J. Antall szerk.: Medical history in Hungary. Presented to the XXII. International Congress for the History of Medicine / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 4. (Budapest, 1970)

ESSAYS-LECTURES - B. Borsos : Early Hungarian Spa Glasses (in English)

An early spa glass of the same type is to be found in the Hungarian Medical Museum, decorated with the image of the well-house at Balatonfüred (Fig. 6.). This interesting example is distinguishable from the former group on the basis of the egg-shaped bowl and the poor engraving. It was made perhaps in 1830—40, probably in one of the Transdanubian glasshouses. The War of Independence (1848—49) marks in the field of water cure glasses—as in the whole Hungarian glassmaking—a clear dividing line both in artistical and in technical aspect. Beside the examples mentioned above we can hardly find any glass with a sure prewar date. These are mainly in the collection of the Hungarian Medical Museum. So two watering glasses of Pöstyén* origin, one of them in pure classic style with a poor, experimental enamelled decoration, the other in Neo-Baroque style (Fig. 7—8.). On a red-cased Balatonfüred glass we see a very fine view of the Badacsony landscape (Fig. 9.), on a Buziás** glass even opaque-white tin oxide stain is visible (Fig. 10.). By the middle of the century glasses imported from Bohemia were abundant and the identification of the Hungarian product becomes more difficult. Highly ornamental designs, clear glass and misspelled inscriptions suggest that an Hungarian origin is doubtful. It is, however, difficult to visualize foreign imports in localities such as Bártfa or Párád, where important glasshouses were in operation. Thus the small glass in the classic style, identified by its inscription as "Souvenir of Párád," must be a local product, and the Balatonfüred glasses of the 1850's and 1860's have every earmark of being in the tradition of the earlier glasses produced in that locality. Other Hungarian watering glasses are known from Pöstyén, Szliács***, ViskVárhegy, Ránk-Herlány in Northern Hungary, Borszék**** in Transylvania and Lipik, Buziás and Mehádia (Herkulesfürdő) in the South. All of the decorative techniques practiced at that time are represented. The form most frequently encountered is a red-cased, stemmed glass with a polygonal bowl and engraved views; the more pretentious examples are cased in several colorful layers, sky blue and opaque white being the most popular colors. Sometimes dark blue is accented by gilding and, on a few examples, the areas to be engraved were stained in dark red. The well-known Balneologist, József Török, described more than one hundred Hungarian spas active in the 1850's and many of the glasses found today on the Hungarian art market, were undoubtedly made for them. Only a more detailed study of local records and an analysis of extant examples will distinguish the local production from imports, both of which were on the wane in the late 1860's. * Today Piest' any, Czechoslovakia ** Today Buzia¾¡, Roumania *** Today Sliac, Czechoslovakia **** Today Börseç, Roumania 167