Szirácsik Éva (szerk.): A Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum Közleményei 2016-2017 (Budapest, 2017)

Takáts Rózsa: Róth Miksa üvegművész működése a budapesti Vajdahunyadvárban

ABSTRACT

The works of the stained glass artist Miksa Róth in Vajdahunyad Castle, Budapest

Rózsa Takáts

The stained glass windows and mosaics of Miksa Róth (1865-1944) are still an important feature on several important public and private buildings in the city; his name is well-known internationally. He worked in cooperation with the designer of our museum, Ignác Alpár (1855-1928). Róth participated in the construction of both the Romanesque wing of the original building in 1896 and the Gothic wing of the permanent complex in 1904. His windows depicted saints, coats of arms and historical events, mainly in the Romanesque wing, but he also designed some highly decorated windows for the Gothic wing as well. Most of these survive today only as reworkings of the original designs, and cannot be regarded as authentic. However, with the aid of written sources, designs and contemporary photos we can still have a sense of the originals. The troubles of history only spared a few, but still outstanding examples of his stained glass and leadlights remain in Széchenyi Island. All of the original Róth works that still survive are found in the Ják Chapel. These however were commissioned by the donors later, for the consecration of the chapel on 8 August 1915. These feature his characteristic RMR signature. A paper delivered at the conference commemorating the 120th anniversary of the museum’s foundation presented these windows and the exquisite colour designs and sketches. This essay is an extended version of that 30-minute talk.

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