Ecclesiastical sigillography in the Czech Republic – current situation, themes and perspectives

EnglishSigillography is regarded in the Czech Republic as a traditional academic discipline. The history of the field shows, however, that it has yet to welcome the production of a seminal, far- reaching work. In earlier time, ecclesiastical sigillography was largely neglected, seeing little development until recent decades. The first analytical studies are now appearing which attempt to interpret sigillographical materials in a broader historical context. Researchers are now also turning their attention to modern materials, giving rise to specific terminological and methodological difficulties. This study offers a brief outline of developments in sigillography in the Czech Republic, and particularly ecclesiastical sigillography. In this specific case, it describes the research objectives and the questions being asked, while outlining proposed solutions portuguesA sigilografia e considerada na Republica Checa uma disciplina academica tradicional. A historia deste campo mostra, contudo, que necessita ainda de acolher a producao de um trabalho seminal e de longo alcance. Em tempos mais recuados, a sigilografia eclesiastica foi largamente negligenciada, tendo conhecido poucos desenvolvimentos ate ha poucas decadas. Os primeiros estudos analiticos estao a surgir agora, procurando interpretar os materiais sigilograficos num contexto historico mais alargado. Os investigadores estao tambem a virar a sua atencao para os materiais da Epoca Moderna, que dao lugar a dificuldades terminologicas e metodologicas especificas. Este estudo oferece um breve esboco do desenvolvimento da sigilografia na Republica Checa, em particular da sigilografia eclesiastica. Sao descritos os objetivos da investigacao e as questoes colocadas neste campo concreto, e esbocam‑se as solucoes propostas.