Mezi zalíbením a zavržením - Recepce Ovidiových Metamorfóz v barokním umění – Miltová Radka (2009)

The work of the Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso has attracted considerable attention since the time of its writing, not only due to its literary qualities but also especially because of its content, which, with its problematic love passages, sparked a wave of morally inclined criticism. The poetic opus Metamorphoses, narrating the mythical genesis of humanity from the beginning of the world to Caesar's apotheosis, has become a fundamental source of information about Greco-Roman mythology. The work has achieved enduring fame and has become one of the main inspirations for visual art, ranking just behind biblical texts in popularity, and was therefore rightly called the "bible of painters." In Czech and Moravian Baroque art, Metamorphoses also had a significant influence, and its stories adorn the ceilings, walls, and gardens of many castles and palaces in painted or sculptural form. The author of the book examines this reflection of Ovid's Metamorphoses in Czech and Moravian art of the 17th and 18th centuries, focusing particularly on questions of their readership popularity, the nature of contemporary editions of Metamorphoses, and the discussions provoked by their lascivious content, which in some cases led to censorship regulations. However, the main attention is focused on a detailed study of two exceptional Moravian...