Folia Historica 28. (Budapest, 2013)
II. KÖZLEMÉNYEK - Ewa Letkiewicz: The Hungarian King's Daughter Kinga's 13th Century Jewel in Polish Collections
The layer structure of the stone was used to form a man's head in bas-relief, which showed in the left profile, against a darker background. High, bulging forehead and protruding nose of the man create a smooth line, resembling the letter 'S'. The man's strongly bulging eye, cut in almond-like shape, with a casually hollowed pupil, was presented enface. Mouth, poorly worked out, were demarcated by a straight cut slit. His hair is almost completely covered by a little, closely fitting cap. Only three wavy curls on his temple escape the cover, clearly visible against the background of rhythmically crossing cuts. The man's head is set on massive head, partly covered with the folds of his attire. The stone profile of the man was set in the obverse of the metal box with the metal slat cut in triangles (little leaves). A similar setting, of triangularly cut tin obtained the cabochon-cut red stones (rubies?), surrounding the gem. Initially there were twenty-eight of them. At present there are twenty. In the upper part of the obverse a small cornet is soldered, which makes it possible to hang the jewel on the chain. The reverse of the jewel is of identical shape of irregular oval, (photo 3) It is formed by flat tin, decorated with horizontal rows of double, zigzag lines, separating the rows of apertures perforated in the tin. The center of reverse is occupied by a full-plastic little figure of crucified Christ. The reverse is surrounded by identically cut and set red stones. Originally there were sixteen of them. Three were lost. When seeking similar solutions we noticed portrait cameos, of which especially two relics turned out to be formally the closest to the gem of S^cz. One of them is the so - called St. Dionysus ring, dated to the 12th century, ornamented with three gems, coming from the dispersed treasury of St. Denis Abbey. It now decorates the extremely precious relic of the French crown jewels, The Kings' of France Arm of Justice.5 (photo 4) Another one is the brooch gem, kept in Carand collection in Museo Nazionale del Barg- ello in Florence with a profiled presentation of man, dated to the 13th century.6 Like in 5 Pazzi, Pietro: Urok i przepych zlota Francji. In: Skarby swiata. Collective work. Warsaw, 1999. 246-247. 6 Lightbown, Ronald W.: Mediaeval European Jewellery: with Catalogue of the Collection in the Victoria & Albert Museum. [London], 1992.25. photo 8. 42 1. photo Jewel with gem, treasury of Poor Clare's Convent in Stary Sac/, obverse, 13th century (Photo: Hwa Letkiewicz)
