Rainy Day in Bechyne

Castle in Bechyne
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Our last day in Bechyně has been a rainy one, so we cancelled our bicycle rental and instead visited the local castle and art museums. Our rather sweet guide—we were the only two on the tour—apologized for her English but it was perfectly adequate. More problematic than her English was her assumption that we were in any position to understand Southern Bohemian genealogy. As she worked her way through the portraits in each room (“ . . . and here is Petr Vok as a child . . .”), I imagined what it would be like if we couldn’t leave the castle without passing an exam on all the Rožmberks and Šternberks she had been telling us about in the past hour.

Preclik sculpture.
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There were some quite remarkable pieces in the castle: some frescos, and chairs made of antlers, and a spectacular ten-foot-high ceramic stove covered with Biblical scenes. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed so I can’t share any pictures.

We spent some time in the International Ceramics Museum, but more interesting was the museum dedicated to Vladimir Preclik. Haven’t heard of him? Neither had we, but here’s a link to The Guardian’s obituary (he died just last April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2008/jul/03/obituaries.mainsection. He had no particular connection to this town, but the very wealthy owner of the castle apparently had a large collection of his work, and it’s now housed in an old granary inside the castle walls.

Preclik sculpture.
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His sculptures are both accomplished and charming, especially his portraits of fellow Czech artists from the 1950s. There was also an interesting sculpture of an American flag that I spent some time trying to understand. I was able to make out General Patton’s army and the Russians in the Czech description, and I asked a Czech couple if they could help me with the context. They had some English and were able to explain that the flag was intended to be set up in Plzen, where the American forces liberated western Czechoslavakia in 1945. Unhappily for the Czechs, the Russians insisted that they not continue on to Prague. It’s helpful to be reminded when we (rightly) criticize some American actions overseas that it was a tragedy for many Eastern Europeans that American troops were not able to move further east than they did.

Preclik sculpture.
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This evening was the final concert of Nathaniel’s festival: Diocletian, a “semi-opera” by Henry Purcell that the festival presented in the church of the local Franciscan monastery. We’ve both been impressed with the proficiency of Nathaniel’s playing and the color and dynamic range he is bringing to it. The Dutch conductor of the festival has said he would hire him for jobs in Holland, and we’re quite able to picture Nathaniel making a living as a freelance trumpeter here.