Őriné Nagy Cecília: A gödöllői szőnyeg 100 éve (Gödöllő, 2007)

THE GÖDÖLLŐ CARPET'S 100 YEARS

An extremely important figure of the weavers' workshop was Leo Belmonte, a painter of Swedish origin, whom Kriesch befriended in Paris. After finishing the course of the Manufacture des Gobelins in Paris, he settled down with his family in Gödöllő, to teach the craft there. The students of the weaving school, which opened in 1904, came not only from Gödöllő and its vicinity, but also from faraway places. The Frey sisters, for instance, were from Bácska (today a part of Vojvodina, in Serbia). Rózsa was to become the leader of the workshop between 1906-19, while Vilma, who drew a stipend from the National Royal School of Applied Arts, prepared cartoons and did some weaving. She was also known for her fine aquarelles. In 1907, the workshop was elected to be training workshop of the National Royal School of Applied Arts, and Körösfői-Kriesch was appointed director. The school attracted young artists: Mariska Undi, for instance was a graduate of the Budapest School of Art and was an acknowledged artist. Her sister, Carla studied in the school with a scholarship from the Hungarian Royal School of Applied Arts, and many of her carpets and carpet designs have survived. Their sister, Jolán is reported to have been a gifted weaver. After finishing the course at the weaving workshop, Lenke Boér, who came from Diód, Transylvania, executed primarily the plans of her husband, Rezső Mihály. She remained devoted to textile art and even as a housewife did a lot of needlework. The names of most weavers, however, are unknown to us. Mari Pokorádi's memory has survived because Rezső Mihály made a portrait of this weaver girl from Gödöllő, for she was the executor of several of his plans. When talking about the workshop, we must not forget Sándor Nagy's wife, Laura Kriesch who also played an important role in the colony. She studied with Mariska Undi at the Budapest School of Art. Her fine embroidery and textile designs were featured at exhibitions and in the accompanying literature already even before the colony was formed. Sarolta Kovalszky and Margit Guilleaumme were the expert leaders of the workshop that was moved to Gödöllő. Their knowledge and experience were indispensable when it came to training the weavers, selecting the yarns and preparing the cartoons. The Gödöllő workshop was famous, from the very beginning, for its fine workmanship and the large variety of techniques employed. Beside the plain-cloth weave,