Vadas József (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 12. (Budapest, 1992)

LÁSZLÓ Emőke: Magyar hímzett és selyemkárpitok a 16-17. századból

a frieze, embroidered with gold and silver flowers), which worthed 200 forints. It is still disputable whether the two bedcovers are die same, with the latter saying nothing about the Rákóczi coat of arms. Nevertheless, after the Rákóczi revolution, the second piece was acquired by the Esterházy collection. Anotiicr, and perhaps more probable, possibility is that Éva Thököly ( 16591716), the second wife of Pál Esterházy brought it to die family. Both assumptions are supported by die fact diat the bedcurtain and die tablecloth with die Thököly coat of arms appear first only in die 1725 Esterházy inventory: Egy Égisz Ágyhoz való Testszinü Atíacz arany s ezüst virágokra igen Szépen ki varrott körös körül hozza tartozandó czafrangjaival hat darabbul álló Superlat, hetedik darab az közül való czafrang" "Más Egy Test Szinü Ágyra való coopert Arany és ezüst fonállal, külömb külömb féle szép virágokra kivarrott" (rough translation: A flesh-coloured satin bedcurtain of six pieces, embroidered delightfully with gold and silver flowers, with all the fringes and a frieze - and Anotiicr fles-coloured bedcover, embroidered in gold and silver thread with different beautiful flowers).

61 A tiiird - and I think die most likely - possibility might be derived from the fact that the inventory mentions the curtains and the bedcover as separate items. The curtains were made by Éva Thököly later, after her marriage, to match the crested bedcover. Despite the use of identical materials and die metal embroidery' technique, this idea is corroborated by die more archaic style of die flowers on the cover, compared to the "modern" ones on the curtain. On the basis of archive sources and survived evidence, gold and silver embroidery was a typical and popular decoration of 17th century Hungarian silk and velvet curtains, covers, tablecloths, wallhangings, secular and religious clothings. Considering the arrangement and ornaments of these pieces, they represent flourishing Late Renaissance and Early Barouque in secular embroidery. Unfortunately, only fragments have remained from gros point embroidery - point de Hongrie - so popular in the west, especially in France. We have hardly any survivors of shaded needlepoint embroideries, either. They were found first of all on die territory of the Hungarian Kingdom, which had a closer relation with the west, or in inventories with lords of western origin. For example, there are several "carpet-sewn" curtains mentioned in the Podendorf inventory of Count Ferenc Nádasdy (1669): "arra valo hat darab Szünyegh varrassál való szeles Superlat..." "Tcrctő Paplan, Szünyeg varrassal.."(rough translation: a broad bedcurtain of six pieces, with 'carpet embroidery' and a bedcover with 'carpet embroidery) etc.

62 "Carpet embroidery in this case probably means point de Hongrie or gros point, which was also very popular by diat time. In the inventory of gold and silver pieces belonging to Katalin of Brandenburg (1633)

63 we meet die expression "German embroidery", and one of the items is described as "Egy ágyra való fejér dupla tafota német varrásos avagy ániyékvarrásos supcrlat öt darabban" (rough translation: A bedcurtain of five pieces, made of white double taffeta, with German or shade embroidery). It is apparent, that in this case "German embroidery" was nothing else than needlepoint. Letters and inventories prove that written.drawn or sewn models, sometimes pattern books were used when designing an embroidery. A pattern book is mentioned for example among die treasures of Count Imre Balassa, registered in Divény casticL "...Madarakkal és Virágokkal bé iratot fejér könyv."(rough translation: a white book,