Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 15. (Budapest, 1995)

GERELYES Ibolya: Oszmán-török dísztőrök az Esterházy-gyűjteményből

scabbard of the dagger constitute three separate units that were combined later. The two pieces introduced above, both from the Esterházy Collection, must have belonged to the treasury of Gábor Bethlen, prince of Transylvania, and can be grouped together with the outstanding masterpieces from the classical period of Ottoman-Turkish goldsmith's art. NOTES 1. Katona, Imre: A fraknói kincstár 1725-ös leltára (The 1725 Inventory of the Fraknó Treasury). In: Művészettörténeti Értesítő 29/1980, p. 136. (hereafter: Katona 1980), and Héjjné Détári, Angéla: A fraknói Esterházy-kincstár a történeti források tükrében (The Esterházy Treasury at Fraknó in the Mirror of the Historical Sources), [Separatum] Budapest, 1975 p. 494. 2. Katona 1980, p. 134. The two objects were already known before they reached the collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts. They were presented at the 1886 exhibition, held to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the recapture of Buda Castle from the Turks. Ref. Majláth, Béla: A történelmi kiállítás katalógusa (Catalogue of the Historical Exhibition), Budapest 1886, items 1072-1073. The most recent descriptions of the daggers are by Emese Pásztor. Ref. Nagy Szulejmán Szultán és kora (Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent and His Age), Budapest, 1994. Ed. by Gerelyes, Ibolya. Items 76-77. (hereafter: Süleyman the Magnificent, Budapest 1994.) 3. The history of the objects was researched by Emese Pásztor. It is undoubtedly the Inv. No. 61.5. ceremonial dagger that is described in the inventory of the arms of Count Imre Thurzó, who died in 1621: "Egy ezüst, aranyozott handzsár, türkisekkel, zöld kövekkel, rubintocskákkal rakott, melyet adott Bethlen Gábor ő felsége. Ezt az ifjú asszonynak adták." (Translation: A gilt-silver hanjar, set with turquoises, green jewels, and small rubies, that was given by His Majesty Gábor Bethlen. Given to the young lady.) Detail from the inventory of Count Imre Thurzó drawn up in 1621. at Letava castle, published by Radvánszky, Béla: Magyar családélet és háztartás a XVI. és XVII. században. Volume II. Budapest 1879. p. 232. The "young lady" was Krisztina Nyáry, the widow of Imre Thurzó. After the death of her daughter, Erzsébet Thurzó, we meet the dagger again in a list from 1642. Orsolya Esterházy, the daughter of Erzsébet, married Pál Esterházy in 1655, this is how the dagger reached the Esterházy family. Ref. Pásztor, Emese: Studien zur Geschichte der Familie Esterházy, vol. II. At the press. 44. L.: 35 cm, Inv. No.: E.61.5. 5. Nastaliq is the name of a certain version of the socalled "hanging" style first used in Persian texts or poems written in Arabic letters. It was created by Mir Ali from Tebriz, a Persian calligraphist who lived in the early fifteenth century. Ref. Schimmel, Annamaric: Calligraphy and Islamic Culture. New York 1984, p. 29. 6. The text was read and deciphered by Mihály Dobrovics and Géza Dávid. The inscription has several meanings. According to Géza Dávid, "The first word of the text - hatt - means not only writing, but also the signed oracles and orders of the sultan. The expression hiiccet çikarmis in the second row refers to the legal decrees of the kadis. The writer of the text, therefore, wanted to confront these two terms and point cleverly at the fact that what is clearly written on the hanjar (or more precisely on her hanjar, but who is she ?) is not a sultanic signo, but nevertheless its owner could kill with it on the basis of permission from the kadi" Ref. Dávid, Gém: Kincsek a Topkapi Szerájból. Nagy Szulejmán szultán és kora. (Treasures from the Topkapi Seray. Süleyman the Magnificent and His Age.) In: Keletkutatás, Autumn 1994, p. 105. 7. The most comprehensive summary of the objects in this category is that by A. ivanov. Ref. Ivanov, Anatol: A Group of Iranian Daggers of the Period from the Fifteenth Century to the Beginning of the Seventeenth with Persian Inscriptions. In: Elgood, Robert: Islamic Arms and Armours. London 1979, pp. 64-77. (hereafter: Ivanov 1979) 8. Ivanov 1979, p. 65. 9. The Arts of Islam. Hayvard Gallery, 8 April—

1 July 1976, London 1976. p. 199, Item 232 10. Ivanov 1979, pp. 68-71. 11. Rogers, M. i.-Ward, R. M.: Süleyman the Magnificent. London 1988, p. 120. (hereafter Rogers 1988). 12. Rogers 1988, p. 144, Item 81 13. Süleyman the Magnificent, Budapest 1994, p. 26 14. Allan, J.-Raby, J.: Metalwork. In: Tulips, Arabesques and Turbans. Decorative Arts from the Ottoman Empire. Edited by Petsopoulos, Y., London 1982, p. 29 15. Soliman le Magnifique. Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais. Paris 1990, pp. 74-75 16. Esin, Atil: The Age of Sultan Süleyman. Washington, 1987. National Museum of Art, pp. 159-160 17. I should like to thank Emese Pásztor for supplying me with this data. Ottoman-Turkish ceremonial arms from the early seventeenth century, made in similar style, can be also found in the collection of the Hungarian National Museum. Ref. Gerelyes, Ibolya, Turkish Nephrite Objects at the Hungarian National Museum. In: Acta Históriáé Allium. Tomus 34 (1989), pp. 41—4-8. Certain pieces in the Historical Museum in Dresden also belong in the same group. Ref. Schobel, J.: Türkenschatz aus dem Historischen Museum der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden. Leipzig 1974, pp. 33, 37 18 L.: 38,5 cm, In. No.: E.6

1.4 19. Süleyman the Magnificent, Budapest 1994, Item 57