Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 26. (Budapest, 2008)

Ildikó PANDUR: Variations on a Sculpture. Questions and Answers Concerning the 'Ironworker' Sculpture Formerly in the Jungfer Collection

6. Ironworker, repousse' copper, present state was, for example, a - cast-iron - sculpture that had been brought to the Berzsenyi utca factory for repair.

16 (The ironworker sculpture, too, passed to the Museum in a damaged and incomplete state.) There are, however, more compelling data to contradict the assumption that the sculpture might have belonged among Jungfer's sculptural works. The figure, attired in characteristic work clothes, holding a pair of pincers and known by the title 'Ironworker' ('Iron Founder', 'Metalworker', 'Foundryman', 'Labour'), was executed in many examples in the late 19

th century. Besides the beaten copper example, a version cast from iron is known (ill. 7).

17 In all probability, these artefacts were made at the same time, since photographs taken at the 1896 Millennial Exhibition indicate that both would have been seen by the public. The figure appears not just on an illustration depicting the Mining and Metallurgy Pavilion (ill. 8) (and, inside it, the exhibition staged by the different ironworks owned by the Hungarian state), but also on an archive photograph of the Hall of Industry (ills. 9-10). The latter may have been made using the repoussé tech7. Ironworker, version castfrom iron