The panel was originally placed in the chapel of Roudnice Castle, which belonged to the bishops and archbishops of Prague who used it as their residence. In 1371[3] the chapel was consecrated in honor of the Virgin Mary and patron saints of Bohemia, and this is probably the date when the picture was finished.[1]
The picture measures 181 x 96 cm and it is painted on a panel made of lime wood.[4]
The painting is divided into two parts. In the middle of the upper part is the Virgin sitting on a throne with the infant Jesus. They are adored by kneeling Emperor Charles IV and his son King Wenceslaus IV. St. Sigismund of Burgundy stands behind Charles IV, while St. Wenceslaus of Bohemia stands behind the young king as his patron. In the lower part of the panel stand other Bohemian (Czech) patron saints (from the left): St. Procopius, St. Adalbert, St. Vitus and St. Ludmila. In the middle there is kneeling Archbishop Jan Očko of Vlašim who is adoring St. Adalbert, his predecessor in the post of bishop of Prague.[5]
^Alternative names: Votive Picture of Jan Očko of Vlašim, Votive Painting of Jan Očko of Vlašim, Votive Panel of Archbishop Očko of Vlašim, Votive Panel of Archbishop Jan Očko of Vlašim, Votive Painting of Archbishop John Očko of Vlašim, etc.
^ abRoyt, Jan (2003). Medieval Painting in Bohemia. Prague: Charles University in Prague. pp. 68, 89. ISBN8024602660.
^Faktor, Ondřej. "Votivní obraz Jana Očka z Vlašimi"(Video). www.ceskatelevize.cz (in Czech). Česká televize, Národní galerie v Praze. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
^"Item post hec die XV mensis eiusdem [June 1371] consecravit capellam novam in magna turri in castro suo Rudnicz in honore beate Marie Virginis et sanctorum patronorum ecclesie Pragensis: Viti, Wenceslai, Adalberti atque Zigismundi." Krabice z Weitmile, Beneš. "Cronica ecclesiae Pragensis" (in Latin). Retrieved 23 July 2014.
^Boehm, Barbara Drake; Fajt, Jiří, eds. (2005). Prague: The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 93. ISBN9780300111385.
