Conservation around the Millennium (Hungarian National Museum, 2001)

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5. Paper cover completed with casting and glued back to the bottom of the case

6. Restored mirror and lid. We can observe the identical motives on the back plate of the mirror and on the onlays of the case

covered the side walls with leather, then glued on the fragments as well. After drying, I replaced the original inner cover filled in with paper cast and water paint, then glued on the pressed paper onlays. For glueing I used wheat starch.

After complete drying, the restored case became suitable to fulfil its original function, to securely hold the mirror restored by Jenő Rácz goldsmith-restorer. (Pictures 5-6)

Suggestion for storage

The case must be kept free of direct light in a temperature of 20 °C and 50±5% relative humidity since the paper and leather components of the object are sensitive to the changes of temperature and humidity, which can cause distortions that would need repeated restoration. The maximal affordable illumination is 50 lux.

NOTES

1 E.g. the case of the so-called Matthias flask (masterpiece made by a goldsmith from Nürnberg in the 15th century, inv. no:: IM.E.59.1.) was made of wood, it was coated with leather and ornamented with blindtooling. Several goblet cases can be found among the fragments. They have wooden cores and leather covers.

2 Thaly Kálmán: Esterházy Miklós nádor kincstára 1645 [Palatine Miklós Esterházy's treasury 1645] in: Történeti Tár, Magyar Történelmi Társulat (ed) Budapest, 1883. 764.

3 Entries 13-18. Katona Imre: A fraknói kincstár 1685. évi tára [Inventory of the Fraknó treasury in 1685] in: Savaria. Vas megyei múzeumok értesítője 17-18, Szombathely, 1983, p. 487.

4 “83. A rounded turquoise mirror with a long handle." In: Katona Imre: A fraknói kincstár 1685. évi tára [Inventory of the Fraknó treasury in 1685] in: Savaria. Vas megyei múzeumok értesítője 17- 18, Szombathely, 1983, p. 494.

5 Nro 3: “A long-handled gilded Turkish mirror made of pure silver and richly inlayed with turquoise.” In: Katona Imre: A fraknói kincstár 1725. évi tára [Inventory of the Fraknó treasury in 1725] In: Művészettörténeti Értesítő XXIX, Akadémia Kiadó Bp. 1980, 137.

6 The “shaz” style introduced by the Persian master Sahkulu became dominant from the middle of the 16th century. The characteristics of the style appeared on goldsmith’s works in the shape of pointed leaves and rosettes on arabesque (rumi-type) tendrils. Another characteristic floral ornament of the period was the so-called Flatay flower motive. This ornament usually contained peony and lotus flower.

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