'Mord in einem Gasthaus im Mährischen Wald zwischen Wien und Prag' ("Murder in an Inn in the Moravian Woods between Vienna and Prague", 1609)
Der Prager Meister von 1609, "The Prague Master of 1609" in English, is the name given to an anonymous, early 17th-century graphic artist living in Prague, in the present-day Czech Republic. In 1609, he created a woodcut engraving based on a local murder case. This work, 'Mord in einem Gasthaus im Mährischen Wald zwischen Wien und Prag' ("Murder in an Inn in the Moravian Woods between Vienna and Prague", 1609), is notable for using a sequentially illustrated narration. This makes this mysterious engraver a prototypical comic artist, and the earliest known Czech comic artist in history.
Life and work
Nothing is known about the Prager Meister of 1609, except that he lived in Prague. In the early 17th century, the city was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Art historians gave the artist the nickname "Prager Meister of 1609" to distinguish him from another unknown 17th-century artist from the same city who flourished in 1620: the "Prager Meister von 1620". The 1609 master drew several woodcuts based on recent events, a forerunner of today's newspapers. In the 16th, 17th and 18th century these so-called 'Geschichtsblätter' ("Pages about Events") were very popular. They portrayed battles, massacres, public executions, natural disasters and other atrocities. Visualizations of festive city visits by royals and noblemen, royal marriages and state funerals were equally popular. The Prager Meister of 1609 was just one of several artists who made such drawings. Other creators included Johannes van den Aveele, Jeremias Gath, Frans Hogenberg, Romeyn de Hooghe, Bartholomäus Käppeler, Caspar Krebs, Georg Kress, Hans Rogel the Elder, Hans Rogel the Younger, Erhard Schön, Johann Schubert, Hans Schultes the Elder and Lucas Schultes and Elias Wellhöfer.
Like most art from that era, the historical accuracy of these graphic "news reports" should be taken with a grain of salt. No eyewitnesses were consulted and all information was based on descriptions from messengers, travelers or hearsay. Unavoidably, anecdotes were sensationalized and used for propaganda purposes. The printers couldn't print opinions that could get them in trouble with the authorities. Audiences wanted to be awed as well. As a result, huge public festivities were made more bombastic, and scenes of death and despair were heavily dramatized. The prints were distributed all over Europe. Once the events became old news, the drawings were bundled and compiled into collectable picture albums.
Murder in an Inn in the Moravian Woods between Vienna and Prague
In 1609, the Prager Meister created the woodcut engraving 'Mord in einem Gasthaus im Mährischen Wald zwischen Wien und Prag' ("Murder in an Inn in the Moravian Woods between Vienna and Prague"). The narrative is based on a real-life murder near the Bohemian-Moravian woods. Two men went to an inn, where a bloody brawl broke out, which left two other guests dead. The murderer was later executed by breaking wheel. The Prager Meister visualizes the event in four consecutive panels. To understand the images, one has to read the narration written underneath.