Legenda O Svatém Prokopu (The Legend of St. Procopius) - Cycle of 30 etchings for the poem by Jaroslav Vrchlicky

Adolf Jelinek Alex

Alex Adolf Jelinek, commonly known as simply "Alex," executed this portfolio of 30 images to accompany the poem "Legenda O Svatem Prokopu" by Czech poet Jaroslav Vrchlicky (1853-1912). The poem chronicles the life of Saint Procopius, a Catholic hermit cannonized by the church in 1204. Vrchlicky was partially raised by his uncle, a pastor, and nearly became a man of the cloth himself. However, upon graduation from the Prague Archibishop's seminary, he enrolled at the Charles-Ferdinand University, where he studied history, philosophy, and Romance philology, and went on to become a professor of science. Many of his written works are apropos his early religious ambitions.

Included in this portfolio is the typeset poem and the colophon. These, and the etchings, are enclosed in a linen-bound folding portfolio, with each etching in its own mat made of medium-weight wove. The portfolio shows some wear to the edges and corners as well as faint timestaining to the spine. The etchings themselves are in excellent condition.