A Herman Ottó Múzeum évkönyve 53. (2014)
Művészettörténet - Pirint Andrea: Borsod vármegye panteonja
Borsod vármegye panteonja 363 birth of the portrait gallery. The paintings that were commissioned later, depicted illustrous representatives of local and national political life. The last portraits were made in 1940. The portraits were financed by donations, public contribution, public funding, or by of private patrons. The commission of the portraits required the approval of the county assembly. The inauguration of a portrait, the so-called unveiling, always took place according to a ceremonial protocols, at the upcoming county assembly. The ceremonial speeches were noted in the official records, and occasionally, they were even published in print. As the county appreciated high artistic quality of the portraits, commissions were given to renowned artists in all cases. Portraits of the Habsburg dynasty members were ordered from Vienna, and in the case of later painting assignments, popular artists from the capital were preferred. The only local artist who was charged with artistic work was the highly skilled Elemér Halász-Hradil. The extant portrait gallery is fragmented. The portrait of Ádám Reviczky, onetime first man of the count)' is missing, and is known only from a replica. Portraits of Charles VI (Charles III of Hungary), palatine Joseph, Lajos Kossuth and Miklós Horthy were also misplaced, without ever being copied. Presumably, portraits of Francis II (Francis I of Hungary), Ferdinand I (Ferdinand V of Hungary) and of Franz Joseph I were also part of the collection, however, their practical completion currently cannot be justified, not even by written evidence. The surviving portraits of the bygone pantheon are kept in the Ottó Herman Museum. [Translated by Ágnes Drosztmér] Pirint, Andrea
