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Eszterházy Treasures

Ambition must have been a sweet sounding word to the ears of Count Miklós Eszterházy (1583-1645). Once he was elected the Regent of Hungary in 1626, this up-and-coming young man known for his clear, rational thinking had steadily started to accumulate land and fortunes, placing the Eszterházys in the ranks of Europe`s wealthiest noble families.

Eszterházys` splendid treasures amassed over three centuries and considered among the most important aristocratic collections of the Baroque period, have been split since 1920 between Frankó Castle (now Forchtenstein) in Austria and The Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest.

Now an impressive display of 130 items at the Budapest Museum of restored decorative weaponry, military equipment, clothing, jewelry and portraits of notable members of the Eszterházy family brings together for the first time the two separated parts of the collection, and tell the story of one of the most famous Hungarian families of that time.

Miklós, who founded the older of the Eszterházy`s four family lines, belonged to the newly established aristocracies of Royal Hungary formed in the aftermath of Ottoman invasion in 1541. The invasion, which split the Kingdom in three areas of influence (with one third falling under Ottoman rule, one third under Habsburg rule and the principality of Transylvania remaining, for some time at least, semi-independent), swept away the long established historical families that made up the previously ruling class.

This was the time of the Counter Reformation and M. Eszterházy, loyal to both the Catholic Church and Habsburg rule, used financial tools and political influence to bring Hungary into the fold of Europe`s Catholic nations, after he had converted to Catholicism himself, having being raised a Protestant.

Expulsion of the turks

M. Eszterházy believed strongly that it was in the fundamental, long term interest of Hungarian politics that the Turks be expelled and the former territorial integrity of the Hungarian Kingdom restored, and that this would only be possible with the agreement of the Habsburg rulers.

But this ambitious diplomat most certainly also counted among his greatest concerns the consolidation of his family`s power and wealth. He went as far as seeking special church permission for the marriage of his son Pál to his granddaughter Orsolya, the daughter of another son from his first marriage, creating great controversy at the time with this incestuous alliance.

Later, when the family had already amassed a fortune of overwhelming proportions unrivaled throughout Europe, it was Pál (granted the title of imperial prince in 1687), whose path in life much resembled that of his father, who made sure that the family`s extensive property and personal effects would pass on undivided to direct heirs only.

John Paget, a 19th century English travel writer, evoked the lavish life-style of the Eszterházys when he visited the then uninhabited castle of Kismarton (Eisenstadt) in 1834, comparing it to that of other European aristocrats.

`Great as is the splendor of some of our English peers, I almost fear the suspicion of using a traveller`s license, when I tell of Eszterhazy`s magnificence. Within a few miles from this same spot, he has three palaces of equal size.... England is famous for her noble castles and her rich mansions: yet you can have little idea of the splendor such as Eszterházy must formerly have presented. Crowded as it was by the most beautiful women of four countries, its 360 strangers` rooms filled with guests, its concerts directed by a Haydn, its opera supplied by Italian artists, its gardens ornamented by a gay throng of visitors, hosts of richly clothed attendants thronging its antechambers, and its gates guarded by the grenadiers of its princely masters, its magnificence must have exceeded that of half the royal courts in Europe!

`I know of nothing but Versailles, which gives one so high a notion of the costly splendor of the past age as Eszterházy,` he wrote.

The Eszterházy family was indeed associated with Joseph Haydn (1732-1802), one of the most celebrated composers of the Classical period, who served as their Kappelmeister at first, and later composed the annual Mass for Miklós II`s wife Maria Josepha Hermenegild until the end of his (Haydn`s) life.

The unique status of the collection on display derives from the high artistic value of the sumptuous gold and silver works, lavishly decorated with precious stones. Some of these splendid pieces were acquired through marriage, as part of a dowry, or inheritance.

The popular aphorism circulating in 17th century Europe - `What Mars gives to others, Venus gives to you` - was apparently frequently and readily applied to the Eszterházys because of their tendency to acquire property and possessions through the diplomacy of marriage.

Telling unions of wealth

Telling examples of these unions are the magnificent jewels studded with precious stones and worn on chains around the neck as pendants, and unique works made and given on the occasion of weddings or engagements.

A wall hanging embroidered and decorated with leather appliqués, shows the Persian Shah Tahmasp I (1524-1576).

This is exhibited in the first main room of the exhibition along with individually illuminated objects which stand out to great effect in the otherwise dim light.

It was common practice for the noble families of the Baroque period to collect exotic works from the world beyond Europe, and Eszterházy was no exception to this. Many of the pieces on display have undergone dramatic restoration, as the pictures on the way out of the exhibition hall testify. A bomb fell on the small Eszterházy Palace in the Castle District during the siege of Budapest in 1945, and smashed the crates where some of the treasury was kept in the cellar of the building.

Restoration work continues to this day but many of the items were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. The ostrich-shaped masterpiece, we are told, caused great pains in restoration as a perfectly-sized ostrich egg had to be found to fit the decorative base on which it stands.

Apart from the arranged marriages which brought lavish gifts into the treasury, there seems to be a more controversial source for some of the items. Pál Eszterházy, allegedly, had paid compensation for some of the items confiscated from ‘rebellious` Hungarians conspiring against the Viennese court.



Showing until December 31, 2007

(the Fraknó part of the collection can be seen only until the end of March, 2007)

Opening Hours: 10am-6pm

Closed on Mondays

Museum of Applied Arts

Pest, District IX.

Üllôi út 33-37.

www.imm.hu



Andreea Anca
www.budapestsun.com - Wednesday, February 07, 2007