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Baroque plastic art in Manetin
Manetin and its surroundings take pride in rich sculpture from 1680 – 1780, a preserved collection of over 30 baroque statues and sculptures. Stephen Borovec (1672 – 1719) gave rise to successful tradition of local sculptors, as he, at the Lazanskys’ request, served his time of apprenticeship in John Brokoff’s Prague workshop. First of all, the sculpture of the Holy Trinity (1719) dominating the square belongs to his masterpieces. Unfortunately, he died before its completing so it was finished by his disciples. Today, there is a sand-stone replica in the square which is the work of an academic sculptor George Novak from 1998 – 2000.
Two statues in the wall niches of the former graveyard close beside St. John Baptist’s church – Christ crowned with thorn and Pieta – also belong to Borovec’s work. They evidently come from 1713 – 1714. The statue of Christ was the order of the Lazanskys’ physician Jeronym Tichy, Pieta was ordered by a Manetin townswoman and innkeeper Alzbeta Olmer. The statue of John Baptist situated near the parish church is probably the work of Stephen Borovec.
In the square there are two fountains of trifoliate ground plan. In the eastern side there is a statue of St. Wenceslas, the saint patron of our country, on a prismatic pedestal in the middle of the fountain. The western fountain is decorated with a statue of St. Florian wearing a Roman frock coat. Both statues come from the workshop of Joseph Herscher (1688 – 1756), another outstanding grand old man of Manetin baroque.
Allegories of four common and three Christian virtues from 1730 – 1740 looking down at the chateau from the brick ledges demonstrate Herscher’s mature art. In the direction of the church they represent Justice, Courage, Faith, Love, Hopefulness, Prudence and Moderation. The sculpture of Love, sometimes called Cradle, is an extraordinary work. A young woman wearing a simple dress and sitting at the cradle surrounded with four children is about to be Marie Gabriela with her sons and daughters. The group of virtues is supplemented with a statue of a girl standing on a winged globe on the eastern square corner. It is generally called Dame Fortune.
In the northern side of the ledges there are four statues of different origin and age. Summer and Winter allegories are supplemented with herm called Autumn (Hypnos) and Hygeia (Aesculap).
Statue of St. Otylia (1760) with her eyes on a plate situated near St. John Baptist’s church is the work of a sculptor of younger generation, Vaclav Borovec (1705 – 1767) or Vaclav Ondrey Herscher (1729 – 1795).
The square ornamentation is completed with a row of baroque sand-stone vases that are decorated in turns with florets and maskaron doublets, woman and man faces.
The only work of 20th century is the statue of St. Karel Boromeysky with a medallion of Karel Lazansky (1918) situated in a northern chateau wall niche not far away from the farmyard driveway. Its author is an academic sculptor Czenek Vosmik (1860 – 1944).
The Highway in the hillside above the Manetin brook used to connect the town to the village surrounding St Barbora’s church. It was decorated with fourteen above-life size statues of saints from Joseph Herscher’s workshop (1728 – 1734).
In the direction of the town to St. Barbora’s church on the right the first is the statue of Christ’s foster-father St. Joseph with baby Jesus (1733). It was ordered by Frantisek Joseph Czernin, Marie Gabriela Lazanska’s cousin, a distinguished baroque benefactor. Across from it there is a sculpture of St. Anna and Our Lady (1732). The family life and love saint patron’s statue was ordered by Isabel, born marquise of Westerloo and countess of Merode who was married to Frantisek Joseph Czernin in 1717.
The following statues are protectors against Black Death. The first one on the right side of the Highway is St. Fabian (1734), the pope from 3rd century. Opposite is an outstanding sculpture of St. Sebastian (1729).This early Christian martyr’s statue belongs to the most appreciated Joseph Herscher’s works, particularly for its expressively moulded body. Both statues were orders of Manetin townsmen.
Other protectors from Black Death on the Highway are St. Roch (1733) and Sicilian anchoress St. Rozalia (1732). The statue of St. Rozalia was suggested by Marie Gabriela Lazanska’s daughter Josepha before her marriage to count Pötting. The following year, the married couple Vaclav and Marie Josepha Pötting had another sculpture built, St. Roch. However, the original statue was knocked down by a cart and it is now situated in St. Barbora’s church. On the Highway there is a replica.
Statues of Ecce Homo (1729) and Our Lady Dolorous (1734) form the midpoint of the Highway. Christ crowned with thorn and holding a sugar cane sprig is taken in agonizing expression. Opposite Our Lady Dolorous (Mater Dolorosa) with clasped hands has a sword stabbed into her heart. The initiatress of both sculptures was Marie Gabriela Lazanska herself, the owner of Manetin estate.
Protectors from bad weather and floods come next, St. Bishops Donat (1728) on the right and Benno or Zbynek (1733) on the left. Their statues were ordered by two authority officials, a chateau commissioner Frantisek Ferdinand from Michalovice and an estate supervisor John Krystof Hossner.
By the bridge over the Manetin brook there are statues of Guardian Angel and Archangel Michael under arms that have guarded the road since 1733. Marie Gabriela’s sons had them built. First-born son Maxmilian, then 23-year-old expectant heir of Manetin estate ordered the statue of Archangel Michael and his brother Karel had the statue of Guardian Angel built as its counterpart.
On the road leading up to Brdo there are situated statues of saint patrons of the country, St. John of Nepomuk (1728), one of the most popular Czech patrons in baroque era, and St. Ludmila (1728) which belongs to Herscher’s first works. However it is a sculpture of extremely high quality. It was built in order of Anna Marie Lazanska, Marie Gabriela’s daughter.
Facing the churchyard gateway there is one more statue of St. John of Nepomuk. It doesn’t belong to Manetin collection though. In 1966, it was carried from a military zone of Doupov where it decorated a square from 1731.
In the graveyard, arrivals are welcomed by St. Barbora (1744) that is not only saint patron of miners but also protector from sudden death and patron of good death. First mention about the statue didn’t appear until 1744 when it was consecrated as well as all the statues in Manetin.
In the periphery of the town in the direction of Pilsen you can say good-bye to Manetin near the statue of St. Raymund. It used to stand on the old road to Pilsen. Abbess Marie Gabriela Lazanska’s emblem on a prismatic pedestal dates the statue back to after 1738. On the road leading to Stvolny St. Immaculata’s statue was situated (after 1738) again with an emblem of abbess Marie Gabriela Lazanska and Lazansky-Czernin’s emblem. In the western side of the town in the direction of Nectiny, above Dersieb’s mill, there are statues of St. Martin (1769) and St. Voytech (1767) coming from Vaclav Ondrey Herscher’s workshop. St. Voytech’s statue used to stand outside Manetin, on the old road to Nectiny, and St. Martin’s statue in a locality called ‘Above Barns’.
