KKK

Matěj Václav Jäckel

(1655 - 1738) Sculptor

He made nine sculptures for the town of Český Krumlov that form the parts of the plague pillar of the Holy Virgin on the town square. This pillar was promised to be built by the town municipal authorities already in 1682 when plague pestilence was wreaking havoc in the area. But its foundation stone was laid down much later, in 1715. At that time the whole project was financed by princess Marie Ernestine von Eggenberg. For this pillar, Jäckel´s workshop made the sculptures of the Holy Virgin Immaculate standing on a pseudo-corinthian capital, Saint Václav, John the Evangelist and Juda Tadeáš decorating the corner ashlars as well as the sculptures of Saint Roch, František Xaver, Šebestián and Kajetán completing pedestal niches. Matěj Václav Jäckel worked also in Prague. The first proven record of his stay comes from 1684, although the oldest work credited to him is from 1691. He did not impress his own outstanding mark to his workshop; his contribution to creative works of his studio was much smaller than were his contemporaries such as M. B. Braun and R. M. Brokof. In the 1720\'s and 30\'s his workshop was led by Jäckel´s son Antonín.

Fountain on the town square in Český Krumlov, detail Fountain on the town square in Český Krumlov, detail

(jh)