Ikvainé Sándor Ildikó szerk.: Néprajzi, történeti és múzeumszociológiai tanulmányok a Ferenczy Múzeumból (Szentendrei Múzeumi Füzetek 1. Szentendre, 1996)

Ikvainé Sándor Ildikó: Népi mesterek, művészek Pest megyében

producing unique objects and pieces of jewellery. Whatever medium he chooses, he produces real works of art. As a summary of our observations concerning the exhibits, we may say that there is a favourably high number of popular artists and craftsmen in Pest County. Our show is incapable of including them all, since one may always hear of new artists whom we have not yet contacted, but who might appear at further exhibitions. Unfortunately our museum is too small to house pieces from other fields of folk art at the same time, so you cannot see ceramics, embroideries or home woven textiles now. Another interesting phenomenon is that earlier masters of folk art produced almost exclusively objects of use, though they were certainly artistically formed masterpieces. Even most love-tokens were of this kind: distaffs, mangles, matchboxes or boxes for other purposes, etc. Present-day exhibits have a different function: they decorate homes like paintings, murals, and statues that revive the artists' youth. Even original objects of use were turned into ornaments. Most aesthetically formed drinking cups or salt boxes carved of wood are not used functionally any longer, not to speak of beaters-, mangles, boxes for ointment against itches, scourges, etc. Most of the beautiful cithers are bought for decoration rather than for being played on. Our folk art has thus altered, but the demand of works which represent our ideas or scenes from old peasant life and revive our memories of the old days has remained. (Translated by Beatrix Szepesi) 129