Rudolf Hamršmíd

Rudolf Hamršmíd was a sculptor, ceramic artist and painter whose work is linked above all to his native Pacov. He entered Litomyšl history as the author of the stucco ornamentation of the interiors of Smetana House.

After studying at the town school in Pacov, he attended a school of ceramics in Běchyně, continuing then to the Academy of Art Architecture and Design in Prague where he studied sculpture under the guidance of Stanislav Suchard and Celestýn Kloučka, participating in modelling Secession-style ceramics for the World Fair in Paris in 1900 in Kloučka´s studio.

After graduating, he cooperated on the sculptural ornamentation of the main railway station and other public buildings in Prague. He undertook a study tour around Europe, during which he visited Berlin, Paris and Rome. In 1908, he returned to his native Pacov and set up his own successful ceramics workshop. However, during the First World War, the workshop had to close down and, in 1914 when Hameršmíd went to the front, it ceased to exist. He returned to his artistic activities after the war, but dedicated himself to painting, concentrating on landscapes, portraits and still life.

He was active in Litomyšl around 1904, participating in the interior decoration of the theatre auditorium of Smetana House whose ornamentation ranges in form from Neo-renaissance to Secession. Hameršmíd designed the stucco ornamentation of the proscenium which features medallions with portraits of Bedřich Smetana and Josef Kajetán on either side. The arch of the proscenium is also decorated with figures of a boy and a girl, and the spandrel features figures of small boys with a lyre and sprig. The arch is capped with a lyre and, above that, the crown of the Czech Kingdom. Rudolf Hameršmíd also created the stucco relief on the balcony parapet featuring a torus festoon of sunflowers and eagles with spread wings alternating with masks of the Gorgon Medusa.

1899–1900
Set of vases, Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague