Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 62-63. (Budapest, 1971)

SZEMLE — KÖNYVEKRŐL - B. Nagy Margit: Reneszánsz és barokk Erdélyben (Buzinkay Géza—Vida Mária)

ed a standard work of reference not only for the Hungarians of Rumania, but for Hungarian as well as European cultural historical research. In addition to art history the book has considerable historical value ; besides describing the surviving art monuments it reconstructs the wide artistic activities of the period by using historical sources and so revives the atmosphere, the teeming life of a bygone world. When art history analyses styles and epochs and within them individual works, it can give some insight into the formation of the artistic process too if historical sources are also used. The use of archival material as an instrument cannot, of course, substitute artistic analysis, but it can lead to safer and more comprehensive evaluations on the period under discussion. By using this method the author summarizes and makes a synthesis of nearly two decades of research. First of all she gives a large-scale and many-coloured evaluation of architectural achievements, then proceeds to the related and integrated fields of painting, scupture and applied arts. The use of historical source-material opens especially wide possiblities in the treatment of architecture. In both centuries the majority of these sources is made up of urbariums, registries conscriptiones and inventories. There is abundant archival material: construction documents, contracts, bills, statements regarding expenses and materials — they make considerable contribution mainly to the history of 18th century architecture, though there is no lack in registries and inventories for the 17th century either. The richest period of Transylvanian art is the second part of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th centuries, it is understandable that the author's attention is also focused on this period, when the two styles existed side by side for a while: the Indian summer of the renaissance coincided with the baroque gaining ground. When the renaissance began to spread very widely it lost much of its original Italian character in meeting the local needs. It was in this period that the renaissance "descended", got vulgarized, and the written sources also give some insight into this process. The blending of the various style effects most probably took place in the countryside. This is confirmed by the relics of Transylvanian wooden architecture: houses, turrets, porches, the church interiors in the Kalotaszeg and Székelyföld regions, painted furniture-pieces and ceilings. The book starts with a detailed cultural and art historical analysis of the mansions (udvarház), which served not only as residence but also as centers for the economic life of the region. The author does not disregard the difference between country seats and mansions, the former appeared only with the baroque residences (called castles) of the 18th century. Comparing the far from numerous art monuments with the outstanding works of everyday popular art the readers can see the trends of the vulgarization of the late renaissance. The topographic and structural description of the mansions is followed by a comprehensive analysis of the details. The author emphasizes the importance that sculpture, painting and applied art, all closely related to Transylvanian architecture, began to play in interior decoration after the age of the renaissance.