Rózsa György: The Palace of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

IV. The first floor

The stucco ornaments of the Lecture Hall are by János Marschalkó. Earlier inscriptions, concerning the disciplines of the Academy, have disappeared from the spandrels. In 1871 four idealized landscape scenes by the late-romantic Antal Ligeti (1823—1890) were fitted into the narrower walls of the hall. These are: The Fortresses of Trencsén (now Trencin) and Szigliget, Szepesvár (Spisski Hrad) and Hricsó (Hricov). Besides these four paintings the room is decorated by statues: Zsigmond Kemény by Alajos Stróbl, Károly Kisfaludy by György Kiss (1852— 1916 or 1919) Ferenc Kazinczy (copied from István Ferenczy's original by János Marschalkó), József Eötvös by Miklós Vay (1828-1886), Pál Gyulai by Alajos Stróbl, István Széchenyi copied from the Viennese Hans Gasser's (1817—1868) original. Gasser's was, by the way, the only statue which István Széchenyi posed for. A marble bust of János Balassa is also in the hall; that of Sándor Körösi Csorna by Barnabás Holló is exhibited in the corridor partitioned off the hall after World War II. The Hall of Pictures houses five paintings and two statues: the portraits of Géza Kuun by Aladár Edvi Illés (1870-1958), Ferenc Deák by Mór Than, the busts of Gergely Csiky by György Zala (1858—1937) and that of Miklós Jósika by Alajos Stróbl. The portrait of István Széchenyi was ordered by his two brothers, Lajos and Pál, in 1836 from a representative of Viennese Biedermeier portrait painter, Friedrich von Amerling (1803—1887). The composition belongs to Amerling's most monumental works. The wish of the donors was, according to the deed of gift: "if only our future great grandchildren, looking upon the features of this picture, were inspired to the sentiments of this noblest heart, and be roused to the greatest deeds for the good of their country and nation." The large portrait of József Eötvös, exhibited here as a deposit from the National Museum, is the work of Viktor Madarász (1830—1917). Madarász was an outstanding historical- and portrait painter. Although with this picture he had to make concessions to the commissioners' requirements concerning what they regarded to be a representative portrait, he still succeeded, in front of a background crammed with accessories to express the character of his subject. Johann Ender's huge oil painting depicting the allegory of the Academy hangs by the door. In the composition Hebe offers a drink from her cup to Jupiter's eagle. Both this scene and the relief on the shield of the female figure with an idealized face refers to the advancement of the Hungarian world of science. On the relief, after Raffaello, Attila refrains from destroying Rome at the intervention of Pope Leo. Ender's model was a similar painting 28