Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 24. (Budapest, 2006)

Magdolna LICHNER: The reception of electroplates in Hungary I. - Electroplates in the collection of the Museum of Applied Arts 1873-1884

M Translator's note: Although nowadays the terms "applied art" and "decorative art" are used , it is the original word "industrial art" that conveys the notion of the intertwining of industry and fine arts. (cf. the Hungarian term ["iparművészet") preserved the original meaning, too.) 33 The printed version of the popular science lecture (held at the Budapest Circle of Cratftsmen and Manufacturers): Művészi Ipar 1885/86 193-199. Republished: A népművészet felfedezése. Tanulmányok a népművészetről és az iparművészetről 1875-1899. Introduced and selected by Mária. Kresz, edited by Hedvig, Szabolcsi. Documentatio Ethnographica 4. szám. Kézirat gyanánt, Budapest - Szolnok. 1973. pp. 97-107. The modern notion of the 'original' or the 'genuine', that is, the idea of the artist's innovation, and the category of authenticity and non-recurrence developed in the course of the 18th-century discussion on imitation vs creation. It was the romantic cultural philosophy that created the cult of the notion. Edward Young's essay 'Hypotheses on original composition' (1759) rejected imitation completely and made a stand against 'imitators' and 'copyists'. As a matter of fact, the discussion was about imitating old art, that is. about preserving tradition and appreciating 'inspired originality'. According to him, imitating nature and imitating classical artists are completely different: the former is to be called original, while the term 'imitation' covers the latter. See: Edward Young: Conjectures on Original Composition. In: Young: Complete Works. Ed. James Nichols. London, 1854. Vol. II. p. 551. Friedrich Schlegel German aesthetician in his writing 'A Study on Greek Poetry' (1795-1797) backed up the balance of tradition and aspiration for the modem. Jochen Schmidt: Die Geschichte des Genie-Gedankens in der deutschen Literatur, Philosophie und Politik 1750-1945. Darmstadt, 1982. Vol. I. Above all: Chapter a GenieParadigmata des 18. Jahrhunderts, op. Cit. pp. 155 etc. It was Jakob Burckhardt's early works on the employers' and the employed artists' individual performance that spread the romantic notion of cultural history in a most impressive way and still determine the basis of the popular notion of art. Cf.: J. Burckhardt: Die Zeit Konstantins des Grossen. Basel. 1853.; Die Kultur der Renaissance in Italien. Basel, I860.; Geschichte der Renaissance, 1867. On the issue of the 'genuine', the original and the reproduction, see: Sándor. Radnóti: A hamisítás. Budapest, 1995. On the discussion that evolved subsequent to the reception of Waller Benjamin's writing 'The Work of Art in the Period of Mechanical Reproduction' (Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner technischen Reprodizierbarkeit) see: Retaining the Original. Multiple originals, copies and reproductions. Studies in the History of Art. Vol. 20. Washington, National Gallery of Art. 1989. On the role of reproduction also see: Hannah Arendt: Tradition and the Modem Age. In: Between Past and Future. New York, 1968. 25. skk. 37 In this essay Pulszky, having defined the notion, discusses the trend that seeks 'the Hungarian style' and clearly distinguishes style and taste. He considers style to be a historical notion and sets it apart from national character, while takes taste as an aesthetic standard; in his opinion, value judgement and its features primarily come from social position. Pulszky 1885. pp. 195-199. For a detailed discussion of the issue, see Note 19. Katalin, Sinkó,. Acta Históriáé Artium 38 Kalauz az Iparművészeti Museum (sic!) gyűjteményeihez. Ed. A., Schikedanz and K., Pulszky. Budapest, 1877. !

" The Archives of the Museum of Applied Arts 3/1878 „Gróf Zichy Edmund vétele az 1878iki világkiállításon az iparművészeti múzeum számára." The group of the 14 electrotypes contains, among others, a reproduction of a 16—17*century goblet as well as copies of the following works of art: a 16th-century salt-cellar, a tazza, a goblet produced on the model of a work of Wenzel Jamnitzer's, an Orientalstyled candlestick, an engraved glass can in an embossed silver setting, a 'Prinz Carl" Shield etc. Also see: Jelentés a Párizsi világkiállításon vett tárgyakról Méltóságos Pulszky Ferenc úrnak a múzeumok és könyvtárak főfelügyelőjének. The Archives of the Museum of Applied Art. Kit.: 1421. The author of the account mentions that at that time the Count Ödön Zichy also purchased artefacts for the Vienna museum. Several artefacts (purchased in 1878) are indicated as presents from the Baron Mór Hirsch. It is most probable that Ödön Zichy merely selected the artefacts and it was Mór Hirsch who financed the purchase. Both names appear frequently in connection with the Balkan railway (a railway connecting the Near East with Europe that was urged on by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy after the Berlin Congress): Hirsch is mentioned as a banker and Zichy as a diplomat (he was the vice president of the Eastern Railway Association). This may be the basis of their relationship. 40 The Hungarian translation of the work was published first in 1777-1778. Subsequently, several Hungarian editions came out (among others, a translation by Béla Szabadi in 1907. The electroplated reproduction, along with several other artefacts, were entered into the inventory as a present from Mór Hirsch. 41 Jenő, Radisics: Képes kalauz, 1885. pp. 1-4. The No 4 and 14 metal inlaid-works in the first glass-case in the first room are taken to be the illustrations of the Damascene procedure of incrustration. In case of the major artefacts. Radisics added a detailed, small-type description to the short description. There artefacts, however, were but merely mentioned: in fact, the Bunyan Shield is enlisted without a name, as the counterpart of the Milton Shield. 4; Old inventory number: 6216 (present inventory number: 11133) and 6218 (presently 11134). In the list registered as No 3/1878 in the Archives of the Museum of Applied Arts the goldsmith's name was spelled correctly. 43 On the relationship of Flaxman and the Rundell company and on the Achilles Shield see: Ludwig Schorn: „Besuch bey Flaxman im Juli 1826" , in John Flaxman. Mythologie und industrie. Hamburg. 1979. pp. 36-38. and Bury 1979. (note 24) Cat. 196. (The shield is presently housed in: Collections of Her Majesty the Queen) ) and Cat. 203. (The drawing is presently deposited in the British Museum). 44 L. Morel (1903) 22., 42-^43 and about the collector see. Hilda Horváth's Phd dissertation 'The Art Collection of the Count János Pálffy' (2002) deals with the collector's person and and the reconstruction of his scattered collection.