H. Kolba Judit szerk.: Historical Exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum Guide 2 - From the Foundation of the State until the Expulsion of the Ottomans - The history of Hungary in the 11th to 17th centuries (Budapest, 2005)

ROOM 7 - Transylvania and Royal Hungary (second half of the 16th century-17th century) (Judit H. Kolba)

60. Covered goblet decorated with Transylvanian enamel, Transylvania, 2nd half of the 17th century scenes, from the greatest master of the town. This was Sebestyén Hann, an outstanding 17th century artist born in Lőcse (Levoca) who married into Nagyszeben (Sibiu). On his double-walled tankards he chased historical and Biblical themes using German pattern books. It was his activity which gave the name "Saxon Augsburg" to Nagyszeben. The second wife of Gábor Bethlen was Catherine of Brandenburg, daughter of a German princely family. Her skirt and bodice of Hungarian cut made of Italian velvet, embroidered with carnations, marguerites and tulips in gold and silver thread, were executed in Transylvania. Her bonnet is composed of rosettes set with emeralds and pearls (Fig. 62). JEWELLERY IN THE "FLOWER RENAISSANCE" STYLE Rich ladies liked especially fine jewellery. Some of it was acquired by gentlemen travelling abroad from German and Italian goldsmiths, but a great number of pieces were made in the workshops of the country: dowry lists and wills from time to time mention several dozens of each sort of jewellery. In the second half of the 17th century, as the last upswing of the Late Renaissance flowery style, a new technique was born, named after its birthplace: Transylvanian enamel. It was adopted primarily on jewellery: on the surface of the once-burnt enamel the veins of petals or leaves were painted with a fine brush. The pendant was a favourite item of jewellery (Fig. 65) worn mostly in the neck suspended from a velvet or silk ribbon, rarely from a chain, although a fine piece was sometimes fastened to a headdress or sleeve. The surface of the gold pieces, set profusely with precious stones and pearls, was decorated with relief figures of saints or mythological personalities or birds. A fashionable variation was the bow pendant representing a knotted ribbon. Crosses set with precious stones and pearls were worn, too. The aigrette, worn on the headgear (Fig. 64) was very popular. Branches in the form