Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 22. (Budapest, 2003)
Márta JÁRÓ: On the History of a 17th Century Noblemans' Dolman and Mantle, based on the Manufacturing Techniques of the Ornamental Metal Threads. Or de Milan, Or de Lyon and Silver of Clay Ornamentations on a ceremonial Costume from the Esterházy Treasury
MÁRTA JÁRÓ ON THE HISTORY OF A 17TH-CENTURY NOBLEMAN'S DOLMAN AND MANTLE, BASED ON THE MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES OF THE ORNAMENTAL METAL THREADS Or de Milan, or de Lyon, and silver of clay ornamentations on a ceremonial costume from the Esterházy treasury "Yellow taffeta-lined cape and dolman, of flower-patterned gold fabric, from the time when Kaiser Leopold was anointed as King of Hungary." In these words, in 1725, the compiler of the inventory of the Esterházy treasury describes one of the costumes at that time preserved in the castle of Fraknó (today Forchtenstein). 1 These two items, the today slightly yellowish silken mantle interwoven with silver and gold threads and lined with red taffeta, and the dolman of the same material but with slightly different decorative pattern, lined with yellow taffeta and mended with gold and silver laces, are today in the textile collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts. 2 (Figs. 1-4) The heir-apparent of Ferdinand III (16081657), King of Hungary and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1637), suffered an early death. Following this, in June 1655 Ferdinand had his second son Leopold (1640-1705), then 15 years old, crowned King of Hungary in Pressburg (today Bratislava). A contemporary engraving of the ceremony 3 shows the king in coronation robes (Fig. 5), "vetustis ritibus coronatus est." 4 One probably contemporary extract from the "Zeremonialprotokolle" record of Vienna court events of the second half of the 17 th century 5 describes the coronation costume worn by the young prince in the following terms 6 : "Darauf geuolgt Ihr Königliche Mayestät einen Tholman oder ungarischen rockh anhabent, von reichen weißen goldtstuckh, mit güldenen undt sielbem schnüren, darüber ein mantl von nedther {in a second copy, "neckher" 7 ) farben samet, mit großen gulden undt sielbern spützn, verbrämbt, mit den goldstuckh gefüttert, von welchen der tholman gewesen, die schlingen undt knöpf wahren von perlen undt diamanten..." [His Majesty wore a dolman of Hungarian fashion, of rich white gold fabric, adorned with gold and silver lacing, and over it a mantle of ochre {or, ivory colour 8 ) velvet adorned with great gold and silver laces, the lining of the same gold fabric as the dolman, the loops and buttons of pearls and diamonds ... 9 ] The first-quoted description from 1725 agrees with this 1655 account only on one point, namely that one of the vestments is a Hungarian-style dolman made of gold fabric ("goldtstuckh", modern German "Goldtuch"). In the catalogue of an exhibition for the relief of flood victims held in Budapest in 1876, the mantle is described as being made of white silk with gold embroidery. 10 Masner in 1891 also speaks of white silk woven with silver and gold. 11 Höllrigl in 1944 describes the fabric of the two pieces as Italian brocade with scattered gold flower patterns on a white base with silver interweaving. 12 In these three descriptions reference is made to the colour of the silk fabric, which in the case of the dolman is white, as described in the contemporary 1655 account. The dolman and mantle preserved in the Museum of Applied Arts are certainly the same items as those mentioned in the 1725 Fraknó inventory and in the 19 th and 20 Ih-century references, despite the colour differences. The two pieces were buried in the ruins of the bomb-damaged palace of the Esterházy family in the Buda Castle for some years after the end of the Second
