Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 20. (Budapest, 2001)
Zsuzsa GONDA: Walter Crane's Visit to Budapest in the Context of Museums' Acquisitions
was executed by the Murano glass works. Indicative of Leighton's satisfaction is the fact that he intended to have the dome, too, covered with a mosaic. He meant to commission Crane and Burne-Jones to do the work, but he was put off by the high cost of the project. Arab Hall exemplifies a type of interior, one meant to house an existing collection, characteristic of the 1870s and as such is analogous to Whistler's famous Peacock Room. What adds to the importance of the Budapest design is that it is, to our knowledge, the only extant cartoon made for the decoration of Arab Hall, in spite of the fact that there were several pieces on display at the 1900 exhibition. 29 The significance of the five drawings by Walter Crane in the possession of the Museum of Fine Arts can only be fully appreciated in the context of all the acquisitions made in the same period. The only other contemporary English artwork purchased directly from the creator comprised two portraits bought from William Strang in 1905, and the only additions made to the collection of English drawings before 1914 were a mere five pieces. Just how highly Gábor Térey thought of Crane is suggested by his article published in the newspaper Pester Lloyd as well as his purchases. The woodcut he received as a gift from Walter Crane - the autographed title-page of Új Idők Térey donated, as a true museologist should, to the National Picture Gallery as early as 1900. 30 Thanks to Térey's consistent purchasing activities, the print collection held in the National Picture Gallery grew at an impressive rate, far faster than that of drawings. New acquisitions were regularly displayed, and, according to the catalogue of the 1901 exhibition entitled Modern Colour Prints, the number of modern prints was in excess of one thousand. In 1904 an exhibition comprising 180 prints was devoted entirely to modem English and American graphic art. 31 And yet one looks in vain for the name of Walter Crane on the list of the exhibits. Modem English graphic art was illustrated with works by the representatives of the "etching revival", a movement that had emerged in the 1860s (Whistler and Seymour Hayden) and their followers (David Young Cameron, David Muirhead Bone, Frank William Brangwyn). Graphic art as practised by Crane did not fit into this line of development. One more woodcut by Walter Crane was added to the collection of the National Picture Gallery at the turn of the century. The print was sold at the very reasonable price of 16 crowns by a Budapest dealership (picture 7). 32 The print appeared in 1894 in L'Estampe originale, a series launched by André Marty. A portfolio bearing that title and containing 10 graphic pieces intended to represent the foremost practitioners of the genre was issued every three months between 1893 and 1895. Contributors to the series included Whistler, Gauguin and Toulouse Lautrec. The works by Crane that were transferred into the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts after the tum of the century are also connected to the artist's visit in 1900. The print with which Crane had expressed his gratitude for being entertained in Kolozsvár by the English Reader of the local university János Kovács was donated to the Museum in 1931. 33 The motifs used on the print were repeated on Kovács 's "ex libris" bookplate created for the professor by Crane. A woodcut dedicated by Crane to the eminent art-historian József Mihalik was purchased in 1985. 34 Its rendering of Eve was made for a monumental, three-volume edition of the Bible published in 1900 in Amsterdam (picture 8). A few names will suffice to suggest the enormous divergence of artistic creeds represented the multitude of contributors to the book: Burne-Jones, Puvis de Chavannes, Max Liebermann. The wide variety of styles and techniques (woodcuts, engravings, lithographs) employed within one volume produced a confusing effect. Crane made five full-page illustrations for Genesis, and he also designed headers, illuminated initials and page ornamentation. 35 On the whole, he was dissatisfied with the result. "As a book," he concluded, "it was not possible to produce a harmonious effect out of so many diverse elements." 36 A major part was played in the 20 th century
