Tüskés Anna (szerk.): Omnis creatura significans - Tanulmányok Prokopp Mária 70. születésnapjára (2009)
Antik és középkori művészet
Omnis creatura significans Fig. 3. Svedlar: detail of baptismal font from I4.century from master Conrad. Photography: Juraj Gembicky. 2 bells in Holy Mary’s Basilica (Kosciol Marijacki) in Krakow.^ The “Urban” bell in Biecz (Poland) is also attributed to him.20 Then, after master John, Nicolas the younger (Big bell in Harichovce), supposed to be Conrad’s nephew, and bell founder Mathias (“Mathias, Mattes Glockengisser de Nova Villa”),21 were active during the 15th century, who were followed by another generation of bell founders, by brothers Vincent and Paul (“Vincentius fusor campanarum, Paulus dictus Gaal”), probably grandsons of Conrad’s brother Nicolas the Older.22 In the latest research of Juraj Spiritza, according to the interpretation of the uncial initials “MG,” used on some artefacts from the bell foundry in Spis (baptismal font in Eubica, Kezmarok), another one is identified and supposed to be made by a member of the family, Monogramist MG, who was originally identified as Mathias Gaal.23 The last known and important master of this family workshop was Hans Wagner (magister iohannes Wagner de nova villa, Hannes Wagner), active between 1475 and 1513 (with his work continued by his unknown journeyman, working together with his widow Ursula until 1516, according to J. Spiritza).24 His most progressive, late works (baptismal font in Spisské Vlachy) belong to the early examples of Renaissance art in Spis. There are other known works—bells and fonts—attributed to this workshop, which are located outside the Spis region, for example, a clock-bell in the Cathedral of St. Elisabeth in Kosice from 1516, a lost bell of magister Augustinus in Túrna nad Bodvou near Kosice,25 another lost bell in Revúca (Gemer region),26 a bell preserved in Zehna (Saris region), Gemerská Poloma (Gemer), Janik and Cecejovce (in the surroundings of Kosice),27 a bell in Eupca (Liptov region),28 and a bell in Sabinov29 or in Bardejov3° (Saris region); a baptismal font in Stitnik in Gemer;3i as well as others in more distant localities, like a bell from Nizné Lapse (today in Poland), bells in Krakow, a baptismal font from Liptovská Teplá (Liptov region, today preserved in the National Museum in Budapest),32 and a baptismal font in Gyöngyös. These examples indicate the influence and spreading of the products of the workshop in a territory larger than the homeland Spis or Eastern Slovakia during the active period of the existence of the workshop. The latest international Slovak-Hungarian research concerning the bell foundry workshop of Master Conrad and his followers has yielded new and important findings and interpretations. Participants were a group of specialists from the Hungarian National Museum in Visegrád and Juraj Gembicky from the Monument Protection Office in Kosice (Slovakia, in connection with a project for the years 2007-2009). The aim of the project was the preparation of detailed documentation and an international exhibition complemented with a catalogue, as well as ideal and real reconstructions of Conrad’s largest bell in Visegrád in the future. The preserved artefacts from the territories of Slovakia, Hungary and Poland, the products from Master Conrad’s bell foundry and the beauty of these historical bells and baptismal fonts form an important part of our common European cultural heritage. The cooperation between our office (the Monument Protection Office, its colleagues and authors) with Mrs. Prokopp in preparing the international exhibition on medieval wall paintings in the heart of Europe (which has also been presented in part in Kosice) was a heart-warming example of collaboration between Hungarian and Slovakian researchers. This tradition may be seen as continuing as a new cooperation has begun in our Office with Hungarian colleagues in, for example, researching the Gaal family bell foundry. We hope that the two Slovak articles in this collection will express our sincere thanks for this collaboration. Fig. 4. Bardejov, Slovak-Hungarian team in bell-re- search: Juraj Gembicky, Zsuzsa Grósz, Mátyás Szőke, Gergely Búzás. Photography: Erika Zoltán. 108
