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

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

bands. Under the back pommel, straps fixed to the saddle bottom, slipped through an iron ring, bound with parchment and supplied with an iron buckle presumably served the securing of the croup-strap.The two long openings on the ends of the saddle base facilitated the attachment of the stirrup-straps. The principal measurements of the saddle are given in Figure 1. On the basis of its shape and its chased pommel-fist covered with precious stones, the saddle once belonging to Mihály Tekeki, Chancellor of Transylvania,

4 shows some resemblance to the restored Esterházy saddle. On the other hand, the ornamentation on the pommels, the seat and the saddle-wings are different in the case of the two saddles. On the Esterházy saddle the pommels are covered with silver-gilt sheeting, while on the Teleki saddle only the edges of the pommels exhibit a border strip embellished with precious stones. The seat of the Teleki saddle is unadorned black vehet. At the edges of the saddle-wings is stretched gilded braid, with openwork silver-gilt sheeting embellishments at the four corners. Of similar designer is the saddle which once belonged to János Kemény, Prince of Transylvania, with its rich goldsmith's work embellishment (111. 2).

5 The edges of the pommels, as in the case of the Teleki saddle, are bordered with silver-gilt sheeting. The bottom of the pommel-fist, which is set with turquoises, is made more splendid by polychrome cloisonné enamel. The outer parts of the pommels covered with red velvet are filled out with multiplex wire embroidery. Besides its form, the carnationand-tendril adornment of the saddle-wings and of the quilted seat (made of bluish lilac velvet and differing in colour from the saddle-wings) make this saddle similar to the one restored. The motifs on the metal embroidery embellishing the velvet covering of the Esterházy saddle consist of characteristic Renaissance elements - as, for example, in a border pattern made in 1527.

6 Among examples of Hungarian gentlewomen's embroidery we can find something similar on the edges of the altar-cloths in the Lutheran church at Lőcse (Levoca, Slovakia).

7 During the making of the metal covering for the saddle, the front and back pommel coverings were each brazed together from two sheets which were first worked together and then hammered into shape. The settings necessary for the mounting of the stones were made from rings cut from a thin strip of silver which were placed on a silver base sheet and brazed on. The leafy, tendril ornamentation was then chased onto this surface. After the settings had been made and the chasing done, the top side of the sheeting was embellished with fire gilding. During the fixing of the stones, the settings were filled with a mixture of wax, resin and bole and the turquoises (polished to form cone shapes) placed inside; the edges of the settings were then pushed onto the stones.

8 The metal covering of the pommel-fist consists of two pieces brazed together after being hammered into shape. The embellishment was done in the same way as that of the pommel sheeting itself. The pommel sheeting was fixed to the wooden frame using nails made from silver wire and hammered into shape. The holes for these were presumably made in advance, since in the absence of pre-existing holes the soft silver nails would have bent when hammered in. The circular rings made from silver and facilitating the attachment of ornamented weapons were produced in a number of stages. First of all rings of thick silver wire that was circular in cross-section were created by means of brazing. The lugs were made from wire which was semicircular in