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

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

Coopert" (rough translation: a bedcover of cherry red velvet, embroidered widi nice flowers in gold and silver thread).

44 Nevertheless, the circumstances and date of its arrival at the Esterházy treasury is unknown. It might have been an official present from György Rákóczi I, prince of Transylvania to Miklós Esterházy, Palaüne of Hungary, or - as Imre Katona suggests - it was received later, from the Thököly's. A "CARPET' WITH THE COAT OE ARMS OF KÉRY - CZOBOR Red felt, decorated with applied relief embroidery in silver and silvergilt thread (picture 15), braided with silvergilt bobbin lace.

45 17th century inventories refer to different types of carpets; beside oriental nigs, silk, velvet and felt carpets are registered. These carpets were used first of all on the table; the smaller - for one table and the larger - for two or three tables -, differendy coloured variants were tiiere in almost all aristocratic inventories. The tableclotii widi the Kéry-Czobor escutcheon was also a "carpet for the table", which is conoborated by its rectangular shape and the arrangement of the decoration. There is a geometrical floral ornament, composed of a rosette, a pomegranate, a tulip and leaves bending inward and outward in each comer of the tablecloth (picture 16). The middle shows a concentric ornament: the wedding escutcheon, ensigned by a coronet and enclosed by a wreath of large irises, surrounded by large, sickle-shaped leaves that bend inwards, alternating with smaller peonies and scrolling leaves, (picture 18). The arrangement of die motif follows the system of other European crested tablecloths, though it is more spacy. The main stress is on the middle motif, the floral stems of which enclose the eschutcheon in the focus like petals of a large flower. Contrary to the geometrical comer motifs, the floral stems in the middle are fairly naturalistic. Both motifs are characterized, however, by West-European taste. In fact, different variants of the comer motifs can already be found in various pattern books for embroidery and lace (e.g. Foresto: Lucidario di recami, 1557 No.

94, or Corte: Corona de la mostre, around 1566, No.107.) (Picture 17). As opposed to diis arhaizing motif, die analogies of the middle flower stems appear on pieces from 17th century West and North Europe, first of all on those made by masters of the Gennan school. The pattern of the flowers and leaves, for example, is very similar to the embroidery of the caparison of Charles Gustavus X, King of Sweden (Picture 19), made in 1660 by Georg Ulderich and Jehan Beranger bead embroiderers in Stockholm.

40 One of the technical features of the embroidery namely the paper padding - also suggests a WestEuropean master of the German or Austrian school. The middle of die tablecloth is decorated with the wedding escutcheon of János Kéry and Orsolya Czobor. The Kéry arms shows a marble column, with a serpent coiling up. There is a golden coronet on the top of the column, surmounted by a raven shot by an arrow. A golden star appears above the raven, on the right, while tiiere is a silver moon crescent on the left. The Czobor escutcheon is divided per fess (tiiough this cannot be seen on the cmbroidery), with a moon crescent in the chief, surmounted by a star, and two ostrich feathers in the base. János Kéry was a member of the close supporters of Miklós Esterházy. In 1629, he was sent to Gábor Bethlen as a delegate, and later he also negotiated with Prince Gy-