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

Lilla ERDEI T.: Chantilly-Laces in the Textile Collection of the Museum of Applied Arts

spheres of his interest were: ceramics, glassware, goldsmith's work, eastern carpets, EasternAsian pieces, textiles, folk embroideries, laces and pictures. He donated the whole collection to the Museum of Applied Arts without conditions several times before his death and in his last will, too. In the donating contract and in the last will

5 he explained the three main aims of this action: he wanted to improve the museum's collection with a high number of valuable foreign and Hungarian objects, he wanted to serve as an example for inspiring modem arts and last but not least he wanted to provide a basis for research, accessible for scientific research of all times. The Museum of Applied Arts considers him one of the greatest donators of its history. A significant part of his huge collection is the lace collection, containing more than a hundred rich and varied pieces. Aladár Dobrovits, a former director of the Museum of Applied Arts comprehensively rated it to be a significant documentation of the lace history from the 17"

1 century till nowadays.

6 It would be difficult to evaluate the diversity of the laces, but it is important to emphasize that besides the greatest lace centres of Western Europe he also collected the Hungarian folk and craft laces. He numbered the laces and gave French definitions and a distinctive stamp to each piece, of which only few have remained till now. A part of his collection was exhibited as his own property in 1933 in an exhibition for amateur lace collectors,

7 organised in the Museum of Applied Arts. His valuable Chantilly laces were also chosen with care: an interestingly composed sunshade, a tie with point rows, two fans with detailed decorations, three hat veils and several varied fragments of trimmings. On two of his fans, the definitions written by him are still perceptible. (Fig. lib) COUNTESS ALFONZ BOLZA, CECÍLIA VÁSÁRHELYI (1874, Szarvas - 1976, Budapest) She was bom in a middle-class family in Szarvas, in 1894. Her husband, Count Alfonz Bolza was a magistrate, coming from an Italian noble family/ Besides preserving the noble inheritance, the Countess did a conscious collecting work. She was in connection with Antal Szmik,'' who, being the well-known expert of laces in the first half of the 20"' century, helped the Countess with his advice. In the collections there are mostly accessories for 18

,h-19

,h century costumes: Binche, Valenciennes, Alençon, Burano, Chantilly and Bruxelles laces. She presented her collection in her home, more precisely in her parlour in the 1920's, in Gyula. In 1984-1985 her daughter, Countess Ágota Bolza* donated the collection of 40 pieces to the museum with an original photo, taken from her mother's exhibition in Gyula. (Fig. 2) In the picture, two valuable Chantilly laces of the collection can be seen together with a huge shawl and the crinoline-lace fragment on the table. ARCHDUKE ÁGOST JÓZSEF HABSBURG (1872, Alcsút- 1962, Rain bei Straubing) Ágost József Archduke is the descendant of the Hungarian branch of the Habsburg-dynasty, as son of Károly József, grandson of József (1776-1847), palatine of Hungary. He was engaged in politics; he was a general and took part in World War I as a commander. He was also member of the Kisfaludy Association and the Hungarian Academy of Science, later he became the president of the latter. In the 1820's, palatine József had his castle built on the ruins of a previous provostship on his estate in Alcsút. (Alcsútdoboz, County Fejér) He established a model farmstead and a park containing rarities. His estate was inherited by his children and later was directed by his grandson, Ágost József. He and his family: his wife Lujza Mária, a Bavarian princess and their children were living in Alcsút till 1944. Before the end of World War II, they emigrated to the United States of America then settled in Regensburg. After World War II., the social department of the local authorities distributed the textiles left on the estate of Alcsút among the poor. The laces, considered luxurious - not having any value for the homeless, poor people - remained in one hand. In 2004, these laces got into the Museum of Applied Arts through Ms Péter