K. Palágyi Sylvia szerk.: Balácai Közlemények 2008/10. (Veszprém, 2008)

KIRCHHOF, ANITA: The decorative system and reconstruction of the red dining room at Baláca - A balácai vörös ebédlő dekorációs rendszere és rekonstrukciója

present on the plant representations at the bottom of the candelabrum, on the feathers of the bird, and as a background colour of one of the picture bands of the stucco-decoration as well as on the figures of the stucco-decoration. The red colour appears on the motifs and figures of the pedestal only in small spots, on the crest of the cock, below its neck, on the beak and feet of the stork an on the flowers among the plants. But is occurs also on the grapes of the candelabrums, on the vegetation at the bottom of the candelabrum, on the berries in the wreath of the Dionysiac mask, in the medallions, on the cap of the mushrooms, on the bundled birds as well as on the ham. It is present also as the background colour of some of the picture fields of the stucco-decoration. Besides the above-mentioned three main colours, the brown, yellow and pink, too, appear on the motifs. The brown, light brown, creamy and white colours of the cantharus represented on the pedestal appear again on the vine-stocks and vine-tendrils of the candelabrums, on the colours of the woven basket and in the inner part of the caps of the mushroons, on the bread and at the head of the birds, at the string used to fasten their legs within the medallions, as well as in the third medallion as the colour of the net containing the eggs. Afthe stucco frieze the white ledges and dentils were shaded with similar dark ochre-like, brownish, and greenish yellow colours. The border motifs of the red panels were painted with yellow in which the three main colours, the red-blue and green occur alternating with each other. The colour of the net containing the eggs is yellowish brown and the string of the birds as well as the stems of the bunches of grapes, the margins of the vine leaves, some leaves of the bushes on the pedestal and the petals of flowers can be seen among the bushes were painted with same colour. Finally, the pink gave the ground colour of the medallions of the main field, and it appears also on the candelabrum on the grapes, on the pedestal in the colour of flowers growing out of the bushes. Lilac is the only colour which can be seen only in the stucco strip, at the turn of the picture fields of alternating colours. White was applied on the motifs always as the final colour and it was used to bring about light and shade effect. The colour of the mushrooms and of the eggs, similarly to the colours of the columns giving the border of the candelabrums, was composed of creamy-swhite paints. Gy. Rhé

256 and E.B.Thomas

257 thought that the vegetation at the bottom of the candelabrums imitating bronze candelabrums was most probably made by not free hand-painting but with the aid of a stencil-plate put on the wall and the background of the candelabrum was painted black only after the deposition of the pattern and later after the removal of the patterns, had been the motifs painted. (Fig. 20.) This hypothesis can be supported by the regular and sharp contours of the plant, furthermore it seems that the black ground layer had not been survived below the plant decoration. However, the fact that the other motifs of the candelabrum, the vine-leaves, the bunches of grapes were not made by this method contradicts this hypothesis. According to my opinion the decorative motifs applied already with the al secco technique, at the bottom of the candelabrum, on a still hali-fresco-half-secco surface, because of the stability of the medium, bound the black background colour layer more firmly - therefore the black background colour peeled off together with the blue and green colours of the motif. If the painters had to sketch out a pattern, the direction of the black background painting of the candelabrum had to bed changed, however, this direction is an uniform vertical everywhere. The bottom of the survived fragment of the vegetation imitating the candelabrum is cut straight, that is the painting is finished at its bottom. The motif had not been placed on a pedestal because the field beside it is not black, but its colour is identical with that of the red colour of the main field, therefore it could decorate only the lower part of the candelabrum