A Herman Ottó Múzeum évkönyve 49. (2010)

Veres Gábor: A népi bútorkészítés központjai Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén megyében ...

THE PRODUCTION OF FOLK FURNITURE IN COUNTY BORSOD-ABAÚJ-ZEMPLÉN Discussed here are the three most important centres (Miskolc, Mezőkövesd and Sátoraljaújhely) manufacturing peasant furniture in County Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén. Miskolc occupied a key position as one of the major centres influencing the peasant house interiors of north-eastern Hungary, a fact noted by László Veres in his studies on the cabinet-making workshops active in the city. Although the first records on the cabinet-makers working in the town date from the late 17th century, they only formed their own guild a century later, at the close of 18th century. The craftsmen of the cabinet-makers' guild of Miskolc, founded in 1799, worked in fifteen other settlements in addition to their seat in Miskolc. They sold their products at fairs and their work had a tremendous impact on the cabinet-makers of Eger, Gyöngyös, Mezőkövesd, Pásztó and Átány, who also sold their products at the fairs of County Heves. Two major period styles are generally distinguished. The stylistic traits of the first period can be noted in the painted woodwork of church interiors: the painted ceiling panels and other furnishings. The second, blossoming from the 1840s, had a greater impact on peasant house interiors and coincided also with the last great flourishing of folk art. Some researchers do not regard the centre in Mezőkövesd as an independent one because the pieces of furniture conforming to the taste of the town and its broader area were produced by craftsmen from Miskolc. However, we can only speak of Mezőkövesd furniture from the mid19th century even though we know that a part of the furniture used in the Matyó town was still manufactured in Miskolc at the time. Mezőkövesd, as a manufacturing centre, has to be viewed from a different perspective. Unlike the other settlements, the peculiarities of this market had a definite impact on cabinet-makers. Although traditional peasant culture had gradually disintegrated in the Mezőkövesd area too from the early 20th century, the survival of Matyó folk art was greatly stimulated by the fact that its ornamental repertoire was chosen as the epitome of Hungarian culture, and it was presented as such both in Hungary and abroad. While cabinet-makers are known to have been active in Sátoraljaújhely from the 15th century, their guild was only founded in 1727. The joint guild charter of the locksmiths, cartwrights, glaziers and cabinet-makers was issued by the Sárospatak council on March 26, 1727. The golden age of furniture manufacture fell between the later 19th century and the outbreak of World War 1. During this time, there were some thirty to forty cabinet-makers with a roughly identical number of employees in the town. The number of cabinet-makers producing painted furniture for the peasant population was no more than five or six. Painted furniture of this type was made for the longest time by András K. Bacsó (1888-1945) who settled in Pusztafalu after his apprentice years in Sátoraljaújhely, creating a uniquely colourful style from the traditional ornamental repertoire of Ujhely furniture, which differed from the earlier black-based pieces by the dominance of blue motifs. Gábor Veres 336