Lot 147

GOTHIC SCULPTURE OF SAINT AGNES OF BOHEMIA

The sculpture was presumably originally created as a statue of Saint Anne, but was later altered, probably in the Baroque period, by carving a church motif at her body, transforming it into a representation of the founder of a religious order, most likely the historical figure Agnes of Bohemia, who was canonized only in 1989. She was already venerated by Charles IV and was later also celebrated by the Jesuits. As a royal daughter, Agnes was several times considered for marriage to both kings and an emperor, but she chose a religious life instead. She founded a hospital brotherhood that later became the Order of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star, as well as the first Poor Clare convent in Prague. The work has been declared a cultural monument.