Vadas József (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 12. (Budapest, 1992)
BIRÓNÉ SELY Katalin: Érmés tálka a fraknói Esterházy-kincstárból
(Hieronymus Bang, 1553—1630). This master was bom in Ostnabrücken and worked in Nuremberg. The rim of the bowl is engraved with the name of the owner: I OH ANN ES KOMÁROMI DE SZÁNTÓ 1607; the dish is silver-gilt. Two other bowls widi coins can be foundin die Ambras Collection. They are, however, much simpler tíian die bowls in the Esterházy Collection or in die Hungarian National Museum. One of tiicm is decorated with twenty cast copies of a Roman denarius. Its cast handle shows Caritas with two children; it is dated 1571. It was published by Ernst Kris, who attributes it to Georg Pencz, a goldsmith in Nuremberg. 10 The other bowl is also decorated with twenty cast coins modelled on a Roman denarius; the middle and die bottom are embellished with a Thasos tctradrachm. The body of the dish lacks decoration: it is of a radier poor quality." In the collection of die Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden, tiiere is a beautiful Renaissance bowl, also decorated with Roman coins. The inscription on the dish relates to Hungary. The golden bowl is decorated with two rows of Roman aureus coins, and some cast copies of Roman gold coins. 12 The middle and die bottom show a médaillon of Genius, with the inscription GENIO LIBEROQ(UE) PATRI running around. The reverse of the cup bears an inscription that refers to die donor: AUG.OLOM.SIBI...ctc. 1508. The cup was donated to the Sodalitas by Augustinus Moravus Olomucensis, an outstanding humanist and the secretary of the royal chamber of Ladislas II in Buda. There is engraved decoration between die coins. Lacking both the maker's mark and die date or inscription, the bowl in the Esterházy Collection cannot be exactly dated. The date 1340, appearing on the handle, below the Esterházy arms, refers neither to die bowl nor to the handle. The handle was fitted onto the dish later, which is proved by die fact that it was soldered right into a Macedonian tctradrachm, melting the coin (Illustration 5). The elaboration of the handle, and the style of the illustration and its decoration, differ from tiiose of die bowl. We can only think that die handle widi the coats-of-arms and the date was added to the dish after its arrival in die treasury of the Esterházy family. The date 1340 was probably significant in the history of die family; however, we have not managed to find evidence for this supposition in the family tree. In 1340 the family's name was still Szerházy— tiiere is no significant event mentioned in the documents. 13 Analogies suggest tiiat bowls and dishes decorated widi antique coins were extremely popular in the sixteenth century. Aldiough dishes with coins were made even in die eighteendi century, by that time diey preferred to use contemporary coins instead of the ancient ones. One of die main characteristics of Renaissance art was die revival of antique traditions and the utilization of antique achievements. On die basis of die analogies, we may suppose tiiat die Esterházy bowl was made sometime during the sixteenth century, probably by a Transylvanian or a Hungarian master.
