tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4978364475509144592024-03-19T08:33:38.722+01:00Medieval HungaryA blog about medieval art history, with a special focus on HungaryZsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.comBlogger234125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-4141443412850482012022-12-01T14:56:00.000+01:002022-12-01T14:56:32.489+01:00The Island - Saint Margaret and the Dominicans (new exhibition in Budapest)<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg270O_BOxC8daPHyKsB-v1_o1v4RjD87iq3aeGhd57cCHCw_OVd5APSx4c5nF5ZS3i2DF1t9Ur2ZAZgXNtQqjsliylZUQuHA2ZoMhps2uX9EontY7FYJSLYs0FfneUGK7j-8ti9HFHCmybXN4HKPjf2IeETalXREz4hwpYd6M5RZFose27Q8iKp8mMug/s781/margit_orig.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="635" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg270O_BOxC8daPHyKsB-v1_o1v4RjD87iq3aeGhd57cCHCw_OVd5APSx4c5nF5ZS3i2DF1t9Ur2ZAZgXNtQqjsliylZUQuHA2ZoMhps2uX9EontY7FYJSLYs0FfneUGK7j-8ti9HFHCmybXN4HKPjf2IeETalXREz4hwpYd6M5RZFose27Q8iKp8mMug/s320/margit_orig.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A new temporary exhibition opened at the <a href="https://www.varmuzeum.hu/a-sziget-szent-margit-es-a-domonkosok.html" target="_blank">Budapest History Museum</a>, dedicated to St Margaret and the Dominican monastery on Margaret Island. The story and fate of Saint Margaret, the thirteenth-century saintly princess, has always captured the imagination of people interested in history. The exhibition offers visitors a selection of artifacts never before exhibited anywhere. The occasion for the exhibition is the 750th anniversary of Margaret's death in 2020, and the fact that in the last two decades our knowledge of the religious institution that was the home of the young princess of the Árpád dynasty has increased considerably. This is primarily thanks to the research of Eszter Kovács, who passed away in 2018 and who had carried out several small-scale excavations in the area of the Dominican monastery. This is how the fragments of wall paintings, probably dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, were found, which are on display for the first time in this exhibition.</div><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aRzr2bk3M4PMhQLm_xOmrquX-j2Hzafsu6wdoJ6EwAyG_Db4GRtPjrsYMjVrXYhawp0i3AM650ej3Em31JUqalYHNtgQdU8xuuSv-I-xhEjtLInA-uZa8o9Sc84e7ehxDIdQZN8Vg_SG0K5Alpvl9hecPeCkKKwAPebgA4uDm9NRD2Bi0ai18FmH5A/s3677/IMG_20221117_175836_edit_590618402028106.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3677" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aRzr2bk3M4PMhQLm_xOmrquX-j2Hzafsu6wdoJ6EwAyG_Db4GRtPjrsYMjVrXYhawp0i3AM650ej3Em31JUqalYHNtgQdU8xuuSv-I-xhEjtLInA-uZa8o9Sc84e7ehxDIdQZN8Vg_SG0K5Alpvl9hecPeCkKKwAPebgA4uDm9NRD2Bi0ai18FmH5A/w262-h400/IMG_20221117_175836_edit_590618402028106.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Margaret, the daughter of King Béla IV, was born in 1242 at the time of the Mongol invasion. We know that she was brought up as a child in the Dominican monastery in Veszprém, which had been founded shortly before, and at the age of 10, she was transferred to the monastery on Margaret Island, which her parents had built. During her canonization process, the testimonies of her contemporaries, recorded in 1276, tell of her dedicated, sacrificial, and self-sacrificing lifestyle, her unending faith in Christ, and the miracles that took place in her life and at her tomb. Margaret's role model was her aunt, the sister of Béla IV, St Elizabeth of Hungary, who was canonized as early as 1235.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Despite all attempts and royal support, Margaret's canonization was not achieved in the Middle Ages. It was her brother, Stephen V, who was the first to attempt this: but neither he, nor Ladislas IV, nor their successors from the House of Anjou were successful. We don't know exactly when she was elevated to the Blessed, but there are many records of this from the 15th century and we also know of many medieval depictions of Margaret. Her cult in Hungary developed soon after her death: she was buried in front of the main sanctuary of the Dominican church, and later an ornate white marble sarcophagus was made for her body, with reliefs depicting her miraculous deeds. <a href="https://ceupress.com/books/html/CEMTVol7Oldest_Legend.htm" target="_blank">Based on her oldest legend and the canonization records</a>, further versions of the legend were written, and a <a href="http://nyelvemlekek.oszk.hu/adatlap/margitlegenda_%E2%80%93_szent_margit_elete" target="_blank">Hungarian-language version</a> was produced at the end of the Middle Ages. The veneration of St Margaret has been almost unbroken over the centuries. Her relics and bones were taken to Pozsony (Bratislava) by the nuns in the 16th century to escape the Ottoman threat. Most of the bones were lost in the 18th century, but perhaps her most famous relic, her penitential belt, has survived, and its ornate reliquary box and an authentic replica of the medieval object can also be admired in the exhibition. Also on display is the funerary crown of King Stephen V (Margaret's brother), also buried on Margaret Island, from the collection of the Hungarian National Museum, the discovery of which in 1838 marked the start of systematic excavations of the monastery ruins.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHwZp02QOkEBfIroKQU1GHYHYXCCcPX9Iqlw85DvU3MDb9uTMqvIe28fRX2KoclCVJ-ptdpoSyiJsFRCXwQ4k3FXX4PTxsaVsxn3mvUXRNHI63dzetW2Nn61Goi0exLG-rhvKxZnAbETeVc8_7nytMBwwnX4fcqWuAcTM3urRDHhZUdZlvnwNy0pdkw/s2659/IMG_20221117_185138_edit_590583821004674.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2659" data-original-width="1777" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHwZp02QOkEBfIroKQU1GHYHYXCCcPX9Iqlw85DvU3MDb9uTMqvIe28fRX2KoclCVJ-ptdpoSyiJsFRCXwQ4k3FXX4PTxsaVsxn3mvUXRNHI63dzetW2Nn61Goi0exLG-rhvKxZnAbETeVc8_7nytMBwwnX4fcqWuAcTM3urRDHhZUdZlvnwNy0pdkw/w428-h640/IMG_20221117_185138_edit_590583821004674.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Funerary crown of King Stephen V (Hungarian National Museum)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to the excavations, the extent of the former monastery and its church is well-known, and it has been possible to reconstruct the most important phases of its construction. Among the spectacular results of the recent research are the fragments of wall paintings, most of which can now be seen by the public for the first time thanks to the restoration work of Eszter Harsányi. Wall paintings have been found in several parts of the monastery, including the small room where the staircase leading from the monastery to the nuns' choir was located in the late Middle Ages. The colorful pieces of plaster fragments preserving halos and faces hint at the relationship of St Margaret and her fellow nuns to images: her legend describes the role of Calvary images and other representations in her prayer and contemplation. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OU5bYt21zAWpqdDu43od5jK68H0bGqR7-ctV2Js71l2r7x-o2WW4HZnp7YZhYCsbAs7RwK_WemJCshCUbL0lmEQfVaVMZ93tV8lniG-5fpA_iSL9HJQAcwDgyavnKcyL1dL26Aom9GvIZ0qC4ihHBpocjj3uLeobKourCLb-aClxCzS6PiyflTPw-Q/s4160/IMG_20221117_175715.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OU5bYt21zAWpqdDu43od5jK68H0bGqR7-ctV2Js71l2r7x-o2WW4HZnp7YZhYCsbAs7RwK_WemJCshCUbL0lmEQfVaVMZ93tV8lniG-5fpA_iSL9HJQAcwDgyavnKcyL1dL26Aom9GvIZ0qC4ihHBpocjj3uLeobKourCLb-aClxCzS6PiyflTPw-Q/w640-h308/IMG_20221117_175715.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imitation marble painting from the monastery building</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1XpKY643yBKrMpo53zJC4vOuEas6w_-NaUUA47MMvDyhZ8IYbvpyzhMhzDaV3ltAPKlic0yDb53eDzFedGv7zyt65kjUuApnCYGUzJqCeWDHCRUuydbCS1zsK9Tgp-L-0Lggwx7y4q3YvJOQcpRvzPyV33ODCSyXvaLPdzszzhTLXaglSqYDVPuesw/s1758/tumblr_b01154e0f3837ea794151c50b99900af_e76cd90f_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1758" data-original-width="843" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1XpKY643yBKrMpo53zJC4vOuEas6w_-NaUUA47MMvDyhZ8IYbvpyzhMhzDaV3ltAPKlic0yDb53eDzFedGv7zyt65kjUuApnCYGUzJqCeWDHCRUuydbCS1zsK9Tgp-L-0Lggwx7y4q3YvJOQcpRvzPyV33ODCSyXvaLPdzszzhTLXaglSqYDVPuesw/w306-h640/tumblr_b01154e0f3837ea794151c50b99900af_e76cd90f_1280.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ignác Roskovics: Saint Margaret (for the Royal Palace)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">When the nuns were forced to flee from the Ottoman attacks in the sixteenth century, the monastery complex became abandoned. It was only used during sieges, for example as a field hospital during the recapture of Buda in 1686. The greatest destruction, however, was not caused by the wars, but by the landscaping of the island in the 19th century, when the owner of the area, Archduke Joseph of Austria, had it turned into an English garden. Like so many other monuments of the Hungarian Middle Ages, our image of the Dominican monastery on Margaret Island must be pieced together from small fragments. The current state of research on Saint Margaret and her cult was<a href="https://domonkosnoverek.hu/arpad-hazi-szent-margit-es-kora750-eves-orokseg/"> presented at a conference organized</a> jointly by the Apostolic Congregation of the Dominican Sisters, the Károli Gáspár Reformed University, and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, while the Budapest History Museum has collected the material relics essential for the reconstruction. The exhibition will allow us to recall the figure of Saint Margaret and the monastery where she spent most of her life and which became the center of her cult.</div></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 28.3pt;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 28.3pt; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">The curator of the exhibition is Ágoston Takács. This text is based on the speech I gave at the opening of the exhibition on November 17, 2022. The exhibition is on view until March 19, 2023.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 28.3pt;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRz06I-zgxf_glFtxqty9RjP5vXjaivleZ64XVG3PEN1Yv4tXKzTQ8g-EZ00P6t7FhZLuX3omIiawr_jnFR0lOxiF9uhr3vF_ZYZRWS_AsGB8wsNcFN7BKPKQuu_wBpA2GqouCe_OkE1txMJXR8feVMWv8xQBNUYAnsfgr7JGOO8FMwOXAov7S09FwQ/s1599/img1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1599" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRz06I-zgxf_glFtxqty9RjP5vXjaivleZ64XVG3PEN1Yv4tXKzTQ8g-EZ00P6t7FhZLuX3omIiawr_jnFR0lOxiF9uhr3vF_ZYZRWS_AsGB8wsNcFN7BKPKQuu_wBpA2GqouCe_OkE1txMJXR8feVMWv8xQBNUYAnsfgr7JGOO8FMwOXAov7S09FwQ/w640-h426/img1.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zsombor Jékely speaking at the opening ceremony - Photo by <a href="https://www.magyarkurir.hu/hirek/a-sziget-szent-margit-es-domonkosok-cimmel-nyilt-kiallitas-budapesti-torteneti-muzeumban">Magyar Kurír</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-49354115514543889582022-11-27T22:17:00.001+01:002023-10-10T14:51:08.772+02:00The oldest dated roof structure in Transylvania and some 14th-century frescoes at Magyarvista<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVv8O9OhWsEhXvzpqo4PL_IHoiXB_o5TR2WPfSoJXIw-0hao1h32cYgVtpQ74s-M_I9-K3vfixNgf_tN4B9QQ35oWGvfsk-zeRoxXwbW8lB3qcHjwe2ArmCELHi9BaU4F-adH3InLPq9iraWjBNSDBMvn0V000rNMjDbB87ZXUWgC2ig_7hFnxOxHCw/s2592/IMG_4919.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2592" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVv8O9OhWsEhXvzpqo4PL_IHoiXB_o5TR2WPfSoJXIw-0hao1h32cYgVtpQ74s-M_I9-K3vfixNgf_tN4B9QQ35oWGvfsk-zeRoxXwbW8lB3qcHjwe2ArmCELHi9BaU4F-adH3InLPq9iraWjBNSDBMvn0V000rNMjDbB87ZXUWgC2ig_7hFnxOxHCw/w640-h426/IMG_4919.JPG" width="600" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.telekialapitvany.hu/muveszettorteneti-szenzacio-kalotaszegen-bemutattak-erdely-legregebbi-teto-es-fodemszerkezetet/" target="_blank">A press conference was dedicated to the church of Magyarvista</a> (Viștea, Romania) at the László Teleki Foundation, to announce the result of recent investigations inside the medieval church of the village. The following overview is written on the basis of the press release. The Calvinist church of Magyarvista in Cluj County is one of the most famous medieval monuments in Transylvania and the area of Kalotaszeg. The stone-built, single-nave, square-apsed building with a Romanesque western doorway was probably built at the end of the 13th century. The first documentary mention of the village dates back to 1229, and in 1291 it became the property of the Transylvanian bishopric as a royal donation. The church is richly decorated with painted woodwork, the outstanding features of which are the converted late Gothic priest's chair, the coffered ceiling above the nave supported by a beam and a wooden column, the pews, the doorways of the south and west entrances, the altar, the pulpit, and the pulpit crown. An 18th-century belfry rises next to the building, the oldest bell in it dating from 1487, from the time of Matthias. During the last year the exterior masonry of the church has been strengthened, plastered and the roof structure repaired, as has the belfry.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K2_CLhq0-f4fZu1eK-MESmS-0-aTQvcHY4l0pfYzgoBGrLpI7r3GWL9PSTCgI8WpGuhjA2mrdg1PxJ6RM2JpBCCvKTw41mD2-C9stSAyey9GrB9ZujVAANj3Yt0lQq6l5DxLfKtU4FOBBaj4zUs-gJCYAU641RJ2Ie0HE9LAO7QLndpl-PA3rObStQ/s2496/IMG_8415.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1664" data-original-width="2496" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K2_CLhq0-f4fZu1eK-MESmS-0-aTQvcHY4l0pfYzgoBGrLpI7r3GWL9PSTCgI8WpGuhjA2mrdg1PxJ6RM2JpBCCvKTw41mD2-C9stSAyey9GrB9ZujVAANj3Yt0lQq6l5DxLfKtU4FOBBaj4zUs-gJCYAU641RJ2Ie0HE9LAO7QLndpl-PA3rObStQ/w400-h266/IMG_8415.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The building's hidden treasures had been highlighted by several research findings: in 1913, <a href="https://memmdk.hu/cikkek/hirek/ritkasagok-a-tervtar-gyujtemenyebol" target="_blank">István Gróh documented in watercolor copies</a> ten scenes of mural paintings located in the nave (they could not be restored and displayed at the time), and in 1935, semicircular foundation walls were found within the demolished sacristy, which may be part of a demolished medieval round church. One of the scenes copied by Gróh was found in 2008 on the south wall of the nave, and next to it, on two sides of the south-east corner, two related, previously unknown scenes were revealed: a three-figure Crucifixion and an image of St Longinus with an attendant. The wall painting on the south wall, depicting a storm-tossed ship of pilgrims, dates from around 1400, while the images in the corner date from the early 14th century. It has also been found that the painting of the corner was originally placed under a canopy and formed the decoration of an altar there - there are very few similar canopied altarpieces from medieval Hungary.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In 2022, with the support of the László Teleki Foundation, the uncovery of the mural paintings in the semicircular triumphal arch continued, and art historical research was also carried out. In this context, it was suggested that the interesting stone frame of the southern entrance and the square sanctuary are not Romanesque but late Gothic, as confirmed by some analogies of the frame of the sacristy door, and that the ribbed vault with the 1498 inscription on the keystone of the sanctuary is not the result of a later intervention, but this whole structure was, in fact, built at that time. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncJrb9uwO17WG2kU2q7hPFbI-JFInbBxaZw80KiUzpBFHx2z1TmXs3BlvOToN6wFfbCCvyO0zcWId4nFk3opzTRzlubfqtjH9NWOMCUtV9y89aAdB9CyKJ8sQWU5dciViI4idoJcO0x1rWPlZreCvgDaCw71IO0OWoVQBT6TJHNrpoDqTPcoam7J1OQ/s2592/IMG_4894.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2592" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncJrb9uwO17WG2kU2q7hPFbI-JFInbBxaZw80KiUzpBFHx2z1TmXs3BlvOToN6wFfbCCvyO0zcWId4nFk3opzTRzlubfqtjH9NWOMCUtV9y89aAdB9CyKJ8sQWU5dciViI4idoJcO0x1rWPlZreCvgDaCw71IO0OWoVQBT6TJHNrpoDqTPcoam7J1OQ/w640-h426/IMG_4894.JPG" width="600" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The excavation of the mural revealed a scene of the Annunciation on the eastern wall above the triumphal arch: on the left, a fragmentary figure of the Archangel Gabriel and the Lord, and on the right, a small detail of the standing figure of Mary can be discerned. The Annunciation, arranged on the right and left sides of the triumphal arch, has many foreign and local analogies: Palermo, Cappella Palatina, Reichenau-Oberzell, St. George's Church, Padua, Scrovegni Chapel, Karaszkó, Disznajó, etc. The scene belongs to the plaster layer of the early 14th century.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqYrP_Yb8IGejP8xiVEXWTZ5dm41TZ0zqPcHityqIl-BhoTdu-2R-qPhcdcFddyhe0T-VtmnQokL2sekd6CPKe_K7yl2TkFbDNeaQD62vcpPnCMRphH1DJj_R6Rqk6ZutUb1LUE7QrjSnlzr021pn4yYWW9vWyeNBOVEA6RQxGyII38BYvzgj67u8Yw/s1600/magyarvista_20221124_KGB_2538.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqYrP_Yb8IGejP8xiVEXWTZ5dm41TZ0zqPcHityqIl-BhoTdu-2R-qPhcdcFddyhe0T-VtmnQokL2sekd6CPKe_K7yl2TkFbDNeaQD62vcpPnCMRphH1DJj_R6Rqk6ZutUb1LUE7QrjSnlzr021pn4yYWW9vWyeNBOVEA6RQxGyII38BYvzgj67u8Yw/w640-h426/magyarvista_20221124_KGB_2538.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The research on the inside of the triumphal arch was also a surprise: the upper fragment of the figure of the Maiestas Domini, set in a mandorla in the center, was preserved: its continuation was on the vault of the demolished original sanctuary, which was much smaller than the one we have today. Thus, the fragment of the mural also proves that the present sanctuary is secondary compared to the nave. The figure of Christ was accompanied by the symbols of the four evangelists, two of whom, the eagle (John) and perhaps the angel (Matthew), the latter holding an open book, partially survive. The book's minuscule inscription is partly legible and contains a line from John's Revelation. The painting continued on the side wall with the gallery of the apostles, of which 2-3 figures have been preserved, among them St Andrew can be recognized from the X-shaped cross. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5l4pgoy5Vv3qSuioP4oc6Jd_Bx9M8NK7Cspls9X_oOKztI6mEWGY0xC6kH9NdJt2fV_Ouji3at5COIAt8a7O_UATizbrDYtUSh57MXNLtOcQijNbD2P99Zmknmplmj2-gGtW6ubZoUcR7TS6uY8TYMLCjQ021MvrXG75dn68-1l275SAzV6PiHYYJuQ/s2592/IMG_4890.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5l4pgoy5Vv3qSuioP4oc6Jd_Bx9M8NK7Cspls9X_oOKztI6mEWGY0xC6kH9NdJt2fV_Ouji3at5COIAt8a7O_UATizbrDYtUSh57MXNLtOcQijNbD2P99Zmknmplmj2-gGtW6ubZoUcR7TS6uY8TYMLCjQ021MvrXG75dn68-1l275SAzV6PiHYYJuQ/w266-h400/IMG_4890.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Stylistically, the mural paintings of the triumphal arch are in a style well known in Transylvania, usually called Italo-Byzantine without distinction. Analogies appear in many other places: Csíkszentimre, Felvinc, Boroskrakkó, Szék, Ördöngösfüzes, etc. Although this spectacular style is called Italo-Byzantine by some scholars, because of its widespread use it is more correct to speak of a Central European Gothic tendency using the Italian tradition of the Duecento period. The exact dating of the wall paintings of this group is (was) problematic, as no historical data, inscriptions or other information of any kind was available for any of the buildings, so the dating of the monuments oscillated in the literature from the 1310s to the 1340s. For this reason, the restorer's observation that the plaster of the fresco was in contact with the ceiling and, through it, the roof, was of particular importance. Dendrochronological analysis of the wooden elements of the ceiling can ideally be used to date the mural with annual (or even seasonal) precision, which can provide a <i>post quem</i> (later than ...) date for the mural. With the support of the László Teleki Foundation, this very important study was carried out, which revealed that one of the trees of the structure, which can be dated precisely, was cut in the winter of 1329-30 so that the construction of the structure could have taken place as early as 1330, and the wall paintings cannot be earlier than that. This date applies to the central beam supporting the wooden ceiling as well as the wooden pier in the center of the nave. Some parts of the original roof structure also date from this period. This information puts a secure dating to the Magyarvista wall paintings, and also to the entire circle of monuments</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The dendrochronological research was carried out in the autumn of 2022 by the <a href="https://dendrolab.ro/en" target="_blank">Anno Domini Dendrolab</a> team from Csíkszereda, on the initiative of the wall painting restorers and art historians who were researching in the church. The study and subsequent laboratory analysis proved that the longitudinal central beam and the carved column supporting it in the nave date back to the 14th century, from the years 1329-30. The ring analysis of the beams built into the stone gable walls and of some elements of the present mid-17th century roof structure also indicated that the nave itself and its earlier roof structure were built at this time. In this case, the dating is year-specific, with oak felled in the winter of 1329/1330 being used for the former roof structure.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6weZdMKCCOy1X_JrB2wNHSr9xG3cHqFpy0zqDvZxhXojjiwBhUDVhmcQr7YCtFjPiZ2qqde8bzfRgXWyma4pzffJ9AVrMdbEypy4--rWU0kHWpGsNGY-0LfEJYbGTyKBvK1iijByf8Sk79PNipCpncp8Vm5IvMhs4_GPx7JfXCOLvaCzx-hI_h2xM-A/s2592/IMG_4916.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2592" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6weZdMKCCOy1X_JrB2wNHSr9xG3cHqFpy0zqDvZxhXojjiwBhUDVhmcQr7YCtFjPiZ2qqde8bzfRgXWyma4pzffJ9AVrMdbEypy4--rWU0kHWpGsNGY-0LfEJYbGTyKBvK1iijByf8Sk79PNipCpncp8Vm5IvMhs4_GPx7JfXCOLvaCzx-hI_h2xM-A/w400-h266/IMG_4916.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The dendrochronological research shows that the wooden roof of the nave and the former roof structure of the church in Magyarvista, as well as the column and the master beam supporting them, were built in 1330, making it the oldest surviving roof and slab structure in Transylvania, according to our present knowledge. The 14th-century roof structure can most probably be reconstructed on the basis of elements reused from the earlier structure when the present roof was built, but further field research and measurements are needed. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">This discovery of particular importance encourages further research into wall painting, dendrochronology, archaeology, and art history, which we hope will take place in 2023. Hopefully, we will still get to see one day the fresco decoration of the church of Magyarvista.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGJyqX97PcpCMovoM0DKuxD881oiyd5o8JkQRGkOH9Q3acWdZbsl6Hbw08AswzmgYCsaP-MVvI5AV_6pM3jPydAUHEtIGUuHzQnHUb49ZYIB68LguxitmTPqPvXNDwiwf5D1JGSSupVb276X5i6mu6xYoAO6MVzGb11l74N-I7tnC0-AWFE1wCMYNCQ/s2592/IMG_4951.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2592" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGJyqX97PcpCMovoM0DKuxD881oiyd5o8JkQRGkOH9Q3acWdZbsl6Hbw08AswzmgYCsaP-MVvI5AV_6pM3jPydAUHEtIGUuHzQnHUb49ZYIB68LguxitmTPqPvXNDwiwf5D1JGSSupVb276X5i6mu6xYoAO6MVzGb11l74N-I7tnC0-AWFE1wCMYNCQ/w640-h426/IMG_4951.JPG" width="600" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Research and restoration of Magyarvista were done by Lóránd Kiss, Zsolt Sólyom, Melinda Filep, Janka Melinda Oláh, Károly Sipos (wall painting restoration, Imago Picta, Târgu Mures), Boglárka Tóth, István Botár, Denis Walgraffe (dendrochronology, Anno Domini Dendrolab, Csíkszereda), Attila Weisz (art history). Text by Loránd Kiss, Boglárka Tóth, Attila Weisz. Photos courtesy of Attila Weisz.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-53240884984172258202022-04-07T21:43:00.000+02:002022-04-07T21:43:51.884+02:00The Age of the Árpád Dynasty - The missed opportunity of the Székesfehérvár exhibition<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61bhDjFA05fPj7LAj8N0JX-6I_f3dP8smA0RB_lbDhiNJni68GQiYRc8KCrOqPYZDJTgtxG_GEkan_krKZI80AHa9e1mYY8olgObP51BaeHGVvhdUi8hIlzsh-je8DpLv0JPwnKqJ95MbGXTB3hlFqffoUsPOOeecD_QG8pDjTzUH5unfhxjm9xFGEA/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61bhDjFA05fPj7LAj8N0JX-6I_f3dP8smA0RB_lbDhiNJni68GQiYRc8KCrOqPYZDJTgtxG_GEkan_krKZI80AHa9e1mYY8olgObP51BaeHGVvhdUi8hIlzsh-je8DpLv0JPwnKqJ95MbGXTB3hlFqffoUsPOOeecD_QG8pDjTzUH5unfhxjm9xFGEA/w400-h225/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The year 2022 marks the 800th anniversary of the issuance of the Golden Bull by King Andrew II. Issued at the 1222 Diet held at Fehérvár, the Golden Bull is one of the cornerstones of the medieval Hungarian constitutional system and its anniversary created a perfect opportunity to organize a major exhibition dedicated to Hungary's first ruling house, the Árpád Dynasty. Such an exhibition has been planned for at least a decade and curators at the Hungarian National Museum have prepared a proposal for a major exhibition with international loans. In 2017 government support came, along with the decision that the exhibition should be held at Székesfehérvár, to mark the anniversary of the Golden Bull and to inaugurate a newly renovated museum building belonging to the King Saint Stephen Museum. Curators were appointed from both institutions and the long work of securing loans and preparing a catalog was began. At the beginning of 2019 a new government-funded institution, the Institute of Hungarian Research started its operations. The Minister of Human Resources (in charge of cultural affairs) delegated this Institute to the consortium preparing the exhibition. Work continued and the scheduled date of opening was nearing - although the renovation of the Székesfehérvár museum building was not yet completed.</div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxKeJmzmoHGpTc77RijCcb6oZ3p6grtiDzrThvCRs62hW0YazkYjYFtJcyHSZAYKBZqlrhSi-HdxpNAfuglLfRx4ResdeDSoO1XcQt04K56pEY8M3Vi3qUawrDItUuLbDOWWdXiiK-V4PWriKbiYXT6cia0OCJZpYa5iJiVmKUyRWY5ZM6NZmy4zgBg/s1600/IMG_20220324_135955.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxKeJmzmoHGpTc77RijCcb6oZ3p6grtiDzrThvCRs62hW0YazkYjYFtJcyHSZAYKBZqlrhSi-HdxpNAfuglLfRx4ResdeDSoO1XcQt04K56pEY8M3Vi3qUawrDItUuLbDOWWdXiiK-V4PWriKbiYXT6cia0OCJZpYa5iJiVmKUyRWY5ZM6NZmy4zgBg/w400-h300/IMG_20220324_135955.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Installation view</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Then late in December of 2021, Miklós Kásler, Minister of Human Resources - in agreement with the newly appointed director of the Hungarian National Museum, László L. Simon - announced in an email that the appointment of the curators (Etele Kiss, Ágnes Ritoók, and Erika Simonyi of the Hungarian National Museum) is being withdrawn, and Miklós Makoldi of the Institute of Hungarian Research is appointed as the new curator of the exhibition. Making such a move three months before the opening of a major exhibition is quite surprising even in Hungary and naturally, a scandal broke out. Given the fact that Miklós Makoldi, an archeologist without a doctorate and any relevant museum-related expertise was about to take over the results of three years of work by a team of experienced museum curators, many scholars decided that they no longer wish to participate in such a project. In the end, <a href="https://www.valaszonline.hu/2022/01/14/kiralyok-szentek-kiallitas-kozlemeny/" target="_blank">25 scholars signed an open letter</a>, withdrawing their contributions from the catalog of the exhibition (which was already nearing completion). In this situation, many people doubted that the exhibition could be opened at all. In the end, the exhibition - titled <i><a href="https://arpadok.hu/exhibit/?lang=en">Kings and Saints, The Era of the Árpád Dynasty</a></i> - opened on March 18, 2022, in a former monastery turned into a museum at Székesfehérvár. Due to the circumstances, however, the result amounts to a monumental missed opportunity.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4U21nIOUbFm1w9ma2hy4DH3PrHOhr-MgW5MMTGToMEFOnK0ukZkQUTk-Q_AeilxzeC4LErQtI9mVVyy0974OJd5qLniBWp38vCo42JZQJX63WFCtBsbHuc_RVY0AXKX2lcDhVKuFA9O-CLDvbOB1yoERVuIcUsUkIO-7Bo2qpQzweOH3m8U_M9l08A/s1600/IMG_20220324_130113.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="1600" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4U21nIOUbFm1w9ma2hy4DH3PrHOhr-MgW5MMTGToMEFOnK0ukZkQUTk-Q_AeilxzeC4LErQtI9mVVyy0974OJd5qLniBWp38vCo42JZQJX63WFCtBsbHuc_RVY0AXKX2lcDhVKuFA9O-CLDvbOB1yoERVuIcUsUkIO-7Bo2qpQzweOH3m8U_M9l08A/w400-h284/IMG_20220324_130113.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Monomachos Crown (Hungarian National Museum)</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">Let me explain in detail. Makoldi, the new curator of the exhibition, had no chance or time to change the concept of the exhibition. He only modified three rooms of the exhibition, mainly to remove references to the non-Hungarian population of medieval Hungary (including Carolingians and Slavs from the first section dealing with the Hungarian conquest and a chapter about Muslims, Jews, and various Eastern nomadic people living in the Kingdom of Hungary). You can read the <a href="https://mki.gov.hu/en/hirek-en/minden-hir-en/nem-a-muszlimokrol-en">explanation of the Institute</a> and see for yourself. In any case, the new curator worked with the original synopsis and object list - taking over other people's work, if you will. However, the original concept could not be realized. Several important loans did not make it to Székesfehérvár (the Cross of Adelheid from Lavantall is one such object mentioned in the press, but there are many others). It is hard to tell what role the scandal played in the case of missing loans - I think the venue in Székesfehérvár may also have played a role in this. Not the address itself, but the fact that the museum building in Székesfehérvár was completed just a few weeks before the opening of the exhibition, so lenders could not verify that it is up to international standards needed for sensitive objects. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbuBCFxsDgFhiBqZtNZO9qW2ki9DNnnf7LHzNjpCS0ZXkmAijKEB0ll3zwXblhl3X7QrC-H4iD3zaj4sCdSss-v9JJ9_OEEAuw0hHrww6KRUDh-fZdStBooovf3ZlcjwupWDU22qS-Z8c3cwFP-iCaGhDQnOmgoz1zcl3wGDkE5uyBFqcBgQJyvdZJw/s1600/IMG_20220324_133629.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbuBCFxsDgFhiBqZtNZO9qW2ki9DNnnf7LHzNjpCS0ZXkmAijKEB0ll3zwXblhl3X7QrC-H4iD3zaj4sCdSss-v9JJ9_OEEAuw0hHrww6KRUDh-fZdStBooovf3ZlcjwupWDU22qS-Z8c3cwFP-iCaGhDQnOmgoz1zcl3wGDkE5uyBFqcBgQJyvdZJw/w640-h308/IMG_20220324_133629.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lehel's horn from Jászberény</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0ieRuR3VB-jScGJK0V7KGsdt-D3-TIENCIEKbFZyrxqEALnG9bJVoh2kixSgPO5sqbHTF1snuwH7HdKZxqGaYpD0Qpusr5EWRAIJCY-MORyUDo77Kij-urJ5SpJG9yEXYRF27ih5e31Ku2gByHz8cmwdPvQPa8vpNdIBe_4s9XsceZgKjuxM5ZSMWQ/s1600/IMG_20220324_132021.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1019" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0ieRuR3VB-jScGJK0V7KGsdt-D3-TIENCIEKbFZyrxqEALnG9bJVoh2kixSgPO5sqbHTF1snuwH7HdKZxqGaYpD0Qpusr5EWRAIJCY-MORyUDo77Kij-urJ5SpJG9yEXYRF27ih5e31Ku2gByHz8cmwdPvQPa8vpNdIBe_4s9XsceZgKjuxM5ZSMWQ/s320/IMG_20220324_132021.jpg" width="204" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enklopion from Maastricht</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The exhibition mounted with the remaining objects still contains many highlights and presents a good overview of Árpád-age Hungary. According to the original concept, the objects are arranged in 17 sections, ranging from the period of the Hungarian Conquest to an overview of saints from the Árpád Dynasty. The <a href="https://arpadok.hu/exhibit/?lang=en">website of the exhibition</a> (a work in progress at the time of writing) lists the chapters. Many of the highlights - the Monomachos Crown, the crown with lilies from Margaret Island, or some stone carvings - come from the Hungarian National Museum. There are important objects from Székesfehérvár and other Hungarian museums (such as the Lehel's horn/olifant from Jászberény). A number of recent archaeological finds - such as a reliquary and other <a href="https://jekely.blogspot.com/2021/04/an-overview-of-excavations-of.html">finds from Pétermonostora</a> - are on view. There are numerous foreign loans as well: the sword of Saint Stephen from Prague, stone carvings from former monasteries now located in Serbia or Romania, important manuscripts from various libraries, a flag with the double-cross of the Árpád Dynasty from Bern, or even the tombstone of the Blessed Elisabeth of Töss, daughter of King Andrew III (from the Landesmuseum in Zürich). True highlights, such as the 12th century double cross in the Dommuseum of Salzburg and especially the highly sophisticated 13th-century court goldsmith works (the Zaviš-cross, the cross made from diadems in Cracow or the Bern (Königsfelden) diptych) are sadly missing from the exhibition. Granted, such loans are extremely hard to secure and not all of these objects were even envisioned in the original scenario of the exhibition - but such an exhibition is a one-time chance in a generation and this chance was sadly missed. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3F6JAJh7p29aklZeeiRoObWgxhSrQEzixrPnYVEeipz9JVWT9zgmleccHrXh6imutyiNqzfAm89UCkPTiRR98J5bEn7UUEJSAt8nzvjyf9iyLXWg7AHrMhvmTpeD1Mqqiwl6CcgyU-ddvtOWDBp4ZedjEGY2r0_jkHZWkSm01zcsYlwgK4ePCxgTGMw/s1600/IMG_20220324_132404.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="834" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3F6JAJh7p29aklZeeiRoObWgxhSrQEzixrPnYVEeipz9JVWT9zgmleccHrXh6imutyiNqzfAm89UCkPTiRR98J5bEn7UUEJSAt8nzvjyf9iyLXWg7AHrMhvmTpeD1Mqqiwl6CcgyU-ddvtOWDBp4ZedjEGY2r0_jkHZWkSm01zcsYlwgK4ePCxgTGMw/w334-h640/IMG_20220324_132404.jpg" width="334" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A display of stone carvings</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The exhibition also does not take advantage of being in Székesfehérvár. Although there are references to the royal basilica dedicated to the Virgin - the coronation church and most important burial place of Hungarian kings - the actual site of the church was closed at the time of my visit (although supposedly it is open daily from April 1st). The highly important Árpád-period stone carvings from this church remain largely inaccessible - a museum scheduled to become their new home will open only by the end of the year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINBEXW661foStUGtYzn28EVSiJBjkOsN3hJtAzNQoL1nVicm2FSHnzAm1Vq8zULxOWnwLqB8wob3lys6EKrVYCAe60EdSQe3iqNIugEp1_WxEY0dUs5tyztAMU4XBa64MPeLXRP-ga3dmSTfG40ZVkoEv8Risvp7vuCXElYClSeijOLkPw2Ybw1bHJA/s1600/IMG_20220324_132355.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="982" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINBEXW661foStUGtYzn28EVSiJBjkOsN3hJtAzNQoL1nVicm2FSHnzAm1Vq8zULxOWnwLqB8wob3lys6EKrVYCAe60EdSQe3iqNIugEp1_WxEY0dUs5tyztAMU4XBa64MPeLXRP-ga3dmSTfG40ZVkoEv8Risvp7vuCXElYClSeijOLkPw2Ybw1bHJA/w392-h640/IMG_20220324_132355.jpg" width="392" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finds from Pétermonostora</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Moreover, it is obvious that the new curator and his team scrambled to put the exhibition together in the three months at their disposal. As there is no list of the exhibition team, it is hard to tell who did what, but two weeks after the opening day, the exhibition looked half-finished. All the rooms are darkly lit (even rooms with stone carvings and goldsmith objects), the object labels are quite impossible to read and some of them are even missing. Some key objects are placed in dark corners or close to the floor, or at the back of large showcases. The larger exhibition graphics are unnecessary and badly designed in general: a section of the Bayeaux tapestry stands in to illustrate 11th-century battles in Hungary, the Legend of Saint Ladislas from the Hungarian Angevin Legendary was adapted to a graphic of a fake medieval stained glass window series, some kings lifted from the 14th-century Illuminated Chronicle are mislabeled, etc. There is no explanation for the complete lack of any information in English in the exhibition. There are some interactive video screens - but no new content was developed for them, they simply show films recycled from other venues and exhibitions. Of course, there is no catalog in any language or any publication whatsoever, due to the lack of authors (see above). All this makes it impossible to reach any kind of international impact with the exhibition All this despite the 506 million HUF (about 1,3 million euros) budget from government support dedicated to the exhibition. A missed opportunity, indeed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTnqauMvrriJ_vi081EVHaTb7K4xjRRG5aC0MDKY24bPvDZiJhWpaWCpsbXLoh-W8Xc7z6qMs1aFdCWOg0qEA0MYcZmHkXe2dbOVvV1kvd9ag9-lnaZfoaR9UeFSw_CN0g7yTHWwgKgIvgDQRJJax4CLTvSaTr2XE_RNho9ilo6Dnio-9F2YMo0ZHVA/s1600/IMG_20220324_134157.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1109" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTnqauMvrriJ_vi081EVHaTb7K4xjRRG5aC0MDKY24bPvDZiJhWpaWCpsbXLoh-W8Xc7z6qMs1aFdCWOg0qEA0MYcZmHkXe2dbOVvV1kvd9ag9-lnaZfoaR9UeFSw_CN0g7yTHWwgKgIvgDQRJJax4CLTvSaTr2XE_RNho9ilo6Dnio-9F2YMo0ZHVA/w444-h640/IMG_20220324_134157.jpg" width="444" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13th-century crown from Margaret Island, HNM</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">Despite these significant shortcomings, do visit the exhibition if you get a chance. Objects that are otherwise hard to see and some highlights are definitely worth a visit. The original concept of the exhibition can still be followed (as long as you read Hungarian...) and Székesfehérvár is only about 45 minutes from Budapest by train. The exhibition will be on view until June 15, 2022.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-O-CATczl8hXzAgrHPLrmNSTIWu3TYAqRtGAIxgDMh_HQLFSzEQ9Q0X1o3XSKV8v91IZaSMe84qM8RV0Cd8Dr1f2xEQWrVH8lRPmwOF6L_30sJPF4Zwit8AqwFq9DUY5FJdj5KHYdGWf3_MtnPVYfmigIZQYWW2bEjB4ZQ9tocTGj1qhtk8LXzgTzNQ/s1600/IMG_20220324_140340.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-O-CATczl8hXzAgrHPLrmNSTIWu3TYAqRtGAIxgDMh_HQLFSzEQ9Q0X1o3XSKV8v91IZaSMe84qM8RV0Cd8Dr1f2xEQWrVH8lRPmwOF6L_30sJPF4Zwit8AqwFq9DUY5FJdj5KHYdGWf3_MtnPVYfmigIZQYWW2bEjB4ZQ9tocTGj1qhtk8LXzgTzNQ/w640-h309/IMG_20220324_140340.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fragments from the tomb of Queen Gertrude, from Pilis Abbey</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf078Q3dQvVZXlub046LKO-Q7PlCa4zgqt3WvuuzyLY95GyjGAQ3Wn3r14zgQ1LM0UIcy7rq-QmahEkXJ-6u6jyhrL7w-8sCi_APO9ysfQBJxiATR2NP89_PIgPQVUIGVEKvrYcDAC3oDwXtraXiowuHcwhnhqZnw1qp8-c7W6_vOMDKLUNjP1Cu26w/s1600/IMG_20220324_134407.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="769" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf078Q3dQvVZXlub046LKO-Q7PlCa4zgqt3WvuuzyLY95GyjGAQ3Wn3r14zgQ1LM0UIcy7rq-QmahEkXJ-6u6jyhrL7w-8sCi_APO9ysfQBJxiATR2NP89_PIgPQVUIGVEKvrYcDAC3oDwXtraXiowuHcwhnhqZnw1qp8-c7W6_vOMDKLUNjP1Cu26w/w308-h640/IMG_20220324_134407.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14th-century reliquary of St. Stephen from Aachen</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i>(photos my own, taken with permission)</i><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-66094358194613705612022-04-05T20:45:00.003+02:002022-04-05T20:47:21.136+02:00Restoration of the Medieval Church of Sóly<div class="separator"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxgjTt5-6YoLn2DhvAe5tbNtAqboO1OIKisyUwBPhZrQYQpPWg6mbezSkiQgdK0Wn-Z9VnUloPE4rqpP-xCXSYg4CY1VTV5E0GdJZT_vS0-QRMIXTbpeYf9CR7O_qdRUj3ejjGlMjre-c8sCbV7cXQH-HNNiOqES6TgtI_LvE61xe6F5DR5MynwxV3w/w400-h266/277170477_7510362722315038_9150090151035691974_n.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The restoration of the medieval church of Sóly was finally completed after two decades of research and renovation. The village of Sóly is located near Veszprém and its church was first mentioned in 1009, in the foundation charter of the bishopric of Veszprém, issued by King Saint Stephen. There is a theory that Sóly is the location where the young Stephen defeated Koppány in 997, three years before his coronation. The present church, however, dates from the 13th century and was dedicated to St. Stephen Protomartyr. Archeological research identified the traces of an earlier, wooden church under the present edifice. The 13th-century building consists of a simple one-aisled nave and a rectangular sanctuary. The place was turned into a fortress at the time of the Ottoman occupation. From this period, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X18300051?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">a number of burials</a> have been found inside the building. The damaged building was finally restored in 1706 and was embellished several times. By this time, the community and their church were Calvinist. Rich painted ornamental frames decorate the windows, embellished with biblical verses. In 1724, a painted wooden gallery was installed in the nave, and the church was adorned with painted coffered ceilings as well. As these elements were purchased and installed by the <a href="https://library.hungaricana.hu/en/view/ArsDecorativa_28_2012/?pg=8&layout=s" target="_blank">Museum of Applied Arts</a> in Budapest during the 1890s, they were now recreated in the form of copies. The original wooden balustrade in the sanctuary of the church, however, was at this occasion returned to the church. The western tower of the church was built in 1903.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDQBn_DQ5OyXt7L1GP0R2IcS1wK-IPvdniX12bugi2XyKXlf_5NOtbPPp4RHBa2LxTmwiAj2VHqE_cBOHRalikXfgiWRG-UXeW1B1FG6Yz4KQ-vaP_OrM_j79n2z9wnbKo8W-K01yuoUESM41G3JdpZxuej_CO02AJOxGC8sm-ztaGlz-cEJlKk11sQ/s3984/IMG_5547.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3984" data-original-width="2656" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDQBn_DQ5OyXt7L1GP0R2IcS1wK-IPvdniX12bugi2XyKXlf_5NOtbPPp4RHBa2LxTmwiAj2VHqE_cBOHRalikXfgiWRG-UXeW1B1FG6Yz4KQ-vaP_OrM_j79n2z9wnbKo8W-K01yuoUESM41G3JdpZxuej_CO02AJOxGC8sm-ztaGlz-cEJlKk11sQ/w426-h640/IMG_5547.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Inside the nave of the church, a medieval fresco of the Crucifixion was uncovered in 2018. The stylistic features of this painting and the Cosmatesque border decoration around it indicate that it was painted in the 14th century. Possibly it was part of a larger cycle - but no other paintings have been found in the church. The newly restored church was ceremoniously opened on March 20, 2022. <a href="http://www.refdunantul.hu/lap/hajmaskersoly/cikk/mutat/elerhetosegeink-10/" target="_blank">Contact the pastor</a> to visit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4t0KX9OH-Jx0wPsgSts-tOSb6nGDEfO4optTVhE78Y3xY_0l6u9Oe1KctI8Jyi4CcbML9ru7bg3n4fHJHKNo3ZKQIvWlpb2AWwXBUzIno_sDBeTuWW3KDxZB909eFKLbukTngUSEEcLvDxFHtL_d6FvR1X5wS55bZKYgDoXZvC5nBFg64uRggOwxfg/s3984/IMG_5553.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2656" data-original-width="3984" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4t0KX9OH-Jx0wPsgSts-tOSb6nGDEfO4optTVhE78Y3xY_0l6u9Oe1KctI8Jyi4CcbML9ru7bg3n4fHJHKNo3ZKQIvWlpb2AWwXBUzIno_sDBeTuWW3KDxZB909eFKLbukTngUSEEcLvDxFHtL_d6FvR1X5wS55bZKYgDoXZvC5nBFg64uRggOwxfg/w640-h426/IMG_5553.JPG" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crucifixion fresco in the nave</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><br />Here is a small video of the restored church.<div><br /></div>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gWQFCIr3BRU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-78080159662420106752022-03-27T22:14:00.004+02:002022-03-27T22:16:13.448+02:00Medieval Manuscripts in Esztergom<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DdTgwht8Ii3OpJXuctcipd76CzWFbsqz_az2bLD3gfzUmihfuppzHmUFKOD-omR9woaiaKcQKdbLtKhZi39PXih0Oq2G7l4RdocexTZ1gW8rwP-0nhBvpjFtmSAthBOB8ar5c9F6tS12nb2UDC30PMgwHmxiwy4dTnRI34TRuAvSCrcozZjcJcUxqQ/s1348/05w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DdTgwht8Ii3OpJXuctcipd76CzWFbsqz_az2bLD3gfzUmihfuppzHmUFKOD-omR9woaiaKcQKdbLtKhZi39PXih0Oq2G7l4RdocexTZ1gW8rwP-0nhBvpjFtmSAthBOB8ar5c9F6tS12nb2UDC30PMgwHmxiwy4dTnRI34TRuAvSCrcozZjcJcUxqQ/w304-h400/05w.jpg" width="304" /></a></div>From the 11th to the 31st of March, an exhibition presents the medieval manuscripts of the Cathedral Libray of Esztergom. Titled "For They Watch for Your Souls..." - Codices in the Cathedral Library of Esztergom, the exhibition is on view in the newly restored exhibition rooms of the Bibliotheca.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="http://www.bibliotheca.hu/index_eng.html" target="_blank">Cathedral Library of Esztergom</a> preserves forty-five medieval manuscript books, which are displayed together for the first time now, in March 2022. The exhibition honors the archbishops and canons of Esztergom as well as the donators and previous owners of the manuscripts, by whose generosity the library became the largest collection of codices among ecclesiastical libraries of Hungary. The written culture of medieval Hungary is represented by fourteen codices copied in various Hungarian scriptoria. Two old Hungarian manuscripts - early linguistic records - stand out from among the Latin books on account of their special value. The Nagyszombat Codex was prepared in the monastery of the Poor Clares in Óbuda. It contains meditations and guides for penance and confession. The Jordánszky Codex is the most complete medieval Bible translation into Hungarian, and is named after is former owner, Elek Jordánszky, a canon of Esztergom. Out of the codices preserved in the Cathedral Library of Esztergom, without a doubt three were used in Esztergom before 1543. These are the 12th-century Expositiones super Cantica Canticorum, László Szalkai's (1475-1526) schoolbook written by the future archbishop between 1489 and 1490, and the codex of vicar-general Albert Pesthy. The manuscript collection owned by the Archbishop and the Chapter of Esztergom was further enriched during the sojourn of the Archbishopric in Nagyszombat (Trnava, Slovakia). Liturgical books and astronomical works were acquired, as well as a manuscript containing letters by Saint Gregory the Great, copied in the Benedictine Abbey of Moissac in the 11th century. In 1555, Nicholaus Olah )1493-1568), archbishop of Esztergom, donated the two-volume Bakócs Gradual to the church of Esztergom The luxurious Wladislav Gradual originates from Prague from the first decade of the 16th century. It holds Bohemian musical material, richly illuminated with historiated initials as well as border decorations with floral motifs, animal figures, and scenes from everyday life.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy25qwWXR1bi22RhHg9jKPfWZHyvJxugo5vr-SM8yflxPz8fcU0R7IJ05j_efvn9NYL7BPQBSzApbWJiKJWhSwBPpEpJ60hMH6mwS98BEh0nSdCjn3_3dGh2yeHfvMysJRhqG2ZlGsm8Slvlj9lN2lWgxmxWvpWj9nitzg-TfM4Sl2_8U-vIWQDsF5BA/s1800/Bakocz_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1083" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy25qwWXR1bi22RhHg9jKPfWZHyvJxugo5vr-SM8yflxPz8fcU0R7IJ05j_efvn9NYL7BPQBSzApbWJiKJWhSwBPpEpJ60hMH6mwS98BEh0nSdCjn3_3dGh2yeHfvMysJRhqG2ZlGsm8Slvlj9lN2lWgxmxWvpWj9nitzg-TfM4Sl2_8U-vIWQDsF5BA/w386-h640/Bakocz_003.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title page from the<a href="http://www.bibliotheca.hu/bakocz/" target="_blank"> Bakócz Gradual</a> (Ms. I. 1a-1b.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the library moved back to Esztergom in 1853, János Scitovszky (1785-1866), archbishop of Esztergom, József Dankó and Nándor Knauz, canons of Esztergom each bequeathed four codices to the collection. Among these, there was a 12th-century cathedral schoolbook containing a commentary of the Song of Songs among other texts, and several manuscripts of Bohemian origin.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIKKTZmcWuZwyUQDHUTPQFfS3mfQYMj392-UleeP-LPeMZ31qAm6aNdhlIAZHi3YNC21PZlVcbuOp6L_gB4uWPtHdJaWETouldhbbFMJBhLlPEPfC9EzVSK-t_NkJ4oKEmZqEu8g3FOc8076lbHEVt4oVjRHsBXqXqWrKJBeHhhDDqhEKohIEObNAQg/s1400/168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1127" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIKKTZmcWuZwyUQDHUTPQFfS3mfQYMj392-UleeP-LPeMZ31qAm6aNdhlIAZHi3YNC21PZlVcbuOp6L_gB4uWPtHdJaWETouldhbbFMJBhLlPEPfC9EzVSK-t_NkJ4oKEmZqEu8g3FOc8076lbHEVt4oVjRHsBXqXqWrKJBeHhhDDqhEKohIEObNAQg/w516-h640/168.jpg" width="516" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://esztergom.bibliotheca.hu/scan/ms_ii_5/index.html" target="_blank">Psalter from Saxony</a>, 1279 (Ms. II.5)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Most codices in the library originated and were used in Central Europe, in Bohemia, Vienna, and Southern Germany. Nevertheless, some of the manuscripts came from the English, Italian, and French territories. The decoration of Peter Lombard's commentary on the Psalms is a high-quality product of English miniature painting. The exhibited manuscripts present a wide range of medieval ecclesiastical literature encompassing books on liturgy, theology, church law, astronomy, lexicography, as well as sermon collections, prayer books, and schoolbooks. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The digital copies of the codices can be viewed on the website of the Cathedral Library of Esztergom, on the <a href="http://www.bibliotheca.hu/digitalis/kodexek.htm">Bibliotheca Digitalis</a> subpage. Ther scholarly descriptions were prepared by the <a href="http://www.fragmenta.oszk.hu/fragm_en_researchgr.htm" target="_blank">HAS-NSZL Res Libraria Hungariae Research Group</a>. This part of the database seems to work only in Hungarian for the moment.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qPzghdBsfRHGVEFH0lG6ceNvLY7-ev9RWKuCZTJrmU7b6MyMHfRtZQuR2d8nwCc6QmqIdTJqZRGJL_k3wGza9D7sZ_GlhrPBhqLSpmsGe8jh3wc2aY6RUrloN-5AXGXMdHlu9pxFuXIU1-4lE5YC3gUKNJ7ZO7xmdTVV_G3BXt3FSGvlnu3qI0HK3g/s1268/kodexkat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1268" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qPzghdBsfRHGVEFH0lG6ceNvLY7-ev9RWKuCZTJrmU7b6MyMHfRtZQuR2d8nwCc6QmqIdTJqZRGJL_k3wGza9D7sZ_GlhrPBhqLSpmsGe8jh3wc2aY6RUrloN-5AXGXMdHlu9pxFuXIU1-4lE5YC3gUKNJ7ZO7xmdTVV_G3BXt3FSGvlnu3qI0HK3g/s320/kodexkat.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>The exhibition coincides with the publication of a catalog describing with great erudition the medieval manuscripts preserved in the Esztergom book collections (The Codices of the Cathedral Library of Esztergom, the Archiepiscopal Simor Library, and the Esztergom City Library). The book was edited by Edit Madas and written by Kinga Körmendy, Judit Lauf, Edit Madas, and Gábor Sarbak. Kinga Körmendy's thorough introduction presents the history of the collections and the detailed descriptions are accompanied by various indices, appendices, a bibliography, and color plates. The book is the most recent volume of the <i>Fragmenta et codices in bibliothecis Hungariae</i> series. The book can be ordered here: <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#">bibliotheca@bibliotheca.hu</a>. A German-language version of the catalog is forthcoming.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>(Text and photos by the Cathedral Library of Esztergom) </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEKanCt2QQTmXpqUgXL7qEiQZtpv04KqZ7gIJP9iLRP4qR6uukP0c2igmY42tiTmnJoRQTDwVQSWuFSGHwBJLPzu0lPy7Io1OJ330dx8-cwfdnEDbO_qXxspFq30Wf4Plzczds23-FtHf1hhbqwk8j_JUAB30nrGcX1HZGSC2wQ7uZxnU1PNAjepBKw/s1920/025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1223" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEKanCt2QQTmXpqUgXL7qEiQZtpv04KqZ7gIJP9iLRP4qR6uukP0c2igmY42tiTmnJoRQTDwVQSWuFSGHwBJLPzu0lPy7Io1OJ330dx8-cwfdnEDbO_qXxspFq30Wf4Plzczds23-FtHf1hhbqwk8j_JUAB30nrGcX1HZGSC2wQ7uZxnU1PNAjepBKw/w408-h640/025.jpg" width="408" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wladislav Gradual (<a href="http://esztergom.bibliotheca.hu/scan/ms_i_3_a/index.html" target="_blank">Ms. I. 3a</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><br /></i></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-26175160253684026382022-02-02T22:50:00.000+01:002022-02-02T22:50:22.895+01:00In memoriam László Beke (1944-2022)<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjc9ft-2axWOFHoXx3xc823a8zb9Hi91g8ctSwH-tRqo5TIsuK_1hVt5TwEj1mhwB0X6r-WbOF9zHSjUrR5YL6lughBc-xtlLJd95leRyj0mFe5OCD2h-dNKgg0IchK7832agMzD26KkRDgOrijA7BoIbZqS0HmVPIo-xHKzjJW2uKSmKH8U49F8O8Jbg=s1170" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1170" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjc9ft-2axWOFHoXx3xc823a8zb9Hi91g8ctSwH-tRqo5TIsuK_1hVt5TwEj1mhwB0X6r-WbOF9zHSjUrR5YL6lughBc-xtlLJd95leRyj0mFe5OCD2h-dNKgg0IchK7832agMzD26KkRDgOrijA7BoIbZqS0HmVPIo-xHKzjJW2uKSmKH8U49F8O8Jbg=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">László Beke (1944-2022)</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">On January 31, 2022, art historian László Beke passed away in Budapest. He was 78 years old. He was one of the most well-known figures of Hungarian art history in recent decades and he was primarily known for his research of 20th-century art. As chief curator of the Modern Department at the Hungarian National Gallery (1988-1995) and as director of the Műcsarnok (Kunsthalle, 1995-2000), he was instrumental in making Hungarian conceptual art and neo-avantgarde known to the wider public. From the beginning of his career in 1968, Beke was actually a key figure in the Hungarian contemporary art world, much of which verged on illegality. As participant, organizer, and researcher of this period, he left behind a very significant body of work. For the general public, he is most well-known for one of his early publications (apart from his directorial positions): <span style="text-align: left;">In 1985, he wrote a high-school textbook on art history, which remained in use for decades. Titled <i>Analyzing artworks</i>, it shaped the early approach to art objects for a generation. </span></div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">However, László Beke started his career as a medieval art historian: he wrote his MA thesis on the gold background ornaments of medieval panel paintings and then - encouraged by Éva Kovács - he started researching medieval goldsmith works. His 1976 dissertation on filigree enamels was published in 1980 by the Art History Research Group (later Institute) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences - the institute where Beke worked from 1969 to 1988 and where he later served as director between 2000-2011. László Beke also participated in the 1987 exhibition on King and Emperor Sigismund, being one of the editors of the two-volume catalogue. He was also one of the editors of the English-language Festschrift in honour of Ernő Marosi, published in 2010 on Hungarian medieval art and titled <i><a href="http://real-eod.mtak.hu/9260/" target="_blank">Bonum ut pulchrum</a>.</i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The 1980 publication on filigree enamel decoration (<i>Sodronyzománcos ötvösművek</i>) traces the history and origin of this decorative technique, which became particularly popular in 15th century Hungary. The work includes a complete catalogue of medieval goldsmith objects with filigree enamel decoration and remains the most complete survey of this material, which makes it invaluable to this day. Despite its very average print quality (resembling a photocopied thesis) the 173 black and white reproductions are also unsurpassed regarding this topic.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZXETX898lWI_vS7pfDTLlh1u9NOAdI-Bufck0K8YeQIL1KFAqsts0pMGsw3a0FPMzpBADBTNd3PiFQM25XvnXRpZ5QREMxCsVl7L1MXvuDSzXHq78osv1tUNnzY4LLb7mdfdoiXGXLo7kmVBKHZj3hUFuMOBG89meE1fnh8djJrn2FVZ25y6RWhNlAg=s1125" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1125" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZXETX898lWI_vS7pfDTLlh1u9NOAdI-Bufck0K8YeQIL1KFAqsts0pMGsw3a0FPMzpBADBTNd3PiFQM25XvnXRpZ5QREMxCsVl7L1MXvuDSzXHq78osv1tUNnzY4LLb7mdfdoiXGXLo7kmVBKHZj3hUFuMOBG89meE1fnh8djJrn2FVZ25y6RWhNlAg=w600-h406" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filigree enamel decoration on the foot of the Suki-chalice, c. 1437 (Esztergom, Cathedral Treasury)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The career of László Beke was summarized by Ernő Marosi in 2014, on the occasion of his seventieth birthday (Ernő Marosi: <a href="https://akjournals.com/view/journals/170/55/1/article-p229.xml?rskey=RIC2Tr&result=1" target="_blank">László Beke turns seventy.</a> <i>Acta Historiae Artium</i> 55, 2014). Those of you reading Hungarian can also read an interview with Beke in <a href="http://muzeumcafe.hu/hu/regi-sodrony-zomancok-underground-tarlatok/" target="_blank">MúzeumCafé (31, 2012)</a>. Beke's inquisitive mind made him a great company at conferences, exhibition openings, excursions, and any other art historical events. I remember fondly our conversations over the last few decades. He will be greatly missed.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbBz4Ld1YAL74NwA0p6LC8Ir0SvFsxT3dhQdDop2m5v-GhKCnVxXKsh8Uq_OlPrFdx447AxXxmO2gHRBrDJtxZdPVj7Ild1Pav2JitNsO20f5KXKO9tMJn5C1huJD_8gt8_uiHP5RubQRgWAhwjYTRR97zTVwbrfdop3EHdvUSIDSpAtlfJMSNPIpFuQ=s2560" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbBz4Ld1YAL74NwA0p6LC8Ir0SvFsxT3dhQdDop2m5v-GhKCnVxXKsh8Uq_OlPrFdx447AxXxmO2gHRBrDJtxZdPVj7Ild1Pav2JitNsO20f5KXKO9tMJn5C1huJD_8gt8_uiHP5RubQRgWAhwjYTRR97zTVwbrfdop3EHdvUSIDSpAtlfJMSNPIpFuQ=w600-h460" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">László Beke with Jaynie Anderson at the 2007 CIHA Conference in Budapest, at the Museum of Applied Arts</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-38553592830708431272021-08-04T22:17:00.000+02:002021-08-04T22:18:49.834+02:00Medieval Charters from the Batthyány Family Archives enter the National Archives<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tk_TK5r3hTU/YQrxnx35ykI/AAAAAAADDao/yYQTDQLeFcEqY7l_eXPAxwYY1O_DyJRiACLcBGAsYHQ/s1207/MNL_0.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1207" height="271" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tk_TK5r3hTU/YQrxnx35ykI/AAAAAAADDao/yYQTDQLeFcEqY7l_eXPAxwYY1O_DyJRiACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h271/MNL_0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charter of King Béla IV, 1256</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On August 2, 2021, it was announced at a press conference that the collection of the Hungarian National Archives had been enriched with 520 original charters, which the Hungarian state had purchased from the Batthyány family for a price of 5,6 million EUR.</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This collection consists of the most important documents in the Batthyány family archives originally held at Körmend. Members of the family took these charters with them in 1945 and preserved them in Austria until now. The remainder of the archives was badly damaged when the Soviet army plundered the Batthyány mansion at Körmend. Anything saved after that event was nationalized in 1949 and has been preserved at the National Archives since (it is estimated that about 15 percent of the medieval charters were destroyed in 1945).</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Görgy Rácz, deputy director of the National Archives, explained at the press conference that the newly purchased collection contains the historically most important part of the family archives and is filled with irreplaceable documents of medieval Hungarian history, as the members of the Batthyány family held high government positions for centuries.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D7GihowCAbc/YQrwxfQX8mI/AAAAAAADDag/mRxHjrLNG54-R7Yjl0J1o2QQ5tYT_fv-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1207/MNL_%2527.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1207" height="269" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D7GihowCAbc/YQrwxfQX8mI/AAAAAAADDag/mRxHjrLNG54-R7Yjl0J1o2QQ5tYT_fv-wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h269/MNL_%2527.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One box of the Batthyány-charters</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Most of the charters are from the three series of the old archives of the Batthyány family preserved at Körmend castle until 1945: the Memorabilia (297 diplomas) series is the most valuable historical material of the Batthyány archives from the national point of view. The new acquisition makes this former series almost complete. Here the earliest piece is King Louis the Great's charter of 1352 on the nobility of the Pechenegs in Fejér County. There are also letters from King Louis II from 1526, calling Ferenc Batthyány to battle against the Turks - dating from just a couple of weeks before the catastrophic Battle of Mohács. The other outstanding part of the collection is the so-called Heimiana or “Himfiana” series, which was the family archive of the Himfis of Döbrente, one of the most influential baronial families of the Anjou era. Their charters went to the Batthyánys, who preserved them. The documents purchased now contain 141 pieces of this series, including 11 charters from the Árpádian period and 125 from the Anjou period. The third series is Acta Antiqua (48 charters), which contains the oldest documents concerning property in the family’s ancient estate. The earliest piece in this series is the 1355 charter of King Louis the Great.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUQL_zmXBIU/YQryPOqYJXI/AAAAAAADDaw/TupBoSa3ZVw007-i2mt6Y5UBRC5q4LrxACLcBGAsYHQ/s1282/MNL_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1282" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUQL_zmXBIU/YQryPOqYJXI/AAAAAAADDaw/TupBoSa3ZVw007-i2mt6Y5UBRC5q4LrxACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/MNL_2.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charter with the seal of King Sigismund, 1411</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The documents will now join the other part of the Batthyány family archives in the National Archives as part of the nation's cultural heritage, where they will be available for scientific research after their inventory, processing, and digitization. All the medieval charters of the Batthyány family archives already in the National Archives can be consulted in the<a href="https://archives.hungaricana.hu/en/charters/" target="_blank"> Hungaricana database.</a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div>Source of text and photos: <a href="https://mnl.gov.hu/mnl/ol/hirek/paratlan_oklevelgyujtemeny_kerult_leveltarunkba" target="_blank">Hungarian National Archives, Budapest</a></div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-11639248590919460702021-07-13T21:17:00.005+02:002021-08-24T12:09:26.161+02:00In memoriam Ernő Marosi (1940–2021)<p><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; vertical-align: inherit;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="1000" height="319" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tJuv6xuaR3Y/YO1xWIeDkZI/AAAAAAADDNE/b9KXyGI7AYUrJqKfsokQjCZzmPpYV_-fACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h319/IMG_4374.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Ernő Marosi in 2017</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ernő Marosi</b> (1940–2021), professor emeritus at the Institute of Art History of ELTE and a full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, died on July 9, 2021, at the age of 81. With his death, we lost one of the most important Hungarian art historians of our time. His impact as a researcher and author of groundbreaking books as well as a teacher for almost six decades is immeasurable.</span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">A simple listing of his professional positions does not do justice to his career. He started teaching at the <a href="https://btk.elte.hu/content/elhunyt-marosi-erno.t.6279" target="_blank">Department of Art History</a> at ELTE in 1963, immediately after graduating. In addition, he was a researcher at the <a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/" target="_blank">Art History Research Institute</a> of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, serving as the director of the Institute between 1991 and 2000. </span><span style="background-color: white;"> He had been a full member of the Hungarian Academy of Science since 2001 and from 2002 to 2008, he was the Vice President of the Academy. He also taught at the Central European University and was an active board member of CIHA. <span lang="EN-GB" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 107%;">Research fellowships took him
to places such as Washington D.C., where he was a Senior Visiting Fellow at
CASVA in 1991, and Berlin. Among the prizes he received was the prestigious Széchenyi
Prize (1997) and the Commander's Cross with Star of the Hungarian Order of
Merit (2009). </span>He continued teaching even after his retirement and remained active as a researcher until his death. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">His contribution to the field of medieval art history is better measured by his groundbreaking publications, which cover all areas of Hungarian medieval art. His research fundamentally re-wrote our knowledge of the field, placing Hungarian monuments in their broader, European context. During his career, there were several topics which he often revisited, providing new insights and interpretations to the most important monuments of medieval Hungary. His publications cover very diverse subjects ranging in time from the Coronation Mantle donated to the Székesfehérvár provostry by King Saint Stephen in 1031 to the patronage of Matthias Corvinus. Among his most important publications, we should first mention his book on the beginnings of Gothic architecture in Hungary, published in 1984 (</span><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Die Anfänge der Gotik in Ungarn. Esztergom in der Kunst des 12–13. Jahrhunderts</em><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">. Budapest, Akadémiai Kiadó, 1984). A <a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/kiadvanytar/arpad-kori-kofaragvanyok" target="_blank">catalogue on stone carvings from the Árpádian-period</a> and an illustrated overview of <a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/kiadvanytar/sorozaton-kivul/az-arpad-kor-muveszeti-emlekei" target="_blank">Hungarian art of the Árpádian-period</a> (1997, co-authored with Tünde Wehli) also attest to his interest in architecture and stone carving of the 12th-13th centuries. The other focus of his research was the art of the 14th and early 15th centuries, primarily the period of King Sigismund. His dissertation focused on the Church of St. Elisabeth at Kassa (</span><span style="background-color: white;">Košice), which was then published as a series of studies. Starting from 1974, he provided the proper art historical context for the famous statue find of Buda castle, a key monument of Central European sculpture of the International Gothic period. He co-organized two exhibitions on this period: first, in 1982 on <a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/kiadvanytar/kiallitasok-katalogusai-tanulmanykotetei/muveszet-i-lajos-kiraly-koraban-1342-1382" target="_blank">art at the time of King Louis the Great </a>(1342-1382) and in 1987, on the <a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/kiadvanytar/kiallitasok-katalogusai-tanulmanykotetei/muveszet-zsigmond-kiraly-koraban-1387-1437-katalogus" target="_blank">period of King Sigismund</a> (1387-1437). Parallel to this work, Ernő Marosi edited and co-wrote the monumental <a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/kiadvanytar/kezikonyvek/magyarorszagi-muveszet-1300-1470-korul" target="_blank">handbook on Art in Hungary, 1300-1470</a> (published in 1987). In a series of later studies and in his academic doctoral dissertation, he almost immediately started to deconstruct the picture of the period given in the handbook, reflecting on new finds and providing new approaches (see especially: </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/kiadvanytar/marosi-erno-kep-es-hasonmas-muveszet-es-valosag-a-14-15-szazadi-magyarorszagon" target="_blank">Image and Likeness</a></i></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/kiadvanytar/marosi-erno-kep-es-hasonmas-muveszet-es-valosag-a-14-15-szazadi-magyarorszagon" target="_blank">: Art and Reality in the 14th and 15th Centuries in Hungary</a></i>.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Budapest, Akadémiai Kiadó, 1995). In 2006, he was one of the key advisors and authors of the new exhibition dedicated to the period of King Sigismund (<a href="https://jekely.blogspot.com/2010/10/reviews-of-sigismundus-exhibition.html">Sigismundus Rex et Imperator</a>, Budapest-Luxemburg, 2006). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--IVa7Ym2J0c/YO2CcK7eBcI/AAAAAAADDNk/jelsLnc7Vt4xDj_mqAhQrJNeNI4XSSmGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/8096.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1200" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--IVa7Ym2J0c/YO2CcK7eBcI/AAAAAAADDNk/jelsLnc7Vt4xDj_mqAhQrJNeNI4XSSmGwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/8096.JPG" width="600" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Ernő Marosi examining the inner reliquary of St. Ladislas, 2004</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another focus of his research was historiography, especially the 19th-century beginnings of Hungarian art history. He edited a number of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#">source collections on art historical writing</a> as well as a volume on <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#">Hungary and the Vienna School of art history</a> (<i>Die ungarische Kunstgeschichte und die Wiener Schule 1846–1930</i>, Vienna, 1983). He also wrote a basic overview of the methods of art history aimed at students (1973). He also dealt extensively with issues of monument protection and museum history - often writing on contemporary issues in these fields as well. Naturally, he was a keen observer of contemporary art as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">As a university professor, he also provided some of the basic surveys and textbooks on medieval art in Hungarian. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 107%;">In 1972, he wrote a survey
book on Romanesque art, which was later expanded into a textbook on the art of
the Middle Ages, 1000</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: HU;">–<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">1250
(published in 1996). This was soon followed by a second, much larger volume on
the art of the Middle Ages, 1250</span>–<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">1500, published in 1997. He also wrote overviews
of Hungarian Romanesque Art (2013) and Gothic Art (2008). His collection of</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://regi.tankonyvtar.hu/hu/tartalom/tkt/kozepkori-muveszet/adatok.html" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">primary sources on medieval art</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 17.12px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">translated into Hungarian </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;">(first published in 1969 and then in an expanded edition in 1997) is a much-used source collectionto this day.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">During his long career, he published hundreds of studies in various journals, conference volumes, and exhibition catalogues. </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Coinciding with </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: HU;">his 80th birthday, a three-volume collection of his
selected studies on medieval art was published, coordinated by the Thesaurus
mediaevalis research group led by Imre Takács (</span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">“</span></i><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.martinopitz.hu/products/product-page/fenylik-a-mu/" target="_blank">Fénylik a mű nemesen</a></em><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">”. Válogatott írások a középkori művészet történetéből</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">. Budapest, Martin Opitz Kiadó, 2020)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: HU;">. The book makes available many of his studies
published internationally, in the form of newly made and annotated Hungarian
translations prepared by Marosi himself. The ninety studies in two volumes are
accompanied by a third volume containing 1359 illustrations. A bibliography of
his publications is also included there: it fills almost forty pages of the
book.</span> </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">His colleagues and students paid tribute to his work in a Festschrift </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">published for his seventieth birthday (</span><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/kiadvanytar/bonum-et-pulchrum-essays-in-art-history-in-honour-of-erno-marosi-on-his-seventieth-birthday" target="_blank">Bonum ut pulchrum. Essays in Art History in Honor of Ernő Marosi on his Seventieth Birthday</a></span></em><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">. Eds. Lívia Varga </span></span><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">-</em><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> László Beke </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">-</em><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> Anna Jávor </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">-</em><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> Pál Lővei </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">-</em><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> Imre Takács. Budapest, Argumentum, 2010) and he was also celebrated with a conference organized by the </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">Institute of Art History of ELTE, </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">titled </span></span><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://jekely.blogspot.com/2010/08/erno-marosi-70.html">Disputatio de quodlibet</a></em><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><a href="https://jekely.blogspot.com/2010/08/erno-marosi-70.html">.</a> In 2010 and 2020, </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i>Enigma, </i>a</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><i> </i>journal of art </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">theory<i>,</i></span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"> published two thematic issues dedicated to Ernő Marosi (<a href="https://epa.oszk.hu/03300/03329/00015/pdf/" target="_blank">Enigma vols. 61 and 100</a>)</span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">.</span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pAidj2c4wOg/YO2CxOBLwrI/AAAAAAADDNs/hz5fZMg3PqUvBlRyn32Y22UM0F2C4esEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/DSCN2100.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="460" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pAidj2c4wOg/YO2CxOBLwrI/AAAAAAADDNs/hz5fZMg3PqUvBlRyn32Y22UM0F2C4esEQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/DSCN2100.JPG" width="600" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Ernő Marosi in 2005</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify; vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: HU;">Like
generations of art historians studying in Budapest, I took some of my first art
history classes with Ernő Marosi, who taught European medieval art. He was my
supervisor when I was an MA student in medieval studies at Central European
University (1994–1995) and encouraged my doctoral studies, suggesting I work on
the newly discovered fresco cycle at the Augustinian Church at Siklós. Later,
he would also serve as an external reader of my dissertation, which was
supervised by Walter Cahn at Yale University. I had a chance to work with Ernő
Marosi on numerous occasions after I returned to Hungary – especially during
the preparations for the international exhibition on King Sigismund (2006). He
participated in the international conference organized in Luxemburg (2005) in
conjunction with the exhibition and also provided the art historical commentary
for a digital edition of the Viennese manuscript of Eberhard Windecke's
chronicle on Emperor Sigismund (<i>Eberhard Windecke emlékirata Zsigmond
királyról és koráról = Eberhard Windeckes Denkwürdigkeiten zur Geschichte
des Zeitalters Kaiser Sigmunds.</i> Budapest, Arcanum, 2009). More
recently, Marosi published numerous studies on late medieval wall painting –
including an introductory essay to a volume on wall paintings in north-eastern
Hungary, co-authored by me (2009) and edited by Tibor Kollár. In June of this
year, he graciously agreed to present our new book on medieval wall paintings
in Zólyom County (Zsombor Jékely – Gergely Kovács: <i>Falfestészeti
emlékek a középkori Zólyom vármegye területén</i>. Ed. Tibor Kollár. Budapest,
2021), although his illness prevented him from fulfilling the task. He was an
inspiration and mentor to me for 30 years and he will surely inspire future
generations of art historians, even those who never had a chance to meet him.
He will be greatly missed.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: HU;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A final, personal note: Thirty-one years ago, as a first-year art history student, I had an opportunity to travel to France. Ernő Marosi's lectures on medieval art were a fresh experience - the notes of his lectures served as my guide on my trip. <span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: HU;">I
visited everything from Romanesque pilgrimage churches in the south of France
to the great Gothic cathedrals of northern France and the late Gothic and
Renaissance castles of the Loire Valley. After my</span> first year of college and this French tour, I decided definitively that I would like to pursue medieval art. In 2021, news of the death of my teacher, Ernő Marosi, reached me inside the Benedictine abbey church of St. Denis, the birthplace of Gothic.</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fC23hyn6zwk/YO2kTW3fEpI/AAAAAAADDO8/dfBRGvloAO8Fi-uAU25_Q9rtuNRFZ5sCACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/20191030_170436-12.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1151" data-original-width="1200" height="614" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fC23hyn6zwk/YO2kTW3fEpI/AAAAAAADDO8/dfBRGvloAO8Fi-uAU25_Q9rtuNRFZ5sCACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h614/20191030_170436-12.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Ernő Marosi and Zsombor Jékely listening to József Lángi, 2019</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">* (Most of the links above take you to full-text versions of some publications written or edited by Ernő Marosi. Photos by Attila Mudrák and the author).</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-32229441808165761022021-07-02T11:43:00.001+02:002021-07-02T11:43:43.134+02:00Two New Exhibitions on Monastic History at the Hungarian National Museum<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;">In the middle of June 2021, two exhibitions opened at the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest, each dedicated to the history of a monastic order.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t53vaQKEw_E/YN7eUDjbzCI/AAAAAAADC_I/xwrBaG-FWTgSFthWDOtiPuKP-k0JBqSfACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/Kiallitas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t53vaQKEw_E/YN7eUDjbzCI/AAAAAAADC_I/xwrBaG-FWTgSFthWDOtiPuKP-k0JBqSfACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h320/Kiallitas.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The <a href="https://mnm.hu/hu/kiallitasok/idoszaki/premontreiek-900" target="_blank">first exhibition</a> is dedicated to the 900 anniversary of the foundation of the Premonstratensian (Norbertine) order. The members of the order have been present in Hungary almost since its foundation. In the last centuries, the Premontreians were also participants and shapers of Hungarian society, religious life, art and science. On the occasion of the anniversary, the Hungarian Norbertine Order and the Hungarian National Museum presents the history of the order in a joint exhibition. The exhibition provides an overview of the spirituality, founding, past and present of the order in Hungary. It presents the material heritage of the Premonstratensians in Hungary and highlights the contribution of the members of the order to the Hungarian culture. In addition to the works and documents preserved in the abbeys and monasteries of the order in Hungary today, the nine-hundred-year-old Hungarian history of the order comes to life through a number of works of art borrowed from many domestic and foreign collections. The exhibition presents a number of important medieval churches of the order, in particular Zsámbék, Rátót, Ócsa, and Lelesz, displaying stone carvings and copies of medieval wall paintings as well. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XvSD9Nlo8uQ/YN7eT1NWHlI/AAAAAAADC_E/D7lakvhXhkQdPKDro7TkyBm28b0qDJECgCLcBGAsYHQ/s4160/IMG_20210625_131425.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="4160" height="308" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XvSD9Nlo8uQ/YN7eT1NWHlI/AAAAAAADC_E/D7lakvhXhkQdPKDro7TkyBm28b0qDJECgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h308/IMG_20210625_131425.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GvNtWOYtKYE/YN7eUAARoXI/AAAAAAADC_M/tsYbUh7kgLcKO_oswo94qoKnib40cr7rQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4160/IMG_20210625_131432.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="4160" height="308" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GvNtWOYtKYE/YN7eUAARoXI/AAAAAAADC_M/tsYbUh7kgLcKO_oswo94qoKnib40cr7rQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h308/IMG_20210625_131432.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="https://mnm.hu/hu/kiallitasok/idoszaki/palosok" target="_blank">other exhibition</a> (postponed from last year) is dedicated to the most important order established in medieval Hungary: the Pauline order. The exhibition was organized on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the death of Boldog Özséb, the founder of the order and it gives a comprehensive picture of this Hungarian monastic order. Considering that the Hungarian origin of the order and the history of the order are little known, the exhibition mainly presents the Pauline history as well as the modern life of the Paulines, highlighting the historical role of the Polish center of the order at Częstochowa.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zOailmNxE5A/YN7ev89b-aI/AAAAAAADC_c/q5tDS3L8IQYxTdAJJ9Q1KqpjpqxUhqBIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1045/_02_1045_480_web_px_fejlec_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="1045" height="294" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zOailmNxE5A/YN7ev89b-aI/AAAAAAADC_c/q5tDS3L8IQYxTdAJJ9Q1KqpjpqxUhqBIQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h294/_02_1045_480_web_px_fejlec_1.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The exhibited objects (archeological finds, medieval manuscripts, modern prints, liturgical objects, numerous sculptures, paintings and engravings) testify to the rich heritage of the order. Among several Pauline manuscripts, three come from ELTE University Library, these can also be consulted online: </span><a href="https://edit.elte.hu/xmlui/handle/10831/31372?locale-attribute=en" style="text-align: left;">A 115</a><span style="text-align: left;">, </span><a href="https://edit.elte.hu/xmlui/handle/10831/30557" style="text-align: left;">Cod. Lat. 115</a><span style="text-align: left;">, </span><a href="https://edit.elte.hu/xmlui/handle/10831/51602?locale-attribute=en" style="text-align: left;">Cod. Lat. 131</a><span style="text-align: left;">. </span></div><div><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-svP2ypiNhx8/YN7dVEllTvI/AAAAAAADC-8/zfpDgXkJMWMHAxf4_Dvf5Jr6b26lUPmSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s970/1d40575f7d22e9d1f1221abb851c6e4d.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="970" height="356" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-svP2ypiNhx8/YN7dVEllTvI/AAAAAAADC-8/zfpDgXkJMWMHAxf4_Dvf5Jr6b26lUPmSgCLcBGAsYHQ/w498-h356/1d40575f7d22e9d1f1221abb851c6e4d.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="498" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fragment from the tomb of Saint Paul the Hermit,<br />from the Pauline church of Budaszentlőrinc, c. 1490<br /> (Budapest History Museum)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Both exhibitions remain on view at the <a href="https://mnm.hu/en" target="_blank">Hungarian National Museum </a>until the middle of September 2021.</p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-53482146626582715962021-04-13T18:43:00.002+02:002021-04-13T18:43:26.705+02:00An Overview of the Excavations of Pétermonostora near Bugac<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P3WLySBT9x0/YHXCesOZ_5I/AAAAAAADCYE/NXixDM3iCnUmvsQmW6FFKHJcjLQJe6C6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s3976/20170123-DSC08559.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2652" data-original-width="3976" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P3WLySBT9x0/YHXCesOZ_5I/AAAAAAADCYE/NXixDM3iCnUmvsQmW6FFKHJcjLQJe6C6ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/20170123-DSC08559.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of one of the reliquary plaques</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">It is well-known that the majority of the medieval monuments of the Hungarian Great Plains had been destroyed, primarily during the Ottoman Period. However, the territory had already suffered a major trauma before that: the Mongol invasion of 1241. Already at that time, entire settlements were destroyed and many of these locations were never rebuilt in later centuries. One such place was the medieval town of Péteri. The town was located near present-day Bugac, just south of Kecskemét, on the Kiskunság plains between the Danube at Tisza rivers. It was established possibly as a royal foundation in 1050 and developed quickly during the next two centuries. Around 1130-1140, members of the Becse-Gergely clan established a monastery there, which likely contributed to the development of the town. Pétermonostora was first mentioned in 1219. In the Spring of 1241, the town was overrun by the Mongols of Batu Khan and the site seems to have been abandoned after that. Recent excavations have brought to light evidence of the massacre of the town's population. Sometime after the Mongol invasion, Cumans were settled in the area - who used the ruins as a convenient quarry.</div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-boqF7OOUXfU/YHXDC3Cr8rI/AAAAAAADCYM/uiiC4o2UOIYF0GVxHUqLo9ggBv6wYLnaQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/28063.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-boqF7OOUXfU/YHXDC3Cr8rI/AAAAAAADCYM/uiiC4o2UOIYF0GVxHUqLo9ggBv6wYLnaQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/28063.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The site of the monastery</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Excavations of the area lead by Szabolcs Rosta since 2011 have brought to light the remains of the medieval monastery of Péteri or Pétermonostora. A large, three-aisled basilica was discovered here, along with various monastery buildings. Remarkably, the ruins preserved a large number of important liturgical objects from the church. Along with the ongoing excavations of the nearby cemetery and the remains of the town itself, Péteri by now has become an extraordinarily rich source of Árpád-period material objects. The most famous objects come from the monastery church itself: among several smaller enamel reliefs from Limoges, the most important finds are two enamel plaques, which originally must have decorated a reliquary. Based on its iconography - the scenes show the Washing of the Feet, Christ talking to St. Peter, and the Ascension of Christ - the reliquary must have preserved the relics of the patron saint of the church, St. Peter. The enamel plaques were made in the Rhine region, around 1180. They are kept at the Katona József Museum in Kecskemét, and an<a href="http://kecskemet-meselo-targyak.pazirikkft.hu:8080/#"> interactive feature</a> developed by <a href="https://pazirik.hu/en/projekt/az-aranymonostor-ereklyeje/">Pazirik Ltd.</a> gives a very useful overview of them.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ws9X9nFIZyU/YHXDpqS4ePI/AAAAAAADCYU/kGn6lEaJXrAPwxGeVjSxaJD8W3uTvPNZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s512/reliquary%2BBugac.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="512" height="462" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ws9X9nFIZyU/YHXDpqS4ePI/AAAAAAADCYU/kGn6lEaJXrAPwxGeVjSxaJD8W3uTvPNZwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h462/reliquary%2BBugac.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enamel plaques from Pétermonostora</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Another extraordinary find came to light in 2018: it is a book cover made of bone, with figures of the evangelists and inlaid rock crystal decoration. Here are some pictures, along with some other pieces from several hundred finds:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-kzNRSwXco/YHXGXY7pTiI/AAAAAAADCYg/fjORnPNhP6gP_OTQQR2uSMSeM_n6W4ZVACLcBGAsYHQ/s630/28052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="630" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-kzNRSwXco/YHXGXY7pTiI/AAAAAAADCYg/fjORnPNhP6gP_OTQQR2uSMSeM_n6W4ZVACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/28052.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D1J4awVUHNk/YHXGXUMQiNI/AAAAAAADCYc/eRLbWCI4DpUw5ti3nz2mfETI5Crxm1vTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1017/asatas3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D1J4awVUHNk/YHXGXUMQiNI/AAAAAAADCYc/eRLbWCI4DpUw5ti3nz2mfETI5Crxm1vTgCLcBGAsYHQ/w236-h400/asatas3.jpg" width="236" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Excavations of the medieval town of Péteri and its monastery dedicated to St. Peter will likely continue in the coming years and will undoubtedly shed more light on the flourishing life of the Hungarian Great Plains in the decades before the Mongol invasion. To get more information on the site, have a look at <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307774816_History_of_the_settlement_of_the_Sand_Ridges_of_Kiskunsag_between_the_13th-16th_century">this study of Szabolcs Rosta</a> or this very useful <a href="https://www.academia.edu/34847960/Privately_Founded_Benedictine_Monasteries_in_Medieval_Hungary_a_case_study_P%C3%A9termonostora_the_monastery_and_a_settlement_without_written_history" target="_blank">2017 overview by Edit Sárosi</a> or watch a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awk3Le1SQq8">short film focusing on the site and on the restoration</a> of the reliquary plaques (2020, in Hungarian). Pétermonostora is part of the Central European <a href="https://www.viabenedictina.eu/monastery-p38">Via Benedictina</a> network.</p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-67443374629947747732021-01-05T22:56:00.000+01:002021-01-05T22:56:19.231+01:00The Restoration of the High Altar of Kisszeben <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNypats2IOE/X_Tbabu6-rI/AAAAAAADBx8/OTsVJq0-MLY-SZjG8ZUO2XDI4KewJ9dXACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/A-kisszebeni-Keresztel%25C5%2591-Szent-J%25C3%25A1nos-f%25C5%2591olt%25C3%25A1r-jelenlegi-%25C3%25A1llapot%25C3%25A1ban-1-732x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="732" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNypats2IOE/X_Tbabu6-rI/AAAAAAADBx8/OTsVJq0-MLY-SZjG8ZUO2XDI4KewJ9dXACLcBGAsYHQ/w458-h640/A-kisszebeni-Keresztel%25C5%2591-Szent-J%25C3%25A1nos-f%25C5%2591olt%25C3%25A1r-jelenlegi-%25C3%25A1llapot%25C3%25A1ban-1-732x1024.jpg" width="458" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After many decades of restoration, the <a href="https://en.mng.hu/the-high-altar-of-kisszeben-goes-on-show-for-the-first-time-in-seventy-five-years/" target="_blank">High Altar of Kisszeben</a> (Sabinov, Slovakia) has been assembled in the Hungarian National Gallery. The restoration of one of the largest and most ornate winged altars from the medieval period of the Kingdom of Hungary began in 1954 and was completed in the summer of 2020. The high altar was put on view from 24 September at the Gallery’s exhibition titled Late Gothic Winged Altarpieces (it is currently not on view due to the national lockdown).</div><div><br /></div><div>I wrote on this altarpiece several years ago, when it was first put on display at the National Gallery, at that time still without its gable -<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#"> see this earlier post</a>. Further details about the history of the altarpiece can be found there. </div><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The winged altar, which was one of the largest and most ornate ones in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, is dated to 1496 according to an inscription on the frame of the paintings - but it naturally took a longer period to complete. The altar was “renovated” in the baroque period, the panels of its workday side were all overpainted. This overpainting was not removed in the restoration campaign. The predella and the gable of the altar - both of which got seriously damaged - were both reconstructed.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDtqGh4gJlw/X_Tcm0yhjDI/AAAAAAADByE/YI9hmmXhQIsekQTZTsCCIHiz8VAF3lEbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s818/35822351_e767017ba5f15d46342db91dec6731f4_wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="727" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDtqGh4gJlw/X_Tcm0yhjDI/AAAAAAADByE/YI9hmmXhQIsekQTZTsCCIHiz8VAF3lEbwCLcBGAsYHQ/w568-h640/35822351_e767017ba5f15d46342db91dec6731f4_wm.jpg" width="568" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /><div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the occasion of the completion of the restoration, a special website was launched by the Museum of Fine Arts - Hungarian National Gallery, and a <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#">short film</a> was also released about the altarpiece (both are in Hungarian). </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Art historians are also encouraged to read a study about the gable the altarpiece, which details the limits and possibilities of the reconstruction of this part of the altarpiece. Poszler, Györgyi: <a href="http://real.mtak.hu/50661/" target="_blank">Kutatás-módszertani gyakorlat: új források, új gondolatok a kisszebeni Keresztelő Szent János-főoltár oromzatával kapcsolatban</a>. <i>Művészettörténeti Értesítő</i>, 64 (2015/2). pp. 239-267.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/w0lQP_CpW7s" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/w0lQP_CpW7s/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><br />(Source of text and images: Museum of Fine Arts - Hungarian National Gallery. For additional photos, <a href="https://nullahategy.hu/ismet-teljes-pompajaban-lathato-a-kisszebeni-fooltar-a-magyar-nemzeti-galeriaban/" target="_blank">see this report.</a>)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-20528046886936108762020-12-01T21:39:00.000+01:002020-12-02T08:22:17.271+01:00In memoriam Zsuzsa Urbach (1933-2020)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WN4HoESkul4/X8QbuKEcg_I/AAAAAAADBgU/-RvUfGq06woOYM6Fa2j6CdqVEZM2pQEAgCLcBGAsYHQ/w305-h400/127628249_3328162943918380_5015820392416406718_o.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Zsuzsa Urbach at the Piliscsaba campus, 2003 <br></span>(Photo by János Jernyei Kiss)<br><br></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is with great sadness that I report the passing of art historian Zsuzsa (Susan) Urbach, Hungary's foremost scholar of Early Netherlandish Painting. She was 87 years old. She studied art history and archaeology at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest - even though it was hard for her to get accepted to University in the early 1950s for political reasons. Finishing her studies also took some time, as, after the 1956 revolution, she spent two years abroad (studying in Munich and in London). Eventually, she returned to Hungary and finished her studies in 1959, receiving a doctorate in 1963. She started working at the Collection of Old Master Paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts in 1966. She worked at the Museum until her retirement in 1992. Although she continued to study the Old Masters, in 1994 she started a new venture: she established the second Department of the History of Art in Hungary, at the newly founded Faculty of Humanities at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Piliscsaba. She was instrumental in creating a very successful art history program, hiring a number of young colleagues who teach there to this day. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The primary field of research for Zsuzsa Urbach was Gothic paintings. She published groundbreaking studies on medieval iconography - on subjects ranging from the Visitation (focusing on the painting of Master M.S.) to the Nativity and the Doubt of St. Joseph to portrait iconography. She was among the first ones to draw attention to copies of Early Netherlandish Painting - publishing important early copies of Hieronymus Bosch and Jan van Eyck in Budapest, among others. She was also a champion for the use of phototechnical examinations for medieval paintings in Hungary. At the Museum of Fine Arts, her attention focused on Early Netherlandish Painting, and she published a series of important studies both in Hungary and abroad on the topic. She also wrote several smaller monographs on the holdings of Hungarian museums. Her research culminated in the monumental <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#">catalogue of Early Netherlandish Paintings in the Museum of Fine Arts</a>, which was published in two volumes by Brepols in 2014.</div><br><div style="text-align: justify;">By the time I got to know her, she was one of the <i>grande dames</i> of Hungarian art history. She was usually at the library of the Museum of Fine Arts, always eager to talk to younger researchers. I remember these conversations fondly. In preparation for the 2006 exhibition on King and Emperor Sigismund, her connections made possible the restoration of the copy of the Way to Calvary after Jan van Eyck in Brussels. This panel is a highly interesting item in Old Master Paintings collection in Budapest and its restoration was done at KIK/IRPA in Brussels. Volume 44 of <i>Acta Historiae Artium </i>was dedicated to her in 2003 and another <i>Festschrift</i>, titled <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#">Als Ich Can</a>, was published by her colleagues and students for her 80est birthday in 2013. It is well-known that her students at Pázmány Péter University greatly admired her. For the reminiscences of her career, Hungarian-speaking readers are encouraged to read the interview with her, published in <a href="https://muzeumcafe.reblog.hu/a-regi-keptar-olyan-ertek-amit-fel-sem-fogunk--beszelgetes-urbac" target="_blank">MúzeumCafé in 2014</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rTpLr0yxsas/X8akUdmT7CI/AAAAAAADBgo/YLFd_JxuR48kjDmfv-VCw77klMPnMP9-wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h472/530.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After Jan van Eyck: Way to Calvary. Budapest, Museum of Fine Arts<br>for high resolution, see <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-way-to-calvary-jan-van-eyck-copy/7AGBFaGuSjDbPg?hl=en" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><br><br>Susan Urbach, <i>Early Netherlandish Painting in Budapest</i> I & II. Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2014.<br><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#">ISBN: 978-1-909400-09-2</a><br><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#">ISBN: 978-1-909400-29-0</a><br><br><br>For a fuller bibliography of the works of Susan Urbach, <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#">click here.</a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><p></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-30367043920538275802020-11-25T17:50:00.000+01:002020-11-25T17:50:18.429+01:00Mapping Eastern Europe Website Launched<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hx-XwlT8ptI/X76InJlRP1I/AAAAAAADBek/iFeyKoC_cZAHS9g8DWKyVOHU85o7lVgvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1213/main_logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="1213" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hx-XwlT8ptI/X76InJlRP1I/AAAAAAADBek/iFeyKoC_cZAHS9g8DWKyVOHU85o7lVgvQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h150/main_logo.png" width="600" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="https://www.northofbyzantium.org/" target="_blank">North of Byzantium</a> initiative has launched a new open-access digital project – <a href="https://mappingeasterneurope.princeton.edu/" target="_blank">Mapping Eastern Europe</a> – intended to promote the study, research, and teaching about the history, art, and culture of Eastern Europe between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries among students, teachers, scholars, and the wider public.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mapping Eastern Europe gathers a multitude of specialists – early career and senior scholars who have either already published or are currently researching new topics – to supply original online content in English in the form of historical overview, art historical case studies, short notices about ongoing projects, and reviews of recent books and exhibitions. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This platform aims to stimulate new research and outreach focused on the networked regions of the Balkan Peninsula, the Carpathian Mountains, and further north into early modern Russia, which developed at the crossroads of the Latin, Greek, Slavic, and Islamic traditions during the late Middle Ages and early modern periods. This a very wide focus, and so far most of the resources on the website are related to Byzantine and Post-Byzantine art - after all, the North of Byzantium initiative focuses on art and culture of the northern frontiers of the Byzantine Empire in Eastern Europe. The website has a map-based interface to browse overview, notices, and book reviews and it will be continuously updated. Already in this early phase, there are a number of pins in the territory of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary as well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I1Z6jvSaPNc/X76JMx-II1I/AAAAAAADBes/irOoI5xyDtEi4G_NMLSnS1TFH3W_nTaQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s965/new-north-of-byzantium-digital-project-mapping-eastern-europe-.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="965" height="264" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I1Z6jvSaPNc/X76JMx-II1I/AAAAAAADBes/irOoI5xyDtEi4G_NMLSnS1TFH3W_nTaQwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h264/new-north-of-byzantium-digital-project-mapping-eastern-europe-.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div>Mapping Eastern Europe is made possible through generous support from the “<a href="https://humanities.princeton.edu/2020/09/15/2020-rapid-response-grant-mapping-eastern-europe-in-the-13th-17th-centuries-reveals-treasures/">Rapid Response Magic Project of the Princeton University</a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#"> Humanities Council</a>”. Co-founders and editors are: Maria Alessia Rossi and Alice Isabella Sullivan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Website: <a href="https://mappingeasterneurope.princeton.edu/">https://mappingeasterneurope.princeton.edu/</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-5238524076275490282020-09-27T11:47:00.003+02:002020-09-27T11:47:49.740+02:00Croatia and Hungary. 800 Years of Common Heritage<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yJ7n6xtDu6o/X3Bd4e04TtI/AAAAAAADA9Y/5pXIpeyb6l0XMKE7QBNdukMrouMBuCodQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1037/simeon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1037" height="258" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yJ7n6xtDu6o/X3Bd4e04TtI/AAAAAAADA9Y/5pXIpeyb6l0XMKE7QBNdukMrouMBuCodQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h258/simeon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chest of Saint Simeon in Zadar, 1377-1380<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The coronation of King Koloman as King of Croatia in 1102, an act which established the Hungarian-Croatian personal union, was one of the formative events of the Middle Ages for the region. Starting from this point, the two countries were ruled by the Hungarian Kings - although control over the Dalmatian coast was lost for long periods to the Republic of Venice. Currently, and exhibition is on view in Zagreb to illustrate highlights of the common history of the two countries. This joint project of the <a href="https://mnm.hu/en/exhibitions/virtual-tour/ars-et-virtus-croatia-hungary-800-years-common-heritage" target="_blank">Hungarian National Museum</a> and the <a href="http://gkd.hr/en/homepage/exhibitions/" target="_blank">Galerija Klovićevi Dvori</a> (Zagreb) will be shown in Budapest at the end of the year as well. The goal of the exhibition project is to present the Croatian-Hungarian cultural and cultural-historical relations in a broad and illustrative context, thus strengthening the feeling of belonging together in the two nations. The exhibition is divided into eight chronological and thematic chapters, starting with the Middle Ages and continuing with the Renaissance period. Later on, in the early modern times, heraldic representation of the Croatian-Hungarian state community was somewhat special, the relationship of the partner countries manifested in many different ways. In the Baroque era, the veneration of the Hungarian holy kings was lively in both countries. Several examples from the iconographic program and liturgical objects of the Zagreb Cathedral are showcased to highlight this common cult. A special unit is dedicated to the most emblematic family of the era, the Zrínyis/Zrinskis. Their activities in the spirit of dual patriotism left an indelible mark on the culture and art of the two countries. Other sections focus on more modern periods. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dhr-GUh4IwU/X3Be5VeafhI/AAAAAAADA9g/aN6XtxZOYbI4j2z-lY5S02DItLv4w6AgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s787/tolmezzo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="616" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dhr-GUh4IwU/X3Be5VeafhI/AAAAAAADA9g/aN6XtxZOYbI4j2z-lY5S02DItLv4w6AgQCLcBGAsYHQ/w500-h640/tolmezzo.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gianfrancesco da Tolmezzo: Crucifixion with Hungarian saints. Zagreb, 1505<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A virtual exhibition was also created to present chief objects. The virtual exhibition, currently consisting of 60 objects, guides the visitor - partly chronologically and partly thematically - through the representative spaces of the Hungarian National Museum, the Dome, the Ceremonial Hall, and the Fireplace Halls. <a href="https://mnm.hu/virtualis/arsetvirtus/" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> to start the virtual exhibition, then select the English language version.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ARS ET VIRTUS. CROATIA - HUNGARY. 800 YEARS OF COMMON HERITAGE</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Virtual exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum, 2020</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-11659457889330873162020-08-24T12:52:00.000+02:002020-08-24T12:52:24.211+02:0010 Years of the Medieval Hungary blog<div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zSihsn-79uA/XzvqVJt8bvI/AAAAAAADAX8/noCcfR-YUqgG6e1Mdii_X5puQ8fOJQBUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/kaltimark01.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="960" height="323" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zSihsn-79uA/XzvqVJt8bvI/AAAAAAADAX8/noCcfR-YUqgG6e1Mdii_X5puQ8fOJQBUgCLcBGAsYHQ/w328-h323/kaltimark01.jpg" title="Chronicler from the Illuminated Chronicle, c. 1360" width="328" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chronicler from the Illuminated Chronicle, c. 1360<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I started this blog 10 years ago, in August 2010. Originally, the idea was to try another platform, in order to provide up-to-date information - information that was hard to provide on my rudimentary website <a href="http://home.hu.inter.net/~jekely/" target="_blank">Art in Medieval Hungary</a>. I created the first incarnation of the website in 1998, and by around 2005, it existed in its current form, with frequent updates until about 2011. Incredibly, the website is still up and running (although I no longer have access to update it). Both the website and the blog grew out of the frustration that there is almost no information available about the art of Medieval Hungary in the current English-language scholarship. One of the largest and most stable kingdoms of medieval Europe is usually just a vast empty expanse, a terra incognita in survey works and overviews of medieval art. I can identify at least three reasons for this: first, the medieval Kingdom of Hungary collapsed after the 1526 battle of Mohács and the 150 years of Ottoman rule that followed in much of the country had disastrous consequences. The <a href="http://home.hu.inter.net/~jekely/chief.htm#sites" target="_blank">central areas</a> of medieval Hungary and its culture along with it were obliterated in this period, and even greater destruction took place at the time of the sieges of re-conquest in the seventeenth century and during the rebuilding and modernization after. Coupled with the well-known effects of the Reformation on medieval ecclesiastical art, there are vast areas of Hungary where there is almost nothing left from the medieval period (at least as far as visual arts are concerned). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Neither destruction nor modernization affected each part of Hungary equally. The outer areas (with the exception of the southern border), in particular preserved a large part of their medieval heritage, including countless churches still in use. And here we come to the second reason: following the Treaty of Trianon after WWI, these regions are no longer part of Hungary, as they were ceded to newly-formed states. Today the great majority of important medieval sites from the medieval Kingdom of Hungary are found in the neighboring Central European states - especially in Slovakia and Romania (Transylvania). And here we reach the third obstacle: language. Most literature on the art of medieval Hungary is written in Hungarian - but there is also significant literature in Slovak and Romanian, not to mention the languages of all the other countries bordering Hungary. Also, most places have at least three names in the literature - a Hungarian name, a name in the language of modern nation-states, and a German name - creating a lot of confusion at times. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When it comes to the first two historical factors, there is not much we can do about them - we just have to be aware of these factors when writing about medieval Hungary, and deal with them as best as we can. However, there is an easy way to fix the third factor: more publications are needed in English and German about medieval Hungary. As such publications were few and far between, I felt the need for this blog, to provide timely information about the research of medieval Hungary, and to call attention to new publications in more accessible languages. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wGsh3fnguVM/Xzv_gRKnvuI/AAAAAAADAYI/LtujLje_rvoa7DwKhwZQ4BS_MYW9jHE4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s948/homorod.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="948" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wGsh3fnguVM/Xzv_gRKnvuI/AAAAAAADAYI/LtujLje_rvoa7DwKhwZQ4BS_MYW9jHE4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/homorod.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Detail from the Legend of Saint Ladislas, at Homoródkarácsonyfalva (Crăciunel, RO)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the ten years since I've started this blog, the situation has improved considerably. Most importantly, a <a href="https://jekely.blogspot.com/2018/10/new-book-on-art-of-medieval-hungary.html">new English-language survey book</a> is now available on the subject, providing up-to-date information. There is also a growing number of English-language books both by Hungarian and international publishers on various aspects of medieval Hungarian art. To get an overview of new publications, please consult the detailed annotated bibliography I wrote for Oxford Bibliographies in Art History. It is a rather comprehensive bibliography on <a href="https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199920105/obo-9780199920105-0136.xml">Art and Architecture in the Medieval Kingdom of Hungary</a> and can be consulted online (with a valid institutional subscription). You could also just click on the <a href="https://jekely.blogspot.com/search/label/new%20books">new books</a> tag, to find the most important new publications right here on the blog. Museum databases (such as the <a href="https://www.szepmuveszeti.hu/mutargyak/?artwork_collection=regi-magyar-gyujtemeny">Museum of Fine Arts/Hungarian National Gallery</a>, the <a href="http://www.museumap.hu/mnm">Hungarian National Museum</a>, or the <a href="https://jekely.blogspot.com/2017/11/online-catalogue-of-christian-museum-of.html">Christian Museum in Esztergom</a>) and library collections of medieval manuscripts (see especially the <a href="https://jekely.blogspot.com/2018/12/exhibition-and-database-of-corvinian.html">new database of the Bibliotheca Corviniana</a>) make a lot of material much more readily accessible. Thus it is much easier for English-speaking scholars to find information about the art of Medieval Hungary than it was a decade ago.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nevertheless, you can still expect updates on medieval art here on the blog, so please keep following here or on <a href="https://twitter.com/ZJekely" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-88362253519905607952020-01-21T15:52:00.000+01:002020-08-24T12:52:49.366+02:00An Antonio Tempesta rediscovered in Budapest<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cO61CSZRb6c/XiW7bEL74rI/AAAAAAAC7fs/wULpjKlGw0kSaAT8WAU1txZwse0lVo2NQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/tempesta%2Bposter.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cO61CSZRb6c/XiW7bEL74rI/AAAAAAAC7fs/wULpjKlGw0kSaAT8WAU1txZwse0lVo2NQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/tempesta%2Bposter.JPG" /></a><br />
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The following news does not have much to do with medieval art in Hungary, but it is a very significant discovery made at a Hungarian museum - specifically, at the Museum of Applied Arts, where I work - and I believe that the story is of interest to readers of this blog. So here it goes - the text below is based on the research and exhibition texts of Miklós Gálos, curator of the exhibition:</div>
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A rare, two-sided painting by Antonio Tempesta was rediscovered and restored at the <a href="https://collections.imm.hu/gyujtemeny/festett-lapis-lazuli-lap-az-edenkert-eva-teremtesevel-recto-atkeles-a-voros-tengeren-verso/20155?ds=eyJhbiI6IjE5ODk5In0%3D&i=0">Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest</a>. The painting was painted on lapis lazuli, a rare and precious stone from the Middle East, which is the raw material of ultramarine, the marvelous deep blue color of paintings. This prestigious semi-precious stone was used by Antonio Tempesta, a painter active in the early 17th-century Rome, as support of paintings made for aristocratic patrons. Tempesta’s paintings on various types of stone are real curiosities. Only three paintings on lapis lazuli survived – one of them is housed in the <a href="https://art.rmngp.fr/fr/library/artworks/antonio-tempesta_la-peche-aux-perles-aux-indes_argent-metal_emaille_peinture-a-l-huile_lapis-lazuli_ardoise">Louvre in Paris</a>, the other has recently been published by <a href="https://www.alessandradicastro.com/2018/pubblicazioni.html">Alberto and Alessandra di Castro</a> (the work is in private collection).<br />
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Another of them – a hitherto unknown lapis lazuli painting by Tempesta – was discovered in one of the storage areas of the Museum of Applied Arts some years ago. This work actually consists of two paintings: both sides of this thin, scarcely one-millimeter thick, translucent slab present scenes from the Old Testament. One side shows the Creation of Eve, and the other the Crossing of the Red Sea. Both depictions demonstrate a perfect collaboration between nature and art. The stone slab used as support is not painted on the entire surface, therefore, its color and patterns form an integral part of the depictions. The boundaries between the natural patterns of the stone and the artist’s work are imperceptible. The frame, with its mother-of-pearl inlays, is also unusual because of its complicated, contrived image field.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tx5U3HeUrJw/XiW79Pl1y0I/AAAAAAAC7f0/X5-W1S8iMS8dUCetIdE5uJRjTkQgpTSCACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/19899_SHA0475.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tx5U3HeUrJw/XiW79Pl1y0I/AAAAAAAC7f0/X5-W1S8iMS8dUCetIdE5uJRjTkQgpTSCACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/19899_SHA0475.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antonio Tempesta: Crossing of the Red Sea (Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest)</td></tr>
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In January 2016, the artwork was discovered in a ruined state in one of the storage areas of the Museum of Applied Arts. The inlays of the broken frame were missing, and the stone support had been shattered with some pieces lost. Plaster infills made up a fifth of the painted surface. The shoddy inpainting on the plaster areas created a sharp contrast to the artistic quality of the original. The object did not appear in the museum’s inventory. During the next few years research managed to shed light on the provenance of the painting and later its deletion from the records. Fortunately, it was possible to determine the identities of the painter and, with considerable certainty, the original commissioner of the work. Thanks to the enthusiastic support of the Museum of Applied Arts’ Friends of the Museum, restoration was also carried out. The restoration of the lapis lazuli panel and the paintings on both sides was carried out by Ágnes Kuna. The frame was restored by Mária Szilágyi of the Museum of Applied Arts. As a result, this once-forgotten work of art has now regained its former glory. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WGhcel7nKWo/XiW8llI9q5I/AAAAAAAC7f8/4yuFhoIcwgUlOAyGO5pq0V1w_CGUau9fQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_0463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WGhcel7nKWo/XiW8llI9q5I/AAAAAAAC7f8/4yuFhoIcwgUlOAyGO5pq0V1w_CGUau9fQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_0463.JPG" width="600" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W3oVimIWLAE/XiW8rFuh62I/AAAAAAAC7gA/_CXkDWXzC3Q2umxKxGSzQZpfiFAI_SMxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/19899_SHA0480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1024" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W3oVimIWLAE/XiW8rFuh62I/AAAAAAAC7gA/_CXkDWXzC3Q2umxKxGSzQZpfiFAI_SMxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/19899_SHA0480.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antonio Tempesta: Creation of Eve, during and after restoration (Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest)</td></tr>
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Now, the results of this work are presented to the public, in the form of a<a href="http://www.imm.hu/en/exhibits/view/525,Painted+on+precious+stone"> temporary exhibition at the György Ráth villa</a>. Besides Tempesta’s painting, the exhibition includes some goldsmith works which, just like Tempesta’s painting, are examples of the fusion of an object of nature and an exceptional product of artistic talent. Like the Tempesta painting, the goldsmith works are from the former collection of Miklós Jankovich, a renowned Hungarian art collector of the early 19th century.</div>
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A detailed publication of the newly discovered Tempesta paintings - including a reconstruction of its history - was published by Miklós Gálos in volume 32 of <i><a href="http://www.imm.hu/en/contents/71,Ars+Decorativa">Ars Decorativa</a></i>, the Yearbook of the Museum of Applied Arts.<br />
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Miklós Gálos: An Antonio Tempesta Rediscovered in the Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest, <i>Ars Decorativa</i> 32 (2018), 7-36.
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-50021083721152588932019-12-17T13:04:00.000+01:002019-12-17T20:25:08.541+01:00In memoriam Paul Crossley (1945-2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SdTXLjHzdms/XfjC2awCp9I/AAAAAAAC5fA/Evjjdt5TuksVXfaNgp37jqWDmujwBhITgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/paul-crossley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SdTXLjHzdms/XfjC2awCp9I/AAAAAAAC5fA/Evjjdt5TuksVXfaNgp37jqWDmujwBhITgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/paul-crossley.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Paul Crossley, Emeritus Professor of the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London has <a href="https://courtauld.ac.uk/professor-paul-crossley-1945-2019">passed away</a> on December 11th, 2019. Dr. Crossley was an eminent scholar of Gothic architecture - perhaps best known for the second and much expanded edition of Paul Frankl's <i>Gothic Architecture</i> in the Pelican History of Art series (Yale, 2000). He has made a significant addition to the study of medieval art, primarily through his research on Central European Gothic architecture. He completed his PhD on medieval architecture in Poland, and his book on fourteenth-century Polish Gothic Architecture in the Reign of Kasimir the Great was published in 1985. In addition, he also published extensively on Gothic architecture in Prague at the time of Charles IV.</div>
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Paul Crossley did not publish much about medieval Hungary but was very knowledgeable about it as well. I had a chance to meet him on several occasions, the most memorable of which was when he opened the <a href="https://www.szepmuveszeti.hu/kiallitasok/sigismundus-rex-et-imperator-muveszet-es-kultura-luxemburgi-zsigmond-koraban/">2006 exhibition</a> dedicated to Emperor Sigismund, organized by the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. The text of his opening speech was published in <i>The Hungarian Quarterly</i> (No. 182, 2006), and can be downloaded from <a href="http://real-j.mtak.hu/12068/1/HungarianQuarterly_182_2006.pdf">this link</a> - the issue also includes an overview of the exhibition by Ernő Marosi. The speech was also published in Hungarian in <i>Élet és Irodalom</i> (2006. April 7), and I am making it available below. Let me quote a characteristic passage from the original English text of Dr. Crossley:</div>
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In my experience, Hungary had always been the<i> eminence gris</i> of later medieval European art—a country of exquisite, but mysterious culture. When I was a student in Cracow, many years ago, my Polish Professor, when asked about a particularly exquisite late medieval or early Renaissance object in Poland, would reply, with hushed wonder: “Ah, that is Hungarian”. But how, or why, or when it was Hungarian always remained a mystery. Now, thanks to this spectacular exhibition <i>Sigismundus. Rex et Imperator</i>, Hungary’s vital contribution to the international “court culture” of later medieval and early Renaissance Christendom has been magnificently recognized. </blockquote>
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Paul will always be remembered as a kind, enthusiastic and funny colleague, and a great champion of Central Europen Gothic art. He will be greatly missed.</div>
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<i>Hungarian translation of the opening speech of the </i>Sigismundus - Rex et Imperator<i> exhibition, 2006</i><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-46424575586543543502019-12-14T13:21:00.001+01:002019-12-14T13:21:38.133+01:00Romanesque Stone Carvings Found at Borosjenő Castle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fls-wGXHNwI/XfTSgdiyalI/AAAAAAAC5dQ/v-h0l9YIg3cu_sjFOARa8MtTS_Af_9PaACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Borosjen%25C5%2591_DSC31161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="1024" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fls-wGXHNwI/XfTSgdiyalI/AAAAAAAC5dQ/v-h0l9YIg3cu_sjFOARa8MtTS_Af_9PaACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Borosjen%25C5%2591_DSC31161.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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New finds of Romanesque stone carvings were presented by the <a href="http://www.telekialapitvany.hu/a-sziren-mar-nincs-egyedul-kulonleges-arpad-kori-kofaragvanyok-kerultek-elo-a-romaniai-borosjenon/">László Teleki Foundation</a> earlier this week. The carvings were found during reconstruction work at the castle of Borosjenő (Ineu, Romania) in 2016 and 2019. The carvings most likely come from the abbey church of Dénesmonostora, which was located near the castle and was abandoned by the early 16th century. The stone carving were found in walls of the castle dating from the 1530s-1540s. These carving now provide some context from the lone capital decorated with a siren, which had been at the Hungarian National Museum since the 1870s.</div>
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The finds shine some light on the rich architecture and culture of a chain of Árpádian era monasteries established along the lower Maros river valley - an area that played a key role in the transportation of salt from Transylvania towards the plains. Perhaps Bizere is the most famous monastery in this region, which had been excavated during recent decades - and which is discussed in an important <a href="http://diam.uab.ro/index.php?s=2&p=135">conference volume on monastic life</a>. More recently, excavations were started at the Cistercian monastery of Egres as well. Dénesmonostora was established for the Augustinian canons, at an unknown date before 1199. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpA7cUUxR6k/XfTSY8bA0II/AAAAAAAC5dU/OG16dSkStxADeRJ_-q0TWPcAHWzlKL73QCEwYBhgL/s1600/Borosjen%25C5%2591DSC_92141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpA7cUUxR6k/XfTSY8bA0II/AAAAAAAC5dU/OG16dSkStxADeRJ_-q0TWPcAHWzlKL73QCEwYBhgL/s640/Borosjen%25C5%2591DSC_92141.jpg" width="546" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siren from Borosjenő (originally Dénesmonostora), Hungarian National Museum</td></tr>
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No research on the castle of Borosjenő had been carried out since it was rebuilt in the 1870. The building stood empty since 2004, and the municipality is currently working on rebuilding the castle. Already during the surveys carried out in 2016, it was discovered that the walls incorporate a large number of pre-1200 stone carvings used as building materials. At that time, 9 early carvings were recovered. In 2019, with support of the Rómer Flóris Plan, another 14 smaller or larger stones were found, and dozens more were documented within the walls. This work was carried about by Zsolt Kovács and Attila Weisz, art historians from Cluj.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p0qnSPiG1do/XfTSZgvM9HI/AAAAAAAC5dY/sNajnAr5-kQ70loKgmSDKTUKPEpN-Z2KACEwYBhgL/s1600/tudomany_Kulonleges-12_-szazadi-koleleteket-1_nagy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p0qnSPiG1do/XfTSZgvM9HI/AAAAAAAC5dY/sNajnAr5-kQ70loKgmSDKTUKPEpN-Z2KACEwYBhgL/s640/tudomany_Kulonleges-12_-szazadi-koleleteket-1_nagy.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borosjenő (Ineu) castle, awaiting restoration</td></tr>
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The stone carvings are mainly capitals and bases of columns, decorated with various vegetal carvings in Romanesque style. They most likely date from around the middle of the 12th century, and are very important because from this region nothing similar has been found so far - now these finds can be analyzed through comparisons with carvings from such important ecclesiastiacal centers as Székesfehérvár or Pécs. The excavation of the site of the former monastery is also planned for the near future, which would certainly help place these objects in context.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rr8O3_sbP2I/XfTSYzVhAnI/AAAAAAAC5dU/bvcz5Lfyh7YXgaQsiR4zErFYBphT5HyPgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Borosjen%25C5%2591_DSC3150%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="1200" height="277" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rr8O3_sbP2I/XfTSYzVhAnI/AAAAAAAC5dU/bvcz5Lfyh7YXgaQsiR4zErFYBphT5HyPgCEwYBhgL/s400/Borosjen%25C5%2591_DSC3150%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A final remark: earlier this year <a href="https://www.academia.edu/39708724/A_karinges_%C3%81gostonos_kanonokok_templomai_a_k%C3%B6z%C3%A9pkori_Magyarorsz%C3%A1gon_In_Tak%C3%A1cs_Imre_szerk._M%C5%B1v%C3%A9szett%C3%B6rt%C3%A9neti_tanulm%C3%A1nyok_T%C3%B3th_S%C3%A1ndor_eml%C3%A9k%C3%A9re._Budapest_Magyarorsz%C3%A1g_Martin_Opitz_Kiad%C3%B3_2019_175-192">I published a brief study</a> on the churches of the Augustinian canons in Hungary, where Dénesmonostora was mentioned, but I could not say much about its church. As these investigations will continue, we will certainly know more about the canons regular in Hungary as well, an order which played an important role in the 12th century monastic reform in Central Europe. </div>
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Photos by Attila Mudrák, used with permission of the László Teleki Foundation.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-25696880504027973292019-12-08T22:54:00.000+01:002019-12-08T22:55:48.583+01:00Monument Protection Archives Reopen in Budapest<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_wwL7hjQlg0/Xe1te5ryusI/AAAAAAAC5ZA/2Kw8GGYSBtkP7l6EyWOPqw0HJQu3DNnhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Myskovszky-Viktor_szoeveg-melle-ez-a-fenykep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="848" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_wwL7hjQlg0/Xe1te5ryusI/AAAAAAAC5ZA/2Kw8GGYSBtkP7l6EyWOPqw0HJQu3DNnhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Myskovszky-Viktor_szoeveg-melle-ez-a-fenykep.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viktor Myskovszky's drawing of the Saint Michael chapel<br />
at Kassa (Košice, SK)</td></tr>
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The national system of monument protection has been through many changes in Hungary during the last few years: have a look at the <a href="https://memmdk.hu/infomation-for-visitorsen-version" target="_blank">diagram</a> on the website of the institution to get an idea. I did not report on every step of this process (the <a href="https://jekely.blogspot.com/search/label/monument%20protection" target="_blank">most recent overview</a> dates from almost three years ago) - which led to the complete closing of Hungary's National Office for Cultural Heritage. While day-to-day tasks of heritage protection are carried out by various ministries and <a href="https://oroksegvedelem.kormany.hu/index" target="_blank">government offices</a>, the care of the rich archives of the national office was uncertain for some time.<br />
Finally in 2017, the Archives were handed over to the <a href="https://www.mma.hu/en/web/en" target="_blank">Hungarian Academy of Arts</a>. This institution is now called Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection Documentation Centre. The Academy took care of moving the collections to a new, temporary location, where now they have been made accessible again. As indicated by the name, part of this collection is that of the Hungarian Museum of Architecture, which is also supervised by the Hungarian Academy of Arts.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O3Gr-4-zNe4/Xe1vSJnm_jI/AAAAAAAC5Zk/1EG34hb6ZQIJeFmRbUkMb6dlBHcCV3COgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/370_epiteszforum-megnyilnak-a-mem-mdk-muemleki-gyujtemenyei-3-40-2019-10-30-09-45-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="370" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O3Gr-4-zNe4/Xe1vSJnm_jI/AAAAAAAC5Zk/1EG34hb6ZQIJeFmRbUkMb6dlBHcCV3COgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/370_epiteszforum-megnyilnak-a-mem-mdk-muemleki-gyujtemenyei-3-40-2019-10-30-09-45-27.jpg" width="200" /></a>The Monument Protection Document Service represents the most significant collection of archival material for the study of the historic Kingdom of Hungary. Material accumulated at the archives since 1872, the foundation of the Temporary Committee for Historic Monuments, and it covers the entire territory of the Carpathian basin. All the documentation of the major restorations carried in Hungary during the last decades of the 19th century can be found there, along with documents surveying monuments of the land. During the 20th century, material continued to accumulate there.<br />
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The Document Service consists of the following parts:</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Historical archives - this is where all the documentation is kept, along with correspondence</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Collection of plans - plans and drawings are kept here, along with a super-important collection of watercolor copies of medieval wall paintings</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Photo repository - the largest collection of historic photographs of Hungarian monuments</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Library - Hungary's most important library specialized in monument protection, restoration, etc.</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copy of wall painting at Mártonhely (Martjanci, SLO) by István Gróh</td></tr>
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The <a href="https://memmdk.hu/infomation-for-visitorsen-version" target="_blank">English page of the website</a> of the institution provides more information on the holdings. The reason for this post is to announce that as of December 2, 2019, the Monument Protection Documentation Services are once again <a href="https://memmdk.hu/cikkek/hirek/tajekoztatas-a-kutatoszolgalat-megnyitasarol" target="_blank">accessible for researchers</a>. This at least is good news. This might be a good point to mention <a href="https://library.hungaricana.hu/en/collection/muze_szak_kohi/" target="_blank">that all of the earlier publications</a> of the National Office of Monuments Protection are available online in the <a href="https://library.hungaricana.hu/en/collection/muze_szak_kohi/">hungaricana.hu</a> database. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romanesque stone carvings from Pécs cathedral, photo by Péter Gerecze</td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-12231877212823851382019-12-04T16:36:00.000+01:002019-12-04T16:37:01.078+01:00Exhibition on Medieval Towns in Magdeburg<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bp7QlZj4cUw/XefNWUdVujI/AAAAAAAC5XI/P95TPY3vJcIpw6a9fAoiWZmKQDbx4yYRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/9783954984534_g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="555" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bp7QlZj4cUw/XefNWUdVujI/AAAAAAAC5XI/P95TPY3vJcIpw6a9fAoiWZmKQDbx4yYRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9783954984534_g.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>
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The new <a href="https://www.faszination-stadt2019.de/" target="_blank">exhibition </a>of the Cultural History Museum is titled 'Faszination Stadt - The Allure of Cities,' and is dedicated to the network of medieval towns following Magdeburg law. The topic is broadly framed, starting with city development in antiquity - but then it focuses on the development and spread of Magdeburg town law in the Middle Ages. The Magdeburg law originated in the twelfth century and spread in the course of the German east settlement across Central Europe, particularly to the areas of Poland, Bohemia and the Kingdom of Hungary. It is a characteristic feature of urbanization in this regiou and its peculiarity is that it divided the local power between the council and a jury appointed by the ruler. This made it easier for territorial rulers such as the Teutonic Order in the Baltic States and the kings of Poland and Hungary to control the cities they established and granted freedoms to. The legal framework was provided by the Sachsenspiegel, codified in 1230, which was a summary of existing legal knowledge. Starting from the story of Magdeburg law, the exhibition presents the legal framework, the day to day operations and daily life in medieval towns of Central Europe.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stove tile from Besztercebánya, c. 1500, <a href="http://collections.imm.hu/gyujtemeny/kalyhacsempe-tancolo-par-a-besztercebanyai-ebner-hazbol/7711?ds=eyJxIjoiNjU0OCJ9&i=1" target="_blank">Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest</a></td></tr>
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The 250 objects on view are varied, ranging from luxurious gift items to objects of daily life. Given the subject, it is not surprising that a large number of loans from Hungary and the neighboring countries are featured in the exhibition. The exhibition is accompanied by an 800-page <a href="https://www.sandstein.de/verlag/faszination-stadt.php" target="_blank">catalog </a>and by a <a href="https://verlag.sandstein.de/detailview?no=98-452" target="_blank">volume of studies</a> dedicated to the topic. It remains on view until February 2, 2020. You can find more information on the <a href="https://www.faszination-stadt2019.de/" target="_blank">special website</a> set up for the exhibition or <a href="https://www.faszination-stadt2019.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Broschuere.pdf" target="_blank">in the flyer</a> provided by the museum.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the exhibition, with the tombstone of a painter from Buda <br />
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The results presented in the exhibition rely on a research project coordinated by the Museum. A <a href="https://magdeburg-law.com/" target="_blank">website</a> was also set up to provide information about Magdeburg law - it is a very useful resource, providing, among others, a map of European towns using Magdeburg law.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copy of the Sachsenspiegel, Heidelberg University Library</td></tr>
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(Photos by Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late 15th century Passion panel from Thorn/Torun</td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-84325087340484790842019-11-25T22:23:00.001+01:002019-11-25T22:23:32.633+01:00In memoriam Tünde Wehli (1943-2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Tünde Wehli, taken at the celebration of her 70th birthday, 2013</td></tr>
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It is with sadness that I report on the passing of art historian Tünde Wehli, on November 18, 2019, in the 76th year of her life. <a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/en/staff/profile/wehli" target="_blank">Tünde Wehli</a> had been a long-time senior researcher at the Institute of Art History of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, starting her career there in 1970. Dr. Wehli was a scholar of medieval art, primarily manuscript illumination, and had published groundbreaking studies ranging from the 12th century <a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/kiadvanytar/muveszettorteneti-fuzetek/11-wehli-tunde-az-admonti-biblia" target="_blank">Admont Bible</a> (the subject of her dissertation) to the <a href="https://corvina.hu/en/szerzo/tunde-wehli/" target="_blank">Bibliotheca Corviniana</a>. She is particularly well-known for her research on medieval patronage of manuscripts, and she also participated in the work of the Fragmenta Codicum research group of the National Széchényi Library. She also published extensively on other subjects, including Romanesque art, iconography, Hungarian royal monuments abroad as well as on seals and armorial charters. Perhaps most widely accessible is her small book on medieval Spanish painting (<i>Painting in Medieval Spain</i>, 1980), which was published in at least five languages. She participated in the preparation of a number of exhibitions organized by the Institute of Art History - most notably the exhibitions on King Louis the Great (1982) and Emperor Sigismund (1987). You can have a look at the list of her publications in the <a href="https://aleph.mpg.de/F/H5SMS1TAXM6D52SYDFJTH75CTS9TPAPMNVQHPTVXHL6XEG9HS7-24946?func=find-b&find_code=WRD&request=wehli+t%C3%BCnde" target="_blank">Kubikat catalogue</a>. Many of her publications can be found in the <a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/kiadvanytar" target="_blank">digital publication archive</a> of the Institute of Art History.</div>
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Dr. Wehli was a very kind, helpful colleague. Although I only worked with her during my brief tenure at the Institute 25 years ago, she has followed my progress with great interest over the years and was always ready to help with advice or literature. As a teacher - participating in the art history program at <a href="https://btk.ppke.hu/karunkrol/intezetek-tanszekek/muveszettudomanyi-intezet/muveszettortenet-tanszek/oktatoink/megbizott-eloadok/wehli-tunde" target="_blank">Pázmány Péter Catholic University</a> - she was also greatly admired. It is no wonder that she was celebrated with a hefty Festschrift - published as a special volume of the journal Ars Hungarica - on her 70th birthday in 2013 (you can read it <a href="https://mi.btk.mta.hu/hu/kiadvanytar/ars-hungarica-2013/viewdocument" target="_blank">online here</a>). She will be remembered fondly by her students and colleagues and will be greatly missed. May she rest in peace.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Office of the Dead, Book of Hours, Flemish, about 1450–1455 (J.P. Getty Museum, Ms. 2)</td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-30323452413768578832019-11-01T13:38:00.001+01:002019-11-01T13:38:23.290+01:00Spectacular Cycle of Medieval Frescoes uncovered at Visk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GdnIL59tdVQ/XbwPBIzXwCI/AAAAAAAC4oY/s9iz3LTNd9Ie48kAp4zwbI0AwtnH_iEqACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/74468342_2564646346984327_3818562003039944704_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GdnIL59tdVQ/XbwPBIzXwCI/AAAAAAAC4oY/s9iz3LTNd9Ie48kAp4zwbI0AwtnH_iEqACK4BGAYYCw/s400/74468342_2564646346984327_3818562003039944704_n.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GdnIL59tdVQ/XbwPBIzXwCI/AAAAAAAC4oY/s9iz3LTNd9Ie48kAp4zwbI0AwtnH_iEqACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/74468342_2564646346984327_3818562003039944704_n.jpg"></a></div>
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At a press conference on October 30th, 2019, the <a href="http://www.telekialapitvany.hu/">Teleki László Foundation</a> presented the early 15th-century fresco cycle uncovered in the Calvinist church at Visk (Vyshkovo, Ukraine). The wall paintings - which had been found in 2001 and partially revealed in 2012 - were uncovered with the support of the <a href="http://www.romerterv.hu/">Rómer Flóris Plan</a>. This is a Hungarian government program launched in 2015 and aimed at protecting elements of Hungarian cultural heritage across the borders. The wall paintings of Visk were presented to the press by Prof. Ernő Marosi, restorer József Lángi, and myself (Zsombor Jékely). </div>
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<a href="http://www.temple-tour.eu/uk/visk/69" target="_blank">Visk</a> is located in the Zakarpattia Oblast region of Ukraine - and area which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary until 1918. The medieval church at Visk was built in the first third of the 14th century and is a simple Gothic edifice with a rectangular nave and a polygonal sanctuary. The town itself was one of the five royal settlements in Máramaros county, an area known for its salt mines. Nothing remains today of the medieval castle once guarding the settlement. Since the mid-16th-century, the population of Visk had converted to Calvinism, which led to the reconfiguration of the medieval church as well. In 1717, the town was burned down during the last raid of the Crimean Tatars into Hungary. When the church was rebuilt, the medieval frescoes were no longer visible - they were eventually covered by rich ornamental paintings executed in 1789.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Press conference with Ernő Marosi, József Lángi and Zsombor Jékely (photo: Magyar Kurír)</td></tr>
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The medieval wall paintings of the church were preserved in the sanctuary. Their existence had been known for some time, and their presence under later layers of plaster was established in 2001. Several details had been uncovered by restorer József Lángi in 2012, which led to a plan for their complete recovery. Once the community of the church was also convinced of the importance of these frescoes, work could commence with the help of the Rómer Flóris Plan. In September - October 2019, the entire surface of the sanctuary wall has been cleaned and wall paintings have been uncovered on the northern and southern wall of the sanctuary, as well as around the eastern windows.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passion cycle on the northern wall of the sanctuary</td></tr>
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The ensemble recovered by József Lángi is fragmentary: a large Late Gothic window opened in the southern wall destroyed a large portion of the wall paintings. The vaults collapsed (most likely in 1717) and were replaced by a flat ceiling - thus a very important part of the former ensemble is missing. A 19th-century gallery installed in the sanctuary for an organ caused further damage. Despite all this, a remarkably complete cycle of wall paintings has come to light. The northern and southern wall of the sanctuary was decorated with a detailed Christological cycle, narrating the story of Christ from the Annunciation through the Passion all the way to the death and Coronation of the Virgin Mary. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Massacre of the Innocents</td></tr>
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The cycle was arranged in four registers in a wrap-around pattern (so running left to right on the northern wall, continuing on the southern wall, then jumping back to the northern wall and so on). Many of the scene survive fairly intact, including monumental compositions of the Massacre of the Innocents and the Entry into Jerusalem, as well as several episodes from the Passion of Christ. Although there is a lot of damage to the cycle, and the fire of 1717 changed the coloring of the paintings, the power of the storytelling is still clear to see today. Dramatic and expressive scenes - such as the Arrest of Christ or the scene of Christ being nailed to the cross - add to the richness of the narrative. On the eastern walls, in the spaces between the windows, a gallery of saints was painted in several rows. Most of them appear to be female martyr saints: Catherine, Barbara, and Margaret can be identified today.<br />
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The surface of the wall paintings still needs to be cleaned and they need to be restored - a task which can hopefully be completed during the next two years. In the meantime, we can already establish that the fresco cycle was painted during the second part of the reign of King Sigismund (1387-1437) - most likely in the 1420s. No other works are known by the same workshop in the Upper Tisza Valley, so the discovery of these frescoes is a significant addition to our knowledge about medieval painting in north-eastern Hungary. Art historical research on the fresco cycle will commence in the near future, and hopefully, initial results will be published soon.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TGLwt030IuU/XbwQWqZ1jTI/AAAAAAAC4pU/Oikf1kgD2W0-BGM5jHCsRvPe1S5q72qkACK4BGAYYCw/s400/74489781_2564646680317627_3520755529150365696_n.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="265" /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TGLwt030IuU/XbwQWqZ1jTI/AAAAAAAC4pU/Oikf1kgD2W0-BGM5jHCsRvPe1S5q72qkACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/74489781_2564646680317627_3520755529150365696_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"> </a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_56QrbTQEU/XbwQbLhAuwI/AAAAAAAC4pc/cA8FP9vQ3YwmD5YsqOaCrF0y7f1gDCYQACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/75354963_2564646826984279_5572953141550252032_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_56QrbTQEU/XbwQbLhAuwI/AAAAAAAC4pc/cA8FP9vQ3YwmD5YsqOaCrF0y7f1gDCYQACK4BGAYYCw/s400/75354963_2564646826984279_5572953141550252032_n.jpg" width="266" /></a><br />
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You can read more about the press conference (in Hungarian) in this overview by <a href="https://www.magyarkurir.hu/hirek/muveszileg-kiemelkedo-kozepkori-falfestmenyeket-talaltak-viski-reformatus-templomban" target="_blank">Magyar Kurír</a>. To learn more about the medieval churches of the region, have a look at the website of the<a href="http://www.temple-tour.eu/uk" target="_blank"> Route of Medieval Churches</a>. Photos in the post are by Attila Mudrák.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-86746998800362419882019-09-24T13:49:00.000+02:002019-09-24T19:46:08.264+02:00Two discoveries of medieval painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This post has nothing to do with the art of medieval Hungary, but the information presented below is so fascinating that I decided to create a small post about it. New started circulating this week about the discovery of some spectacular medieval paintings, which had been hitherto unknown. The most famous discovery concerns a small panel attributed by Cimabue, which was found hanging in the kitchen of French woman. The painting will be auctioned by Acteon in Senlis on October 27, with an estimate of 4 to 6 million Euros.</div>
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The small panel depicts the Christ being Mocked and was identified as part of a dismembered small altarpiece. Its reconstruction shows a diptych, with four small panels on each wing. So far, two other paintings of the left wing have been known: the <a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/cimabue-the-virgin-and-child-with-two-angels" target="_blank">Virgin and Child Enthroned with Two Angels</a> at the National Gallery, London and the <a href="https://collections.frick.org/objects/380/the-flagellation-of-christ" target="_blank">Flagellation of Christ</a> at the Frick Collection. The two panels have been exhibited together at <a href="https://www.frick.org/exhibitions/past/2006/cimabue-and-early-italian-devotional-painting" target="_blank">the Frick Collection in 2006</a>. The newly identified painting dates from around 1280, along with the dismembered former altarpiece.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pSWfmj8wVkg/XYoAnu8aiJI/AAAAAAAC3pQ/mZRiEsCRA6wvMNmKJp2s377BpQRmm-w4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/37397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1198" height="340" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pSWfmj8wVkg/XYoAnu8aiJI/AAAAAAAC3pQ/mZRiEsCRA6wvMNmKJp2s377BpQRmm-w4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/37397.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cimabue panels in London and New York</td></tr>
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Also discovered in France, the second painting originates from Central Europe. It is a small panel of the Virgin and Child, attributed to one of the most famous - but anonymous - masters of medieval Czech painting, the Master of Vyšší Brod. Active in the middle of the 14th century, the master received his name from the <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Vy%C5%A1%C5%A1%C3%AD_Brod_Altarpiece" target="_blank">altarpiece</a> now preserved in the <a href="https://www.ngprague.cz/en/expozice-detail/klaster-sv-anezky-ceske/" target="_blank">National Gallery in Prague</a>. The background of the small panel has been repainted but could be cleaned and restored by a potential buyer (see the image in the article in <a href="https://www.latribunedelart.com/un-cimabue-bientot-en-vente-a-senlis-et-un-primitif-de-boheme-a-dijon-8126" target="_blank">La Tribune l'Art</a>). The painting will be offered for sale by Cortot & Associés in Dijon, on November 30, with an estimate of 400.000 to 600.000 Euros.</div>
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For more information, see for example <a href="https://www.gazette-drouot.com/article/decouverte-de-deux-tableaux-primitifs/10058" target="_blank">La Gazette Drouot.</a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Master of Vyšší Brod, The Virgin and Child, c. 1350</td></tr>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-33403822140860539622019-09-15T21:13:00.000+02:002019-09-15T21:13:57.797+02:00Medieval Wall Paintings of Gidófalva (Ghidfalău) Restored<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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About a decade ago, wall paintings were discovered in the church of Gidófalva (Ghidfalău, Romania), which lies in the eastern part of Transylvania, in historic Háromszék (present-day Covasna County). After careful research and a painstaking process of restoration, the restored state of the fragmentary fresco cycle was unveiled on September 2019. The restoration was carried out by restorer Loránd Kiss and his team of the Imago Picta company. Art historian Mihály Jánó from Sepsiszentgyörgy (Sfântu Gheorghe, RO) provided the following overview of the wall paintings for the readers of the Medieval Hungary blog. </div>
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The wall paintings of the church of Gidófalva were found on the walls of the nave of the medieval church. They were covered over in the course of the Reformation and were uncovered in a very fragmentary state. In fact, of the frescoes of the south wall, only traces of the painted curtain in the lower zone remained, the paintings themselves were destroyed.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frescoes of the north wall during restoration</td></tr>
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Despite the fragmentary state of the remaining frescoes, the iconographic system of the decoration is relatively clear. Most survived from the upper register on the north wall: here we find a cycle depicting events from the Life and Passion of Christ. The narrative order of the scenes is reversed: the scenes follow each other from right to left. We see the Nativity next to the chancel arch, this is followed by the Adoration of the Magi, and we also see scenes of the Massacre of the Innocents, Flight to Egypt, the Entry into Jerusalem, and finally, by the western wall, the Last Supper.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entry into Jerusalem</td></tr>
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The next cycle which can be identified with certainty is the Legend of Saint Ladislas, a story which was frequently depicted in Medieval Hungary. This is located in the upper row of the western wall, and the order of the scenes again runs from right to left. Only two scenes remain: the bishop blessing Saint Ladislas before he leads his troops against pagan invaders, and then we see Ladislas and his troops in battle against the Cumans. The following scenes of the story were likely painted on the southern wall of the nave. A few other scenes were also uncovered in the church, including a depiction of Saint George fighting the dragon, also on the western wall (lower register). The wall paintings of Gidófalva still await a more detailed analysis, but tentatively they can be dated to the turn of the 14th-15th centuries. Their discovery and restoration are significant for a better understanding of the art of medieval Transylvania.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail from the Legend of Saint Ladislas</td></tr>
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(Photos provided by Mihály Jánó as well).</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-497836447550914459.post-46125285354587688362019-07-03T16:45:00.001+02:002019-07-03T16:45:13.483+02:00New Permanent Exhibition of the Seuso Treasure in Budapest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On July 28, 2019, the new, permanent exhibition of the Seuso Treasure opened at the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest. This famed collection of 14 silver items of tableware represent the most valuable silver treasure collectıon from the late Roman Empire. The pieces of the silver tableware represent the highest level of art of their era. The treasure was discovered in the 1970s and was subsequently smuggled out of Hungary. I reported on its recovery by the Hungarian state on two previous occasions - see<a href="https://jekely.blogspot.com/2014/03/seusotreasure.html"> the first post,</a> and <a href="https://jekely.blogspot.com/2017/07/second-part-of-seuso-treasure-returns.html">this one</a> as well. During last year, the treasure was already on view at the Hungarian National Museum, in a <a href="https://mnm.hu/en/exhibitions/temporary/seuso-treasure">temporary exhibition</a>. Now the items were moved into another part of the Museum, and an introductory part - focusing on the role of silver objects in the late Roman period - was added to the exhibition. The silver quadripus thought to belong to the set (and known since the 19th century) is also on view. The pieces can be examined in well-lit large glass showcases, and a visit to the Treasure is now part of the permanent exhibition ticket of the Museum. On this occasion, a well-illustrated <a href="https://mnm.hu/hu/publication-issue/seuso-kincs-pannonia-fenye" target="_blank">new publication</a> was also published about the Seuso Treasure. The exhibition was curated by Marianna Dági and Zsolt Mráv.</div>
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<i>The Seuso Treasure - The Splendour of Roman Pannonia.</i> <a href="https://mnm.hu/hu/kiallitasok/allando/seuso-kincs" target="_blank">Permanent exhibition</a> of the Hungarian National Museum.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Zsombor Jékely, Medieval Hungary blog</div>Zsombor Jékelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05636545492785080976noreply@blogger.com2