Vadas József (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 13. (Budapest, 1993)
VADÁSZI Erzsébet: Apafi Mihály tükre
And see whether he's Attractive and alluring Or he stands there gaping?) 13 The verse suggests that mirrors were most likely equipped with curtains that could be drawn to the sides. In the case of Apafi's tryptich-shaped mirror, the role of the curtain is taken over by the two folding wings - which was certainly more practical when travelling. For the wedding of the Thurzó countesses, however, the mirrors were purchased in Vienna. While Zsuzsa received three mirrors in 1603 for 7 Ft 50 denars (contemporary Hungarian money), Borbála and Ilona were presented at their wedding in 1612 and 1614 only with one single mirror, costing 3 Fis each. 14 Unfortunately we have no information whether the "aranias teukeor" (golden mirror) of Ferenc Chery, which "el tcoret" (has been brokcn)/1559/ 15 or the "fejér ládában őrzőit kerek Tükeör" (round mirror in the white chest) of Balázs Kamuly and his brother /1603/ 16 , the "tiikcr"(mirror) of Mrs.P.Aponyi née Julia Berényi /1648/ 17 , Baroness Ilona Esterházy's "kis zománcos tükör" (little enamelled mirror)/!651/ 18 or Mária Viczay's "az aranyos nyelű olló melletti tükör" (mirror beside the scissors of golden handles) /1656/ 19 were made in Venice or Vienna. Yet it is sure that in the dowry of MrsJ.Sándor née Kata Berényi there was "egy öreg tükör"(an old mirror) in 1646, and it was also her who had a mirror applied to her black ostrich fan ("fekete strucz legyezőjébe") 20 . When inventing the furniture of the Óvár castle in 1661, two old mirrors were found on the wall of the older (bigger) room ("öregebbik szobában ittem az falon két öreg tükört"). 21 Apart from the ones mentioned earlier, three more mirrors are listed in the Fraknó treasury of Pál Esterházy: there was a huge mirror ("egy igen nagy tükör") in cupboards 3-4, in a silver frame ("ezüst rámába foglalva"), while cupboards 7-8 also contained a huge one in a beautiful, elaborated, silver frame ("egy igen szép munkával elaboráló, ezüst rámába foglalt nagy tükör"), with its inner frame being gilt ("melynek belső rámája meg van aranyozva". The old, rectangular one in a silvergilt frame ("egy ezüst pléhben, aranyozott szép rámában foglalt, öreg, négyszegletű") in cupboards 21-22 did not avoid the attention of the inventory writers, either. 22 We would never learn what Mrs. Gy. Belényi's mirror was like, which she took to her husband's house in "for a hurried dressing" ("egy vetkeződő futában") 23 , but we can be sure that the "Viennese one consisting of eight silver pieces, in a blue velvet frame, decorated with mounted pendants, deposited in the castle of Munkács and listed among strange articles" ("Munkács várában letéteményezett, idegen javak között felvett; kék, bársony keretű, nyolc ezüst pléhből, vert boglárral ékesített bécsi") 24 was a small mirror. According to Radvánszky, Mária Viczay, whom we have already mentioned earlier, "was taking care of her mirror, keeping it in a small black chest lined with red velvet" (jól gondját viselte övének, vörös bársonnyal bclletl kis fekete ládácskában tartotta") 25 . Mihály Apafi's mirror was also kept in a case and mirror and case were displayed together at the "Exhibition of Amateur collectors" in 1907 26 , as well as at the 1912 the "Art Historical Exhibition of Vasvár county" in Szombathely. 27 The first exhibition was analyzed by Jenő Radisics 28 in Magyar Iparművészet (Hungarian Applied Arts, a periodical), the second by József Kádas 29 in A Gyűjtő (The Collector, a periodical).
