Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 27. (Budapest, 2009)
Emese PÁSZTOR - Márta TÓTH - Anikó PATAKI - Andrea VÁRFALVI: Turkish Cases from the Esterházy Treasury
Szilágyi. Iparművészeti Múzeum, Budapest 2006-2007 (hereinafter: Cat. Budapest 2006-2007), p. 109, Cat. 47 and 108, bottom right-hand picture (correctly). (II) Bow-case (fig. 5, left-hand side) and (III) arrow-case (fig. 5, right-hand side) Ottoman Empire, first half of the seventeenth century Gold and silver skófium embroidery, red velvet appliqué, red leather Bow-case: 1. 68 cm, w. 30 cm; arrow-case: 1. 44 cm, w. 20 cm, d. 8 cm Bow-case restored by Anikó Pataki, 2003; its earlier condition is shown by an archive photograph (MAA Archive, Inv. photonegative. 2188). Arrow-case restored by Andrea Várfalvi, 1995 Bow-case: inv. no. 52.2881; arrow-case: inv. no. 52.2880 The decoration of the bow-case and arrow-case kept together in the Esterházy Treasury is identical. Disregarding the few motifs couched with velvet, the front side of each piece is, across its entire surface, covered with gold- and silver-wire embroidery (skófiumhímzés), or - to use the language of the time - is 'fully embroidered'. The front side of the bow-case is embellished by plantain-shaped palmettes opening on a flowerstem consisting of rosettes, palmettes and jagged-edged and pointed leaves attached to gently curving stalks on a ground divided into different fields. From the stalks and from behind the palmettes leafy flowers on curving stalks lean outwards. The middle part of each of the larger motifs is filled out by small flowers and leaves on a red velvet ground. In the narrow band that constitutes a frame is a series of small pointed leaves. The arrow-case is smaller than the bowcase and its bottom is reinforced with a wooden insert for the storing of the sharp arrows. The lower half of its front side is covered by a side-pocket whose opening is curved. The embroidered embellishment on the pocket resembles that on the bow-case. A rosette on a single stalk opens from a slightly leaning pointed, jagged-edged leaf above the pocket. The bottom of the arrowcase is covered by an insert shaped like an oval cone; its embellishments are two stylised tulips growing from either side of a rosette. A pair is not known. Of the sources, the earliest to mention it is the 1654 inventory of the Fraknó treasury. 4 0 Cat. Budapest 1886, p. 364, No. 1370 (arrow-case) - Turkish Flowers. Studies on Ottoman Art in Hungary. Ed. Ibolya Gerelyes. Hungarian National Museum, Budapest, 2005 (hereinafter: Gerelyes 2005), p. 112, fig. 10 (Pásztor) - Cat. Budapest 2006-2007, p. 108, Cat. 46 and the lower left-hand picture (arrow-case). (IV) Bow-case (fig. 6, right-hand side) and (V) arrow-case (fig. 6, left-hand side) Ottoman Empire, early seventeenth century Embroidered in gold and silver skófium on a red velvet ground; lining, back and edges are leather Bow-case: 1. 68 cm, w. 27 cm; arrow-case: 1.44 cm, w. 21 cm, d. 5 cm Bow-case restored by Izabella Humor, 1981; arrow-case restored by Katalin Soós and Anikó Pataki, 1988 Bow-case: inv. no. 52.2882.1.; arrow-case: inv. no. 52.2864.1. 79
