Vadas József (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 13. (Budapest, 1993)

ZÁDOR Anna: Csernyánszky Mária, a barát szemével

the class, he gesticulated in an almost histrionic manner, so that the bevy of girls listened to him spell-bound. This young teacher was Károly Kerényi, who later became an outstanding expert on the study of Classical Antiquity. And I also remember the algebra teacher of the third grade (algebra used to be the bugbear of mathematics at that time), who was a short indifferent looking man but was able to relax our fright and to prove that all problems could be solved by means of a certain degree of logical thinking. He was Mihály Fekete, who soon became a professor abroad but died at an early age. However, throughout the grades of the grammar school, we subsisted on what Professor Fekete had taught - and this really is something. From these years I remember Maria's always harmonious, round face with friendly smiles, beautiful eyes and rich, fair hair. She did not seem to show any great changes and, as I found, she managed to preserve her harmony later as well. Looking at the group photo taken on the occasion of the final exams, her face beams harmony, as far as it can be judged from a very small picture like that. After the final exams we followed different directions, only four of us went to different universities. I was studying art history, while another girl attended the University of Economics - a novelty at that time -, the third one studied chemistry and the fourth mathematics. I did not see Hapi for a few years. Finishing university I took my Ph. D. degree, and as a free lance worked at Hckler's department, where I helped the Professor with the paper work, since no clerks were available in those days. I was hoping to be an assistant lecturer and I did not want to admit that under the given circumstances it was out of the question. And then suddenly Hapi came to the university - somewhere in the second half of the nineteen twenties. We were happy to renew our acquintance. Hapi was attending the Gerevich Department, which was on the upgrade at that time and proved to be a more colourful and lively workshop than Hekler's. Was it her or her professor's idea to choose a special subject for her Ph. D. thesis, I really do not know. In 1933 she published the thesis (in those days candidates had to publish their theses and present 100 copies to the university), entitled Az esztergomi főszékesegyházi kincstár paramentumai (Paraments in the Treasury of Esztergom Cathedral, Budapest, 1933). I remember that I was very happy to read the small volume. I always been attracted by textiles, which might be a female characteristic, but in those days I knew nothing about how to make them; even my school needlework was done by my mother. But I could find my way in the world of embroideries and laces and I regretted that hardly anybody dealt with these vanishing techniques and styles. And the same held true in respect of brocades. Initiated by Professor Gerevich, a movement to renew ecclesiastical art was started, with indisputable success; though not without problems: for the less educated persons could easily think that now they had to replace the old, faded and worn pieces, including chasubles, by newly made ones. Antique shops in Budapest (and possibly in the rest of the country) were full of these "discarded" pieces. Wealthier citizens were eager to buy them in order to decorate the less attractive fabric of an armchair of some other piece of furniture. Needless to say what dangers this implied situation. The collection least threataned was obviously the one in Esztergom, still, I felt that a serious study like Maria's would mean the best protection against further damage.