Sárospataki Füzetek 19. (2015)
2015 / 1. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - Oláh Róbert: Kaposi Juhász Sámuel és ifjabb Csécsi János arcképeinek forrása és hitelessége
Oláh Róbert Abstract The Sources and Authenticity of Sámuel Kaposi Juhász’s and János Csécsi, Jr.’s Portraits. Until the middle of the 17th century only three portraits of the Hungarian Reformed intellectuals are known, and the sources are slight from the next decades as well. This is why every emerging portrait is so precious. This paper aims to investigate two drawings of the professors of the Reformed College of Sárospatak from the first decades of the 18th century, which appear to be authentic ones. A portrait of Sámuel Kaposi Juhász’s (1660-1713) survived in his commentary to the Heidelberg Catechism manuscription copied by János Sza- thmári M. in 1722. The original of this drawing was made by Frans van Schooten for the 1644 Latin edition of René Descartes’ Geometry. János Csécsi, Jr.’s (1689-1769) depiction was drawn by Ádám Rhétei T. in the title page of a manuscript copy of the professor’s lectures on geography. We can find the original portrait in the Wolfenbüttel edition of Introductio in universam geographiam by Philipp Clüver, the founder of the historical geography. The copper engraving was made by Herman Mosting of Lüneburg. Due to the lack of a sufficient quantity of printed textbooks, college students making manuscript copies could have demanded portraits of the authors, this is why these drawings were produced. Kaposi Juhász, the excellent Cartesian philosopher was represented as Descartes and Csécsi, prefer- ing Cluverius’ texts in his teachings, in foreign clothing, as it was a proper way of depicting outstanding scholars. The copper engraved portrayals of the printed works of Descartes and Clüver served as patterns to this type of depiction. 56 Sárospataki Füzetek 19. évfolyam 2015 -1
