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

Zsuzsanna LOVAY: Endre Thék and the Design of the Prime Minister's Study in the Hungarian Parliament

The so-called gentleman's writing desk was rather common by the 1860s and 1870s, and the design is still used today in smaller or larger versions. The left-hand part of the three-door cupboard (fig. 4) in the Prime Minister's Study is for hangers, while the middle and righthand parts have shelves. The accented, articulated lower edge, resting on eight cylindrical legs, supports the massive body of the cupboard, the middle part of which projects slightly. Each of the three doors is divided into squares and rectangles by a narrow rectangular inlay field. Each inlay fields is delimited by a diagonally indented border contoured with brass stick ornamentation, in which Zsolnay eosin-painted ceramic inlay decoration can be seen. The step-like parts of the cupboard are framed by a line of ceramic inlays consisting of coloured squares on the top part, which is crowned by carved ornamentation, which at one time featured ceramic inlays. The pressed brass keyhole surrounds, with their Art Nouveau patterns, on the doors cover locks marked " Antal Bíró, Budapest". The arrangement of the cupboard follows the pattern of the three-door wardrobe, while its function is a combined one, with a part with hangers for the storage of clothes and parts with shelves for official documents. The bottom two-door part of the bookcase (fig. 5) rests on an articulated base which sticks out slightly and which stands on four flat scone-like feet. The door inlays, which are surrounded by brass sticks and articulated wooden frames, are, along with the flat drawers above, ornamented with Zsolnay ceramic inlays. The upper part of the cupboard is supported by two carved consoles which are bent back and which are the same as the supports on the writing desk bearing the shelves. The middle part has a mahogany-veneer door embellished with Zsolnay ceramic inlays; those on either side have engraved glass doors. The cupboard rises in steps at the top. The edge of its top, which is embellished, with a row of polychrome ceramic inlays consisting of flat squares, and its crown are the same as those of the three-door cupboard. In terms of structure the bookcase follows the dresser featured in Historicism dining rooms: a closed lower part with shelves, a middle section with a flat surface and another part with glass doors for decorative crockery or glassware. The appliqué embellishments reveal a combination of two styles: Art Nouveau and Neo-Renaissance. At one time a document stand belonged to the suite of furniture in the Prime Minister's Study. Now we know of this only from old pictures and the plan. The upper central part of the open bookshelves, divided into three sections and inserted between latheturned columns, was closed off by a downwards-opening door embellished with Zsolnay ceramic inlays. The top part of the stand corresponded with that on the writing desk. This broad piece of furniture was, if clumsy, highly functional, and occurred often in the 19th and 20th centuries. The washstand stood on four cylindrical lathe-turned legs which tapered slightly towards the bottom and which were connected by consoles to the body of the cabinet, which was divided into three parts. A rectangular door opened between framed inlay fields to either side. The top of the cabinet was bordered on three sides by a raised edge made of wood. The entire surface of the washstand was embellished with eosin-glazed Zsolnay ceramic inlay elements. The furniture was augmented by a low table and set of chairs. Instead of the rectangular one featuring in the original plans, a round table was made, which stood on four lathe-turned, fluted and carved legs of solid mahogany. The rimmed tabletop was embellished with Zsolnay majolica inlay. The embellishment of the chairs, which were upholstered in green leather - their stylized motifs in circular frames recall the