Personal and family representation of Zacharias of Hradec in the Telc Chateau.

The castle in Telc is one of the few buildings in the Czech republic whose interiors from the second half of the 16th century have been preserved almost unaltered. Owner dominion Zacharias of Hradec had the castle enlarged and its interiors splendidly decorated. The decorations reflect the personal taste of the castle lord. The early designs were taken from a production of Nurnberg workshops. Later the Dutch influence prevailed. The inspiration by the Dutch engravers Cornelis Cort, Frans Huys and Swiss Rudolf Wyssenbach can be traced. Later, but not less important source of inspiration, is book Imagines gentis austriacae by the Italian painter and draughtsman Francesco Terzio. Various crypto-portraits, mainly in the Rooms that were opened to the public, may be attributed to personal representation as well. Another very specific form of representation are the bears who support the coat of arms of the castle lord and his first wife Kateřina of Wallenstain. The bears point out to a legend, according to which the castle lord's family descends from house Ursini, an ancient Italian family. The imperial chamber served for family representation as well. The chamber is decorated with portraits medallions of the roman kings and queens and several unidentifiable portraits. Although I was not able to prove..