Czére Andrea szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei (Budapest, 2008)

JÚLIA TÁTRAI AND LÁSZLO LENGYEL: Archduke Albert († 1621) on the Catafalque: A Picture of Old-New Acquisition

ARCHDUKE ALBERT (f 1621) ON THE CATAFALQUE A PICTURE OF OLD-NEW ACQUISITION JÚLIA TÁTRAI AND LÁSZLÓ LENGYEL The expansion of a collection is always a joyful event in the life of a museum especially if the new acquisition is a work of art believed to have been lost for decades. In the inventory of World War II losses of the Municipal Gallery the following item is listed as number 497: Mailer)', Karel van? (1571-1635) Death of Archduke Mbert oil on canvas, 86.5 x 106 [cm], inv. no. 1577, Zichy Coll.

1 (fig. 1) FROM THE ZICHY COLLECTION TO THE NATIONAL PICTURE GALLERY The formation of the Zichy Collection, named on the verso of the painting, can be traced back to the middle of the nineteenth century. It included pictures originating from the former Festetits Collection that were purchased by Ödön (Edmund) Zichy at the auction of the collection in 1859.

2 Ödön Zichy (1811-1894) did his military service at a young age. He married in 1832, left the military and withdrew to his estates. He later went on extensive tours and finally lived in Vienna, devoting most of his time to studies in art and building up a significant art collection. His heir was his son Jenő (Eugen) (1837-1906), who, due to his activities to foster the development of economic life and industry in Hungary, was dubbed the "count of industry". In 1866 Jenő w

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ent to England and the Netherlands to study advanced agricultural technologies. In addition, he regarded it as his mission to support the arts and sciences. For example he organised an expedition to the Caucasus Mountains to explore the prehistory of the Hungarians.

3 Jenő Zichy died in 1906 and his last will and testament stipulated that his valuable collection be passed on to Budapest. This fine art collection and the objects of applied