Architektura Prahy: Valdstejn palace

Mythological corridor

The Duke of Valdstejn could walk through this corridor either to his study, which was part of his private apartment or to the stables and riding school.

The corridor was painted by Baccio Bianco and the pictures were inspired by Ovid’s Methamorphoses. The murals are framed by robust stucco cartouches, impressively contrasting the details of the plant motifs and noble female heads, vases or vessels with fruit.

The main murals depict selected contrasting pairs of legends:

Deucalion and Pyrrha

Deucalion and Pyrrha

Their story is similar to Noah and his ark. They also survived big flooding before landing at Mt. Parnassus. All alone in the world they wanted company. In answer to this need, the titan and goddess of prophecy Themis told them to throw the bones of their mother behind them. They interpreted this as meaning "throw stones over their shoulders onto Mother Earth," and did so. The stones Deucalion threw became men and those Pyrrha threw became women.

Mercury and Argus

Mercury and Argus

Jupiter fell in love with Io, the princess of Argus. His wife Juno found out about it and transformed her into a young cow. The hundred-eye giant had to watch her. Jupiter sent Mercury to kill the giant. Mercury put him to sleep by playing a soft tune on the pipe. You can see him preparing to kill Argus with his sword.

Phaeton’s fall

Phaeton's fall

Phaeton, Apollo’s son, begged his father to allow him to drive the chariot of the sun across the sky. In the hands of the rash youth, who had neither the strength nor the experience to control the chariot, the horses bolted, scorching everything in their path with the sun's heat. To save the universe from destruction, Zeus, king of the gods, throws a thunderbolt. As the chariot disintegrates, Phaeton plunges to his death.

Callisto

Callisto

Callisto was one of Diana’s nymphs. She gave promise to stay a virgin. But Jupiter seduced her in a disguise and she became pregnant. Juno (Jupiter’s wife) then transformed Callisto into a bear.

Cadmus and his army

Cadmus sowing teeth of dragon

Cadmus was chosen by Oracle as the founder of the city of Thebes. He was ordered to give up his quest and follow a cow , and to build a town on the spot where she should lie down exhausted. He sent his soldiers to get water from a well but they were killed by a dragon. Kadmos killed the beast. By the instructions of Athena, he sowed the dragon’s teeth in the ground, from which there sprang a race of fierce armed men, called the Spartoi ("sown"). By throwing a stone among them, Cadmus caused them to fall upon one another until only five survived, who assisted him to build the Cadmeia or citadel of Thebes, and became the founders of the noblest families of that city.

Kidnapping of Europa

Kidnapping of Europa

Europa was daughter of a Phoenician king Agenor.Jupiter fell in love with her and transformed himself into a bull. Europe liked this placid bull, put flowers on his horns and set on his back. Jupiter immediately kidnapped her to Crete.

Diana and Acteon

Diana and Acteon

Acteon saw Diana naked in her bath. She punished him by changing him into a deer. He was later killed by his own hunting dogs.

Narcissus

Narcissus

He was a hunter who was renowned for his beauty. He was exceptionally proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. Nemesis saw this and attracted Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus died.

Pyramus and Thysbe

Pyramus and Thysbe

Pyramus and Thisbe is the story of two lovers in the city of Babylon who occupy connected houses/walls, forbidden by their parents to be wed, because of their parents' rivalry. Through a crack in one of the walls, they whisper their love for each other. They arrange to meet near at Ninus‘ tomb under a mulberry tree and state their feelings for each other. Thisbe arrives first, but upon seeing a lioness with a mouth bloody from a recent kill, she flees, leaving behind her veil. The lioness drinks from a nearby fountain, then by chance mutilates the veil Thisbe had left behind. When Pyramus arrives, he is horrified at the sight of Thisbe's veil, assuming that a fierce beast had killed her. Pyramus kills himself, falling on his sword in proper Roman fashion, and in turn splashing blood on the white mulberry leaves. Pyramus' blood stains the white mulberry fruits, turning them dark. Thisbe returns, eager to tell Pyramus what had happened to her, but she finds Pyramus' dead body under the shade of the mulberry tree. Thisbe, after a brief period of mourning, stabs herself with the same sword. In the end, the gods listen to Thisbe's lament, and forever change the colour of the mulberry fruits into the stained colour to honour the forbidden love.

Medusa killed by Perseus