Reliéf "Dívčí válka" sochaře Vojtěcha Eduarda Šaffa : k vzniku a ikonografii uměleckého díla ve světle nových poznatků

In 1897–1901 a monumental two-part relief titled Dívčí válka (The Maidens' War) was created in the Vienna studio of Czech sculptor Vojtěch Eduard Šaff. It captures a story from the pre-history of the Czech nation. The work was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and Public Education in Vienna and is currently located in the Museum of West Bohemia in Plzeň/Pilsen in the Czech Republic. The artist left behind a substantial volume of papers, currently located in Polička Municipal Museum and Gallery, which together with surviving correspondence enabled the author of this study both to accurately piece together the story behind the origin of this work of art and to discover the actual literary work it was based on, and from there it was possible for the first time to identify some figures in the relief that had hitherto been unclear and to interpret the individual scenes depicted therein.