Antonín Machek

Who was Antonín Machek?

Antonín Machek was a Czech painter. His talent was discovered by the Bishop of Hradec Kralove and granted him an apprenticeship with his court painter, Zitta. Trained in the Baroque style, he quickly adopted elements of Neoclassicism in his work, and upon moving to Prague soon became much in demand as a portraitist. His greatest works were portraits, however, of which he created hundreds. Today many of his works, including a Cycle of Kings depicting the history of the Bohemian monarchy, are in the collection of the National Gallery in Prague.