Josef Šejnost (30 May 1878 – 9 February 1941) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

sculptor and coin designer, specialising in low relief work.

Life

He was born on 30 May 1878, in the village of Těšenov (part of

Horní Cerekev Horní Cerekev () is a town in Pelhřimov District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,900 inhabitants. Administrative division Horní Cerekev consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 ...

) in the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

. After a local education, from around 1892 he studied

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porce ...

at an art college in

Bechyně Bechyně (; ) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ur ...

before joining a ceramics factory at

Rakovník Rakovník (, ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Rakovník consists o ...

. In 1901, he returned to academia to study at the School of Applied Arts in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, studying under

Stanislav Sucharda

Stanislav Sucharda (12 November 1866 in Nová Pa ...

and Jan Preisler. From this stage his focus became small sculptures and commemorative medals. He set up studio in Prague. His work included commissions from the Prague Mint and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

. From 1924 to1926, he was editor of the "Dílo" art magazine. He had a long-running project (1929 to 1939) on a hill of

Křemešník Křemešník is a mountain in the municipality of Nový Rychnov in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. The mountain lies near the town of Pelhřimov and is part of Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. With an elevation of above sea level, it is t ...

where he intended to establish a coin museum and his main atelier in a romantic folly castle, designed and built by his architect friend

Kamil Hilbert Kamil is a name used in a number of languages. Kamil () is a Polish, Czech, and Slovak given name, equivalent to the Italian Camillo, Spanish/Portuguese Camilo and French Camille. It is derived from Camillus,stablishment and dissolution ...

. He named the house "Windy castle" (Větrný zámek), but before the house was finished, Šejnost died of cancer. Josef Šejnost died in Prague on 9 February 1941. Much of his medal work is highly collectible. Originally buried in Prague, he was reinterred in the cemetery at

Pelhřimov Pelhřimov () is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urban monument reser ...

in the 21st century to be close to his home town. There is a museum in that town to his memory.

Works

*Prague Town Hall: medallion heads to

František Soukup František () is a masculine Czech and Slovak given name. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, François and Franz. It can be also surname (feminine: Františková). Notable people with the name include: Given name Arts *Frank Daniel (Franti� ...

Alois Rašín Alois Rašín (18 October 1867 – 18 February 1923) was a Czechs, Czech and Czechoslovak politician, economist, one of the founders of Czechoslovakia and first Ministry for Finance. He was the author of the first law of Czechoslovakia and creat ...

Antonín Švehla Antonín Švehla (15 April 1873, in Hostivař – 12 December 1933 in Prague) was a Czechoslovak politician. He served three terms as the Interior Minister and three terms as the prime minister of Czechoslovakia. He is regarded as one of the ...

Jiří Stříbrný Jiří Stříbrný (14 January 1880 – 21 January 1955) was a Czech politician. He was one of the "founding fathers" of the Czechoslovak Republic, but became a quite controversial figure later on. He died in prison in 1955, after being charged w ...

and

Vavro Šrobár Vavrinec Ján Šrobár, known as Vavro Šrobár (9 August 1867 – 6 December 1950) was a Slovak people, Slovak medical doctor and politician. He was a major figure in Slovak politics in the interwar period. Šrobár played an important role in ...

(1918) *The St. Wenceslas Ducat for the Prague Mint (1923) *Commemorative medal to Olympic winner

Bedřich Šupčík Bedřich Šupčík (22 October 1898 – 11 July 1957) was a Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak gymnastics, gymnast and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, where he received a gold medal in rope climbing, and a bronze me ...

(1924) *Gallery of Czech sport personalities to celebrate the centenary of

Sokol Sokol, Sokół or SOKOL may refer to: Sports * Sokol movement, a Pan-Slavic physical education movement, and its various incarnations: ** Czech Sokol movement, the original one ** Polish Sokół movement ** Russian Sokol movement ** Sokol mov ...

(1929) *Plaque to commemorate 1000 years since the foundation of Prague (1929) *Gravestone of Joseph R. Mark (1930) *Plaque at the birthplace of

Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( ; ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival". He has been regarded ...

Litomyšl Litomyšl (; ) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. It is a former bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see. Litomyšl is known for the château-type castle complex of the Lit ...

*Plaque at the birthplace of

Max Švabinský Max Švabinský (17 September 1873 – 10 February 1962) was a Czech painter, draughtsman, graphic artist, and professor in Academy of Graphic Arts in Prague. Švabinský is considered one of the more notable artists in the history of Czech pa ...

Kroměříž Kroměříž (; ) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It is known for Kroměříž Castle with its castle gardens, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic town centre with the castle ...

*Plaque of

Jan Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1369 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czechs, Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and t ...

*Plaque of

Vojtěch Hynais Vojtěch Adalbert Hynais (also Albert; 14 January 1854 – 22 August 1925) was a Czech painter, designer and graphics artist. He designed the curtain of the Prague National Theatre, decorated a number of buildings in Prague and Vienna, and was a ...

*Plaque of

Karel Havlíček Borovský Karel Havlíček Borovský (; 31 October 1821 – 29 July 1856) was a Czech writer, poet, critic, politician, journalist, and publisher. Early life and education He lived and studied at the gymnasium in Německý Brod (today Havlíčkův Brod, ...

Humpolec Humpolec (; ) is a town in Pelhřimov District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Humpolec consists of 12 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): ...

*Bust of Pavol Orzsag-Hviezdoslav, National Museum in Prague *Bear statues on approach to the castle at

Nové Město nad Metují Nové Město nad Metují (; ) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,200 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#M ...

Publications

*''The Problem of Progress in Sculpture'' (1924)

Family

In 1918, aged 40, he married the writer and journalist, Marta Kalinová. They later lived in Prague and in Větrný Zámek. They had two sons - Dimitrij and Zdeněk. Dimitrij became an accomplished aviation engineer. The younger son, Zdeněk Šejnost, studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (AVU) and became also a sculptor. He and his brother tried to continue the "Windmill House" project after his father's death despite the communistic regime in the country. Josef Šejnost granddaughter Marta Anna later acquired the Windmill House and sold it in 2010 to an art collector, who is set to convert the house into a gallery and a guest house.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Šejnost, Josef 1878 births 1941 deaths People from Horní Cerekev People from the Kingdom of Bohemia Czech sculptors Czech medallists Sculptors from Austria-Hungary