Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 18. (Budapest, 1999)

Magdolna LICHNER: Data on Gyula Benczúr's Collection of Textiles

The so-called Dubary pictures, HNG Inv. Nos.: 5575 and 56.25; Felvinczy, op. cit., p. 13f, Homer: op, cit., p. 34f, Mihalik: op. cit., p. 22 32 From the Benczúr Estate, Inv. No. 22595/86, HNG Archives. With his signature on 5 November 1925 Dr. Károly Layer, senior curator at the National Hungarian Museum of Applied Arts, attested to the receipt of the 300 pieces. The following entries on the list can be identified as 18th century: items 6-8, 11-12, 1719, 22, 66-67, 73-78, 88-87, 100, 106, 112-149 (sashes and waistbands), 234-235, 237, 267297, among them fourteen pairs of shoes and boots (282-296). 33 MAA Inv. Nos. 16.168, 16.169, 16.170, 16.171, 16.173 a-c (men's clothing), 16.174 a-b, 16.177, 16.178, 16.180, 16.181 (women's clothing), 16.196, 16.197, 16.198 a-b, 16.199, 16.207 (pieces of textile) 34 MAA Inv. No. 16.190 35 Layer inventory 181, 64, 111 36 Layer inventory 214, 218-224 37 Layer inventory 239, 240 38 József Huszka's folk ornamentation collection: Huszka, József: Magyar díszítő styl I. (The Hungarian Decorative Style, I). With illustrations by Gusztáv Morelli. Budapest, 1885 and Huszka, József: "A debreczeni czifra szúr" (The Debrecen Ornamented Shepherd's Cloak), Művészi Ipar, 1885, pp. 85-91. On the basis of 20th-century research we now know that embroidery on these cloaks dates from the late 18th century. See Györffy, István: Cifraszűr. Magyar népi hímzés I. (The Ornamented Shepherd's Cloak. Hungarian Folk Embroidery, I). Budapest, 1930, p. 6ff 39 Layer inventory, entries 24-62 40 MAA Inv. Nos. 16.182, 16.183, 16.185, 16.186, 16.187, 16. 188 41 HNG Inv. No. 2798. Benczúr's sketch was preferred to entries from Bertalan Székely, etc. in the 1869 competition announced by Baron József Eötvös, Minister of Educational and Religious Affairs. It was purchased for the National Gallery in 1876, and won a bronze medal at the "Salon" competition held in Paris in 1878. 42 Sketch from 1902, HNG Inv. No. 50.39. Today the finished work can be seen in St. Stephen's Cathedral, Pest. 43 Matthias and Holubár. Sketch. HNG Inv. No. F.K. 4349; King Matthias Amongst His Men of Learning. Sketch. HNG Inv. No. F. K. 4350; King Matthias Receiving the Pope's Emissaries; see also Ignác Alpár's 1902 request for the renovation of the Matthias Hall in Buda Castle. 44 HNG Inv. No. 1278 45 HNG Inv. No. 1279 6 Renaissance clothing and textiles, Layer inventory, entries 176-179 47 See the card catalogue of Gyula Benczúr's library, HNG Archives 6060/1954 48 Thanks to Benczúr's heirs, approximately 1000 documents are to be found in the Hungarian National Gallery Archives, among them original letters, reminiscences by his children, and copies of articles from the press of the day. See HNG Archives 5154-6085/1954, the bequest received in 1986, etc. Thanks are due to colleagues who assisted me in the identification of textiles and in the checking of conclusions: Gábor Bellák, art historian, at the Hungarian National Gallery; Mrs. László Krakler and Ms. Réka Horváth of the Textiles Department, Museum of Applied Arts; and Péter Mainas, fifth-year university student.