Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 31. (Budapest, 2017)
Ildikó PANDUR: Restoration of Metalwork from the Esterházy Treasury in the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts: Past, Present and Future
Restoration of artworks from the Esterházy treasury today At present there are two major projects in Esterházy restorations, both already in progress for several years. Ivory artworks The ivory pieces in the Esterházy Treasury are damaged and deformed; their restoration has few parallels anywhere in the world. There are consequently few restorers with the special skills required for such work. Each of these outstanding pieces of metalwork, the most numerous being ivory covered cups, requires experimentation in technique, excellent visual memory to identify tiny fragments, and a thorough knowledge of the whole collection. This work has been in progress intensively since 2012.45 Particular problems are discolouration caused by corrosion and—in the case of the cups—the divergent behaviour of metal and ivory. (Fig. 11) Leather cases A study of the leather cases of metalwork pieces can provide important information for the treasury as a whole. It is only recently that the artistic and thus the historical significance of these items, hitherto regarded as incidental accessories, has been discovered in Hungary or anywhere else. A large accumulation of pieces of wood and leather from the ruined cases of the Esterházy treasures, not properly registered upon delivery to the museum, are mixed up among the remains of large clock cases. They have been the subject of full- scale treatment since 2011, aimed at reconstructing and—where possible—restoring them.46 (Fig. 12) Metal objects—mostly made of precious metals (especially silver-gilt), have from the beginning taken up most attention from staff of the metalwork restoration workshop. The chief selection criteria today are now the level and the extent of 12. Cup with cover, (Ej.189) and its leather case during restoration. Photo by Edit Darabos, 2012 83
