Památník Jana Eberharda Swelinga (Schwelinga)

Books of friendship (alba amicora, Stammbücher) are manuscript books where text, coat of arms and images are combined. In the early modern era, they were kept by students and young noblemen on journeys, rarely kept longer, but understood precious pieces in family libraries and archives. They containi entries by travelers´ peers and teachers. While a coat of arm served as a signature, images were usually copies of those appearing in alba and handbooks of common proverbs or motta, scenes form Bible or Classics, rarely topographically true or authentic, but always carefully chosen to adress character, country of origin, family history of the owner or joint adventures. Therefore, the 16th- and 17th-century books of friendship are a big challenge for researchers who aim at decoding their complex nature. There are hounderts of them preserved in GLAM institutions in the Czech Republic and thoousends Europewide. Rarely they made their way also to North-American collections. This is the case of Humprecht Jan Czernin´s one.