PRIVATE SPACES: A NOBLE FAMILY AT HOME
A new, permanent exhibition entitled Private Spaces: A Noble Family at Home opened to the public in the summer of 2007. The objects presented span five centuries and include some of the most precious objects in the collections, including hundreds of pieces displayed for the first time. In conjunction with the considerable educational programs already offered at Nelahozeves Castle, this unique and exciting installation dramatically expands the family’s efforts to make their extraordinary artistic and historic heritage ever more accessible to Czech and international audiences.
This completely new installation at Nelahozeves Castle reflects how an ancient and influential noble family lived in one of their principal castles in the countryside. A series of twelve newly installed period rooms features the present dining room and also includes bedrooms, a music room, the Prince’s smoking room, the family chapel, as well as a library in which treasures from the Lobkowicz archives are exhibited.
In the Grand Salon, some of the finest pieces of furniture, along with old master paintings - including Peter Paul Rubens' Hygieia Nourishing the Sacred Serpent and Paolo Veronese's David with the Head of Goliath - are displayed. There are also two rooms devoted to hunting and shooting, country pursuits central to the social activity of the landed aristocracy during the autumn and winter months. Fascinating hunting memorabilia, an extensive gun collection, staghorn furniture and stupendous trophy heads never before seen by the public fill these spaces. A gallery of portraits of family members from the 19th century to the present day, set within this domestic context, completes the tour.