Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

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Golden Lounge

 

The ceremonial rooms used as venues for meetings with foreign diplomats and internal conferences of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are located on the first floor of the Czernin Palace. The first floor was a location of count´s and countess´ rooms in the original Czernin Palace. Former furnishing was almost completely lost.


 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed a special officer in charge with furnishing the palace in 1920s, while the Czernin Palace being reconstructed as a Czechoslovakian diplomacy headquarter at that time. An excellent move was an appointment of an artist, expecting his good taste. The artist in the charge was Prague painter Jaromír Stretti – Zamponi. Stretti – Zamponi made decisions concerning antiquities to be bought and shaped design of ceremonial rooms. Each lounge was designed in a particular style. The Golden Lounge is designed in style of the end of the 18th century. The most important piece of furnishing is tapestry January-February. It forms a part of a six- tapestries cycle depicting six pairs of months. The tapestries made by famous Flemish artist Jodocus de Vos in Brussels around 1710 were originally possessed by family of Czernin. The tapestries were obtained by aristocratic family of Lobkowitz, relatives of Czernins, in the half of the 18th century. The full cycle of tapestries was bought from inheritance of deceased Jiří Kristián, Prince of Lobkowitz in 1928 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thus the cycle returned to its former location, the Czernin Palace. The top of the tapestry is inscribed by words IANUARIUS FEBRUARIUS. Figurative scene depicts both months in an allegorical manner. The focal point consists of two persons symbolizing zodiac signs beginning in respective months. A greybeard impersonating Aquarius (January) sits on the left side, a winged woman embracing fishes impersonating Pisces (February) stands on the right side.

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