Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 29. (Budapest, 2013)
In memoriam Mária Zlinszky-Sternegg
IN MEMÓRIÁM MARIA ZLINSZKY-STERNEGG (BUDAPEST, 1927 - BUDAPEST, 2013) She commanded respect and earned not only our trust and attention, but also our admiration and esteem, first and foremost because of her work in art history. Mrs János Zlinszky, née Mária Sternegg, added important and new insights to her field - the study of the artists, masters and patrons of historic ages, as well as their varied and well-documented connections. Researchers of art history of the present day and the future will no doubt remember Mária Zlinszky-Sternegg in this way, as the author of oft-cited scholarly articles. However, those of us who worked beside her for many years at the Museum of Applied Arts will also remember her selfless generosity, her readiness to help, and the tremendous confidence she placed in us young and inexperienced museologists. We welcomed her advice, which was always very personal thanks to the interest she showed in our work - including that of the youngest among us. She had a special sense of who needed her help and how, and allowed many of us to benefit from her connections. She would say, “Go ahead and turn to this or that colleague (whether in Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Munich or Paris). He or she is the person you should consult with on this particular topic. Please feel free to let him or her know I referred you.” Today it is hard to appreciate how much this kind of support meant back then, in the 1970s and 1980s. It was our gateway, both literally and figuratively, to the international community of scholars. And no one was happier to hear about our small achievements - if we indeed had any - than she was. The enthusiasm was mutual, and ours was accompanied by deep reverence and gratitude. We were thrilled to see the universal esteem Hungarian and foreign scholars had for Mária, her work and her accomplishments, knowing then and today it was well deserved. The exhibitions she organized and her studies on the history of furniture and musical instruments were rightfully acknowledged at home and abroad. We have no space here to analyse this volume of work, or even simply list the titles. Mária’s care and - thanks to her expertise, quite significant - enrichment of the collection she oversaw and her efforts in researching and publishing this collection are obvious. But whenever she needed to, she was quite ready to work in other fields, on other collections, as well. The survey of the history and artworks of the Cistercian Abbey of Szentgotthárd is considered a standard work and a reference for all future 122
