Artwork

Untitled

Untitled, by Ladislav Jan Kofranek, photographic
Untitled, by Ladislav Jan Kofranek, photographic

Untitled is a photographic photography by Ladislav Jan Kofranek. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

This untitled black-and-white photograph, mounted on a green card, captures a carved relief featuring four figures in a tight group. The central composition includes a seated woman with a baby, surrounded by two standing men and a kneeling, cow-headed figure.

Subject & Meaning

The relief depicts a woman, likely a representation of the Virgin Mary, holding a baby, with a prominent halo framing her head. Two standing men behind her hold a scroll and a tool, respectively. The inclusion of a cow-headed kneeling figure is unusual and may symbolize a mythical or symbolic role, though its exact meaning remains unclear without additional context.

Technique & Style

The photograph itself is in black-and-white, mounted on a green card, though details about the photographic technique or the style of the carved relief (e.g., period, region) are not specified in the provided information.

History & Provenance

The photograph was received by William Kineton Parkes, a novelist and art historian, in the 1920s as part of a questionnaire sent to sculptors. Parkes bequeathed it to a collection in 1938.

Context

For similar works, reference is made to the Victoria and Albert Museum, implying the relief (and by extension, the photograph of it) might be contextualized within a broader collection of sculptural arts, possibly of a religious or medieval nature.

Artist & collection

Artist

Ladislav Jan Kofranek

Ladislav Jan Kofranek’s photos feel like a quiet detective’s notebook—he shot Prague’s alleys and doorways so precisely they look staged but aren’t.