A picture-perfect villa as painted – the house of Art Nouveau painter K. V. Mašek
The pride of the luxurious Mašek villa
First we must mention Slavíčkova Street as one that boasts some beautiful luxury villas of valued personalities – for example Kotěrová Villa, including an atelier, for Stanislav Sucharda. Nearby, we also have the modern villa of Dr. Náhlovský designed by Dušan Jurkovič.
Mašek‘s villa in the beautiful Art Nouveau painter and architect's style bears the number 7. Its style resembles the nearby house of the prominent Czech architect Jan Koula, but it has a more decorated facade and the overall design is of a richer character. The painting and moulding of the columns is particularly noticeable. The builder was Bohumil Vaigant and his brother Antonín worked on the decoration of the exterior. The charming Art Nouveau sculpture of Madonna with a child placed above the front door captures a great deal of attention. It looks magnificent and welcomes incoming guests.
The creator of the interior as well as of the luxurious gardens
The furniture and interior of the house carry Art Nouveau plant motifs, which can be found also on the windows. The interesting thing is that all the furniture was not only designed, but also created by Mašek himself, including the fittings and woodcuts.
The decorations in the garden are in the spirit of the Neo-Gothic style. Fragments of the St. Vít cathedral were used. Mašek placed gargoyles, columns, and even made an artificial cave from pinnacles here.
Who was K. V. Mašek?
K. V. Mašek is considered to be an important representative of symbolism and Art Nouveau. He worked as an illustrator, painter, architect and educator. Among his students was Josef Čapek. But he was also a very capable gardener. In his work we can see the influence of Paris. He studied at the Julian Academy together with Alfons Mucha and František Dvořák. His admirable paintings include an illustration of the two-part edition of Svatopluk Čech - Short Stories, arabesques and humoresques, the painting Pobití Sasíků pod Hrubou Skálou, the painting Milenci, the decoration of the Prague Municipal Insurance Company building and the decoration of the Main Post Office building in Jindřišská Street. He is also the co-author of the sculpture of the ZOO in Prague-Troja.
Nowadays, the villa is in the hands of a private owner.
