fires – some fittings were later replaced while others were completely lost. The church was managed by the Piarists until 1948, when the order departed Litomyšl, and thereafter began to deteriorate. By 1968 the church had been turned into a warehouse, and period photographs show that the main nave was once used as a car park. Complete demolition of the church seemed inevitable until strong voices emerged in the 1990s calling for ► RIGHT: The union of Baroque and modern art strikes visitors as soon as they enter the nave. The artists Václav Cigler and Michal Motyčka brought to the interior three minimalist installations that play with light and its spiritual symbolism. First, a black glass circle placed on the floor at the crossing of the nave and the transept represents dark waters, and the holy spirit as a glass prism rises above. The altar table is a glass mensa pulsating with light, and when darkness falls a laser cross appears under the arch of the church, its lines intersecting above the spirit-infused prism.

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its preservation. The reconstruction that brought the church back to life took place between 2010 and 2014 as part of a project to revitalise the Litomyšl chateau complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The renovation project was led by architects Marek Jan and Vanda Štěpán from the architectural studio Ateliér Štěpán. Throughout the project the architects were guided by the historical connection between the church building and the Piarists, the founding order, and by its future use. For the walls they chose a grey monochrome colour to evoke the sad history of the four fires. The resulting colour creates a speckled effect that resembles marble and suits the space better than stark white. The minimalist interior allows fine details to emerge, such as the mica embedded in the tops of the pillars which creates a lovely sheen and invites the observant visitor’s eye. Casting your eye downward towards the floor you will notice copper plaques that mark important dates in the history of the church. Copper also adorns the entrance to the crypts. Modern elements added to the interior of the church include installations by the artists Václav Cigler and Michal Motyčka and a small wood and steel footbridge that arches over the transept. Individual restoration projects were undertaken in various workshops across Czechia. The late Baroque organ, for example, was returned to its original glory by restorers from Kutná Hora. The organ now sounds as it did in the nineteenth century and the only person who is not happy is the local organist, as playing an authentic nineteenth century organ is more physically demanding than playing a modern instrument. The renovation project took almost five years to complete. It was led by the desire to create a space that would be inviting to the public – a place where you could simply rest in a wooden pew in contemplation, enjoy a concert, or climb a few dozen steps to the church terrace where you can linger among Baroque statues and admire the view of the Litomyšl chateau. ■

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A sundial for the geographical position of the Czech Republic. Cut out the gnomon around the periphery, foldAfollowing lines. Glue theposition gnomon on sundial the for dotted the geographical of thethe designated mark in the center of the sundial. Republic. Cut out the gnomon ADirect sundialitCzech for position of time. the Czech to the the geographical North and measure the Add around fold following Republic. Cutthe out periphery, the gnomon periphery, or substract minutes accordingaround to thethe legend located the dotted lines. Glue onon fold following the dotted lines. the Gluegnomon the gnomon in the bottom right corner. the designated mark in the center of the sundial. the designated mark in the center of Direct to the North and itmeasure time.and Add theit sundial. Direct to the the North or substract minutes according to the legend located measure the time. Add or substract in the bottom right corner. minutes according to the legend located in the bottom right corner.

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BARO Q U E I N T H E CO U N T RY text: Tereza Škoulová | styling: SOFFA | photo: Adéla Havelková

IT IS EIGHT IN THE MORNING, THE MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER, AND HOARFROST IS PAINTING BEAUTIFUL PATTERNS ON THE WINDOWS. WE ARE SETTING OFF TO VISIT ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING EXAMPLES OF BAROQUE FOLK ARCHITECTURE IN CZECHIA, TO THE VILLAGE OF DOUBRAVA IN THE WESTERN CHEB REGION. SEVERAL ENCHANTING TIMBERED HOMESTEADS HAVE SURVIVED THE CHEQUERED HISTORY OF THE SUDETEN BORDER AREA, AND ARE INDELIBLY LINKED TO THE CHEB LANDSCAPE AND THE DESTINIES OF THEIR OWNERS. Mist rises from the frosty fields, but the sun is shining and caressing the radiant colours of autumn. On the road we meet an errant cow. Cars stop spontaneously, halting time for a brief moment. A fitting introduction to the dreamy atmosphere of a sleepy, half-forgotten village that only a few residents call their home.

The origins of the village date back to the fourteenth century, but it was only in the eighteenth century that beautiful folk architecture typical of the Cheb region began to be built here – homesteads with striking timber beams and richly ornate colourful gables. The homesteads were most often built on a square footprint and constructed with easily available natural material such as wood, straw and clay. Each homestead had its own colour scheme and many had their unique painted amulets, symbols that was meant to protect the inhabitants from harm. The village straddles the Czech and German border, and this cross-border position has predetermined its difficult history. Even before the often savage forced movements of people during the Second World War, ►

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the homesteads were targeted by robbers. It was for this reason that the homesteads were built in a more easily defensible square formation. After the postwar expulsion of ethnic Germans, who had farmed the region since the fourteenth century, the village nearly died out. It was not long before new residents arrived, however, mostly ethnic Czechs who were accustomed to living and working in the border area. When collectivisation came, the Communists imprisoned landowners and demolished most of the homesteads. We walk through the quiet village, passing a tomcat lazing in the middle of the road and enjoying the warm sun without a care in the world. We take in the fields blanketed in hoarfrost, a frozen pond, an alley of remembrance oaks. Leaves rustle as they fall gently to the ground, and a brood of hens and their protective rooster dust-bathe around us. The picture story told by this quaint landscape is repeated in words by the Schmieds, who have invited us into their kitchen for a cup of tea. The Schmiedsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; timbered homestead is a large building with a red and blue gable built in the Cheb regional style. It was constructed in 1751 by the builder Fischer from Nebanice. The living part of the farmhouse complex has thirteen rooms, and there is also a barn, a granary and an outbuilding. The Schmieds manage everything together, and their children help out at times. Mr Schmied has been renovating the ramshackle farmhouse since the 1970s, and together with his wife they have founded an outdoor museum, which they have furnished with original tools, furniture and everyday items. They are also running a guesthouse and until recently a pub, which unfortunately had to be closed as there are only nine people living in the village, and it is difficult to find staff. The Schmieds are not giving up, however, and are currently conducting workshops on folk crafts. Last year they made original wooden gutters, and this year they are building a pigeon loft. For more go to: skanzendoubrava.webnode.cz â&#x2013;

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C AF É M O RGAL : I C I N G O N T H E C A K E text: Helena Novotná | styling: SOFFA | photo: Adéla Havelková

THE GOVERNOR’S PALACE IN BRNO HOUSES THE MORAVIAN GALLERY WITH MANY ARTISTIC TREASURES FROM THE GOTHIC PERIOD THROUGH TO THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. THE PALACE IS ALSO HOME TO A CONTEMPORARY WORK OF ART – CAFÉ MORGAL, DESIGNED BY MARTIN HRDINA IN THE ‘NEW BAROQUE’ STYLE. Recent renovations in the Governor’s Palace revealed a ceiling fresco in the former vestry that was designated for the new museum café. The existence of the fresco was no surprise, as the Governor’s Palace had been a Cistercian abbey in the past, but what surprised the renovation team was how well the fresco was preserved. The muted colours, neutral tones and overt Baroque style inspired the architect Martin Hrdina in his design for Café Morgal. Martin did not see the fresco as a sacrosanct relic but as an interior element that would be featured in full view. The walls supporting the ceiling remained white, adorned only with the gold-lettered name of the café. The massive illuminated bar, blends seamlessly with the rest of the interior. The fit-out would have also remained subdued had Martin not invited the artist Vendula Chalánková to collaborate on the project. Vendula decorated the fifteen chairs by TON with ornamentation transferred from the fresco, so you can enjoy fifteen ‘originals’ while sipping your coffee or tea. The architect’s vision has turned the café into a work of art not to be missed. And the wonderful smells wafting from the kitchen make Café Morgal the icing on the Palatial cake! ■

LEFT: Ceiling lights Silvia from Vita Copenhagen resemble rough pearls and bring to mind the original meaning of the Portuguese word barroco.

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THIS SPREAD: Neutral tones, hints of saints’ figures and Baroque ornamentation. Although only a part of the 1740s fresco has been preserved, and its colours are but a ghost from the past, it has become the determining feature of what Martin describes as the ‘New Baroque’ style. The ornamentation on the chairs was transferred from the ceiling fresco by the artist Vendula Chalánková.

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DIY: YOUR OWN BAROQUE ORNAMENTATION BE INSPIRED BY THE FUSION OF BAROQUE AND MODERN ART AND DECORATE YOUR INTERIOR AS THEY HAVE DONE AT CAFÉ MORGAL. ALTHOUGH THE ARTIST VENDULA CHALÁNKOVÁ FOCUSES PRIMARILY ON THE MEDIUM OF COMICS AND ILLUSTRATION, AT CAFÉ MORGAL SHE USED BAROQUE ORNAMENTAL STENCILS TO BRING CHAIRS TO LIFE. AND AT SOFFA’S REQUEST VENDULA HAS CREATED A STENCIL ESPECIALLY FOR YOU!

Cut the stencil out, place it against a chair or anywhere else you wish to decorate, apply a colour spray and then a layer of varnish. Baroque patterns will look just as beautiful in your home as they do in Café Morgal!

EDITORIAL STAFF

CONTRIBUTORS

Adéla Kudrnová I editor in chief adela@soffamag.com Lenka Hlaváčová I art director & designer lenka@soffamag.com Yasmin Keshmiri Hejduk I creative editor yasmin@soffamag.com Lina Németh I photographer lina@soffamag.com Adéla Havelková I photographer & graphic designer adela.h@soffamag.com Helena Novotná I editor & distribution manager helena@soffamag.com Patrik Florián I editor & fashion stylist patrik@soffamag.com Aleksandra Sidorina I production manager & make-up artist aleksa@soffamag.com Max Smrčka I production manager max@soffamag.com Terézia Bělčáková I marketing & PR terezia@soffamag.com Naďa Fidrmucová I marketing & PR nada@soffamag.com Miro Čenger I marketing & PR miro@soffamag.com

Ingrid Martonova I English translation Peter Stannard I English revision & proofreading

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