Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 62-63. (Budapest, 1971)
SZEMLE — KÖNYVEKRŐL - B. Nagy Margit: Reneszánsz és barokk Erdélyben (Buzinkay Géza—Vida Mária)
A new aspect in Eastern European art history is the effect of the renaissance and the baroque on popular art ; here we are shown how the unknown but now discovered peasant carving masters received an impetus form the forms of "high art". One can follow the further development of local art imbued with the renaissance through the formation of the Transylvanian renaissance mouldings up to the of emergence of interior decoration as an independent branch of art. The importance of the peasant artists is best manifested in the transformation of the door and window frames according to the spirit of the renaissance, in the appearence of the painted coffered ceilings, and in the decoration of walls with stuccos, frescoes, hangings and carpets. Furniture must also be considered as the actual character of the rooms is determined by them. One of the valuable chapters deals with an old controvery, the origin of the székelykapu (Szekler's gate), and proves that it descends from the main gate of the mansions and not from that of the fortified castles. Once it was widespread all over Transylvania. Throughout the work it was unavoidable to use the contemporary —mostly 18th century —terms: they make the language of the book more picturesque and at the same time are not detrimental to comprehension. But whenever it is possible an etymological explanation is also given, as for instance in the case of the "bokály" stove. The second part of the book consists of a description of the most beautiful and most important Transylvanian chateaux, e. g. the Bánffy-palace in Kolozsvár, or the castles at Bethlenszentmiklós and Zsibó. The author's selection is not always directed by the actual aesthetic value of the building, sometimes she is looking for a model for demonstration, as in the case of the Hadad castle, where the various details of the history of its formation bring us nearer to the understanding of the general problems of the baroque in Transylvania. Although József Biró's monograph Erdély művészete (The art of Transylvania) went into several editions between the wars (1930?, 1941, 1942), its author emphasized the need for the separate evaluation of the various periods. Margit B. Nagy's work is an important and in many aspects unique standard work on the history of Transylvanian art, the decision to publish it was a welcome and fortunate act for which credit goes to the Rumanian competent authorities. The enjoyable, good Hungarian style and the 250 photographic illustrations will be met with satisfaction by the readers. Further studies are facilitated by sources enumerated in the "notes chapter" which provides data on the artists and craftsmen, especially those of Kolozsvár, while the name- and place-name index guarantees easy reference. Mária Vida
