A Kaposvári Rippl-Rónai Múzeum Közleményei 3. (Kaposvár, 2014)

Varga Éva - Gyurákovics Norbert: Az államfő árnyékában. Az Elnöki Tanács Elnökének felesége, Losonczi Pálné kitüntetései

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In the shadow of the President

Medals of Mrs. Pálné Losonczi, wife of the Presidential Council’s president

ÉVA VARGA & NORBERT GYURÁKOVICS

A short essay was published about the medals of Pál Losonczi, which are owned by our museum (Varga Éva: Érdem és protokoll. Államfői kitüntetések a Somogy megyei Múzeumban. In Numizmatikai Közlüny. Főszerk.: Torbágyi Melinda. Bp, 2013. 115-128 p.) It is a peculiar story, how the collection got into the museum’s ownership. These medals are extraordinary from many points of view. On one hand, these medals are the most beautiful pieces of the Phaleristics. In 1988, when the collection was given to the museum, Pál Los- onczi’s medal-collection was the largest collection of medals by a Hungarian President after 1918. On the other hand, there had been no example of any medals, orders, ornaments - which were given after important public service - to became the treasure of the public. Presidential activity of Pál Losonczi was principally was restriced to develop international relations. His limits - within the State of the Party - was drawn by his travellings to abroad.

Medals, which were given during his international visits, are historical sources now. Linder our examination lots of niceties were lightened. Now our main purpose is to elaborate the medal-collection of the wife of the former President. As a part of diplomatic protocol, Mrs. Pálné Losonczi often kept his husband’s company during his external visits, when she also got prestig- ous medals. Contrary to the cult of the American first ladies, we mostly cannot remember even the names of the wives of the Presidents. Their personalities disappeared in the shadow, there are slightly no written or material objects, their portraits are quite hard to be drawn, almost impossible. In our opinion all of information about prize-winners belong to the verification of the objects. Our script tries to answer the question, who Mrs. Pálné Losonczi was with the technique of oral history. After it her four medals will be introduced professionally, which are held in our museum right now.