Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 27. (Budapest, 2009)
Emese PÁSZTOR - Márta TÓTH - Anikó PATAKI - Andrea VÁRFALVI: Turkish Cases from the Esterházy Treasury
II/5. Leather lining and back panel (before repair and supplementation) plied Arts, the artefact was - at the time the photograph was taken - intact with small parts missing on its embroidery. Similarly to other pieces in the Esterházy collection, this case, too, suffered serious damage. After it had been brought to the surface, the artefact was dismantled and the borders partly taken off. 5 8 Based on damage visible on the artefact and on traces of corrosion that also occur, it was probably kept together with arrows. Seeping from the arrow-heads, iron corrosion had to all intents and purposes ruined the bottom of artef act. The fabric of the lower part of the embroidered front panel and the layers of thread used as padding were almost completely destroyed. Because of this, only the metal-wire embroidery and the stitching of the threads holding this down could be seen. The metal wire was heavily corroded and had become fragile and thinner; in many places it had come away from the surface completely. Significant wear was visible in the upper field and around the two upper loops. In many places elements of the design were coming away along the contour lines. Some parts of the linen ground under the velvet had developed holes. The leather lining and the back panel were completely distorted in shape. Also, they had dried out, becoming shrivelled and hard. Their surface was dusty and soiled. On the back panel, which was wrinkled, the mark made by a sharp artefact was visible in the middle. The edges of the artefact were in many places cracked and incomplete. The upper loops were missing. Iron corrosion that had seeped into the structure had made the leather brittle and crumbly on its bottom third. In the once-soft sheepskin layer of the leather lining insects must have been living earlier on: the layers preserved traces 94
