The Olomouc Museum of Art, Olomouc, Olomouc Region, Czech Republic

The Coach of Bishop Cardinal Ferdinand Julius Troyer von Troyerstein

The origin of the ceremonial carriage of the Olomouc Bishop Cardinal Ferdinand Julius Troyer von Troyerstein, weighing three tons, has not yet been wholly determined. It was apparently purchased in the year 1746 in Vienna, perhaps from the Kinský family and consequently significantly reconstructed. The decorative carvings in the seating space are predominantly Rococo, with the pictures on all sides inspired by classical mythology. The area of the side walls of the seating area is dedicated to the goddess Demeter, the patron of fertile crops. The central motif on the doors on the right side of the carriage consists of the ruler of the seas, Poseidon, who is saving a nymph from a satyr. On the left side of the seating cabin the ruler of the winds Aeolus with his four sons – Zephyrus, Boreas, Notus and Eurus are depicted. The theme in the lower pictorial area shows the patron of blacksmiths and artists, Hephaestus, manufacturing armour for Achilles. The picture on the rear side of the seating cabin at the top depicts the god of the sun, Helios in a mythological scene of the birth of the new day. The paintings on the lower parts of the front and rear sides of the cabin are clearly later in origin.