Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 16. (Budapest, 1997)

LOVAY Zsuzsanna: Thék Endre szerepe a budai királyi palota Szent István tennének berendezésében

"(...) we have indulged in a certain degree of freedom as far as details are concerned: the selected style is not Roman in the strict sense of the term, as we have deliberately included some characteristically Hungarian ornamentation".

4 He comments upon the accentuation of national characteristics as follows: "We have included Hungarian ornamentation to it, doing our best to assert our national character in all objects of fine or applied art involved"

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. Nevertheless Hauszmann did not simply consider national style to be the sum of folkloric ornamental motives. He rather thought that "the concept of 'folkloric' does not always cover what we understand under the qualificative 'national' ... something can be called national' when it is justified historically speaking; in other words when it has been devised upon us by tradition. This is why it is important to draw on the roots of Hungarian history".

6 In the dispute about national art involving, among others, Károly Pulszky, Gyula Pasteiner, Jenő Radisics and Arnold Ipolyi,

7 Hauszmann's conception of the national character - a sure sign of his eclecticism - was a combination of folklore and his personnal definition of historicism, and can be situated somewhere between Huszka, Pasteiner and Pulszky's position. In order to remain consistent with his own principles, Hauszmann had to find a Hungarian executor for the plans he designed: "One of the main problems of the designer resides in finding someone to execute his plans... finding artisans who will understand his conception... and who will realize the part committed to their trust with pleasure and love while becoming deeply involved with its essence".

8 Considering the standard of cabinet-making in Hungary, the fact that his choice fell on the well-known furniture manufacturer Endre Thék (who had spent some time in France) was almost a matter of course. It is almost certain that Endre Thék and Alajos Hauszmann worked in close and continuous collaboration. Conception was Hauszmann's part of the job, whereas the shaping of the furniture, the finishing of details was certainly the work of his two closest collaborators Endre Thék and the architect Géza Györgyi. Thék being a cabinet-maker, he quite naturally created the shape of the diverse elements of furniture by applying the plans of architects and craftsmen in his own field.

9 In 1899, just before the inauguration of the Universal Exhibition of Paris, the Society of Applied Arts organized a Christmas exhibition presenting the year's products in the Museum for Applied Arts (most of the awarded objects were then sent to represent Hungary at the Universal Exhibition of 1900). The furniture and the panel-work of the St. Stephen room were however presented in Thék's workshops, as they were mostly realized in the Thék factory employing by then more than 200 people. Alajos Hauszmann had created the interior according to the Roman style in fashion in the days of St.Stephen: boarded ceiling leaning on wooden pillars, inlaid flooring.

10 The upper section of the walls were to be covered with silk brocade tapestry agremented with a pattern representing the Hungarian Crown interwoven with Byzantinestyle motives. The golden brocade fabric was realized in Haas' factory of Aranyosmarót, by craftsmen who had been imported from Milano especially for this purpose.

11 On the walls were to hang, in golden frames of carved wood, the faience portraits of ten kings designed by Ignác Roskovics and realized by the Zsolnay ceramic factory in Pécs, while two paintings representing the historical scenes of Saint Stephen preaching the gospel and Saint Stephen's coronation: the accession of an apostolic king

n were planned to occupy the space above the two doors. "We have planned a niche framed by pillars in the middle of the longitudinal axis of the room for a gigantic fireplace reaching up to the ceiling. A large Venetian mirror will be facing the fireplace on the opposite wall".

13 The traditionnally shaped, massive furniture made of walnut was decorated with elements borrowed from Roman architecture. Hauszmann praises the selection of the timber, the exact trimming and the irre-