Czére Andrea szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei 105. (Budapest, 2006)
ANNUAL REPORT - A 2006. ÉV - ERNŐ MAROSI: Sigismundus Rex et Imperator: Art and Culture During the Time of Sigismund of Luxemburg, 1387-1437
The key section of the exhibition was chapter four: "The World of the Knights of the Dragon", with the court life described in a bit too much Dracula-style. This description included the architectural features of the time as well —only signalled at the exhibition but well documented in the catalogue. In this regard Imre Takács called attention to the person of Petrus Kytel, and on the basis of his stylistic features Takács connected him to the "Grosslobming" (that is, Viennese) traditions. There are, however, some methodological obstacles that make impossible to give names to the anonymous masters of the Buda sculptors. It is equally important that Sigismunde master builder in Bratislava, Konrad von Erling attests in his name Nordlingen, as Franz Bischoff had observed it. The discussion of courtly art centred on some key topics, the first of which was the question of the Buda sculpture finds. This exhibition was the first time since 1974 that the finds were placed next to the sculptures of Grosslobming, Alehun-sur-Yèvre and those of Bourges, which belong to the Beauneveu circle. The result, so far the quality of the Buda sculptures is concerned, was not only reassuring but outstanding. The other key topic was that of courtly smithwork. The visual emphasis of the exhibition was given by the newly restored gold and silver reliquary bust of Saint Ladislaus. Placed next to these artworks it is all the more difficult to accept the contemporary dating of the reliquary busts Oradea and Trencin. The exhibition presented a chronological display of filigree enamel objects, wmat is more, showing the most significant artworks of this genre. W r hat the writer of this review missed was breakthrough on this field. It is an untenable practice that the works were displayed with the provenances traditionally attributed to them by national pride and they did not become objects of a critical survey. More attention should have been made to Eva Kovács who related the smith works of the court to French traditions and called attention to the references about the goldsmiths hired in 1416 in Paris and sent to Buda. The luxury art objects of the court aristocracy w r ere represented by some splendid examples of goldsmiths work and by several patent letters with coat of arms. The Order of the Dragon and the other orders in alliance with it were represented in the richest fashion. The filigree enamel sheath of the Dresden Kurschwert (a piece securely datable with Buda as its provenance) did not arrive at the exhibition but there was present the splendid sword from York. According to the legends, Sigismund suffered of dyslexia, but the display of his library was enriched by such codices borrowed from Paris as the Law Codex of Antonius Mincucci de Prato Veteri (thank to the research of Dániel Pócs) and Antonio Rosselli's De Monarchia, illuminated in Florence. Perfect and monumental was the A 7 atican Comestor Codex, that casts doubts to the rumours about Sigismunde dislike in books and what is more, it comes from the critical period of the Prague luxury objects. The group of the drinking horns should also be mentioned as well as the carved bone saddles
