Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 17. (Budapest, 1998)

Andrea VÁRFALVI - Tamás Károly PELLER: The Restoration of a 17th Century' Hungarian Saddle

ANDREA VÁRFALVI - TAMÁS KÁROLY PELLER THE RESTORATION OF A 17TH CENTURY HUNGARIAN SADDLE Along with other pieces from the Esterházy collection, this 17th-century Hungarian saddle came to the Museum of Applied Arts in 1948.

1 It had been found under the ruins of the bombed and burntout Esterházy palace in the Buda Castle District (111. iy Restoration of the saddle presented restorators with a complex task. The performance of the work was preceded by research into analogous cases, as well as investigations into the materials and the production techniques used. These inquiries lent assistance in choosing between the various conservation methods and materials to be employed.

3 The limewood frame of the saddle consists of two pommels (front and rear) and two saddle-boards. The front pommel consisted of two parts. Between the pommels and the boards is stretched Hungariantanned leather. The wooden frame is covered with parchment, on the inner part of which towards the saddle ventricle and on the bottom part of the saddle bottom there stretches a birchbark covering. The covering prevented sweat from the horse seeping into the wood. The middle of the seat is stuffed with calfs hair. The hair, placed on blue canvas, is covered with blue silk damask cut from two pieces on a red base, which every 2.5 centimetres was fastened dowu with wedgeshaped quilting stitch. The pattern on the damask is made up of large pomegranates and small flowers with leaves. The covering of the saddle-wings and the inner parts of the pommels is made from red velvet. The velvet consists of nine pieces, embellished with silver-gilt and silver multiplex wire embroidery, as well as with silver-gilt wire embroidery. Embroidery along the edges of the saddle-wings depicts flowers repeated and linked together by wavy tendrils. In the corners four bouquets of carnations are placed diagonally, from each of which two acanthus flowers branch out. The flowers frame two prancing, twin-tailed lions facing each other. Between the lions a "tree of life" consisting of flower motifs can be seen. The rectangular-shaped saddle-wings are each lined with leather consisting of four pieces; their edges are trimmed with a strip of leather 0.7 cm in width. Beneath the seat there is a separate leather lining. The exteriors of the high, semi-circular front pommel and the lower back pommel are covered with silver-gilt sheeting, which on the upper edges of the pommels bends inwards in a 1.5 cm band. The metal plates are embellished with tendril-pattern chasing and with turquoises polished into cones and mounted in smaller and larger settings. The front pommel ends in a forwardleaning pommel-fist embellished with turquoises, the surfaces of which have been chased. Before each juncture of the pommel with the saddle-wing there are two silver-gilt