Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 14. (Budapest, 1994)
ÁCS Piroska: Aranyszelence IV. György angol király udvarából
PIROSKA ÁCS GOLD BOX FROM THE COURT OF GEORGE IV, KING OF ENGLAND Cultural historical background - typology This fine box now in the collection of the Department of Goldsmith's Art of the Budapest Museum of Applied Art, once belonged to Count Pál Antal Esterházy (1785-1866) (111.1.). The small case belongs to the group of socalled portrait boxes. This type of object was in fact donated on the occasion of the bestowing of a decoration; it appeared, and became general, at the court of the Louis XIV. of France (1645-1715). The protocol at Versailles, prescribed the donation of a present to reward ambassadors, envoys, diplomats and gentlemen - in - waiting on the successful completion of some state mission. Generally this present was a portrait box: a box cast mostly in gold, inlaid with beads, diamonds or other precious stones, and decorated with the portrait, or the initials, of the monarch. 1 The value of the box reflected the rank of, and the service performed by the recipient, and varied according to his merits and to the grande at which he was to be rewarded. This practice was common in eighteenth-century Europe; apart from being employed in France, it was used at the courts of Frederick the Great, Maria Theresa, King Gustav III of Sweden, and Catherine II Tsarina of all Russia. In England, however, where the power of the sovereign was limited by Parliament, the donation of royal boxes was more a personal gesture than a political one, or was connected to some notable occasion. The practice of giving these boxes lived on until the mid-nineteenth century. Description of the object The box is cast in gold. It is of parallelogram shape with rounded edges and slightly protruding sides. 2 The lid is hinged and consisst of several sections. On its top - between the smaller indented and the larger, smooth brims - runs a garland of flowers and leaves, serving as the frame for the enamel miniature in the middle. The sides are also covered by floral and leaf motifs, and there is a protrusion for the finger in the middle of one long side. The corners of the lower part are adorned by acanthus leaves, whereas figurai decorations cover all sides. On the bottom, which has a smooth rim, we can see a minutely elaborated royal coat-of arms. On the insides of the lid and the lower part as well as on the outer rim of the lower part, small punched hallmarks can be found 3 (111.2.). The portrait (I) - prototype and execution The starting point of our investigation is the portrait itself, as the central feature of the object. According to the inscription 4 (III. 3.) on the reverse side of the enamel picture covered with a crystal plate, it represents. His Majesty King George IV ( 1762-1830), 3
