Josef Vojtěch Hellich

Josef Vojtěch Hellich (17 April 1807, Choltice - 22 January 1880, Prague) was a Czech painter and archaeologist; known mainly for religious works and historical scenes.

Josef Vojtěch Hellich, from
Zlatá Praha (1864)
Saint Ludmila Teaching Saint Wenceslaus in Tetín

Biography

He attended the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague, where he studied with Joseph Bergler, and the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. This was followed by an extended study and work trip to Italy, Switzerland, France and England. He returned to Prague in 1840 and established a successful studio. With a recommendation from František Palacký, he became involved in the activities of the National Museum; becoming custodian and documentarian for the new archaeological collections.

In the following years, he gathered items for the museum from Kouřim, Žatec, Tábor and České Budějovice; including ornaments from prehistoric burial sites. Then, with the assistance of Professor Jan Erazim Vocel, the works were classified and described. Later, he illustrated Vocel's O starožitnostech českých a o potřebě chránit je před zkázou (Czech Antiquities and the Need to Protect them from Destruction), which became a popular work with Czech Nationalists.

He was also a regular contributor of lithographs to the journal Památky archeologické. Together with his fellow painter, Vilém Kandler and the writers Ferdinand Břetislav Mikovec and Karel Zap, he published Starožitnosti a památky země České (Antiquities and Monuments of the Czech Lands). His religious works include over 290 altarpieces which can be seen throughout the Czech Republic. Many of his paintings were acquired by Archbishop Schwarzenberg and Bishop Jan Valerián Jirsík.

He died of typhoid fever; contracted from drinking well water that had been contaminated by a flood.

Sources

    Further reading
    • Ferdinand Břetislav Mikovec, Starožitnosti a Památky země České, Kober and Markgraf (1860), illustrations by Josef Vojtěch Hellich and Vilém Kandler Full text online
    • Pavel Šopák, "Josef Vojtěch Hellich a náboženská malba. Poznámky k tématu", in Umění #44, 1996, pgs.540-548
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