Czére Andrea szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei (Budapest, 2008)
TERÉZ GERSZI: Frans Floris' Early Drawings in Budapest
Floris returned to the theme of muses several times: his composition that has come down to us only in Frans Huys' 1565 engraving was mentioned above, and we also know of a painting Minerva Visiting the Muses (Condé-sur Escaut, Hôtel-de-ville). b Two engraving series by Floris depicting the Seven Liberal Arts are also linked to the same theme, 16 as is a very special, iconographically virtually unique painting of his showing the awakening of the muses (or the arts) at the end of the war (Ponce, Museo de Arte de Ponce, fig. 6). 17 Illustrating the contrast with an old Latin saying "Inter arma silent musae", this work is a celebration of peace and the revival of the arts and sciences. The interest in Floris' painting in Ponce is shown by the fact that Balthasar van den Bos (1518-1580) used it as the model for his 1563 engraving. 1 * Karel van Mander mentioned that he had seen Floris' painting of the sleeping muses in the house of Melchior Wijntgis in Middelburg 19 —this being most probably the work in question —which is further evidence of the importance of the theme. Several researchers have examined the circumstances of how the painting was made as well as its meaning and came to the conclusion that it might have been painted on the occasion of the peace treaty signed in Cateau-Cambrésis (3 April 1559) by the kings of Spain and France, Philip II and Henry II respectively. 20 We also know from Julius Held's research that the sheet music that can be seen in the painting records characteristic Franco-Flemish music the words of which are very similar to the poem of a chanson by Henri Fresneau. There is a reference to the events depicted in the picture. 21 The poem mentions a certain "vray ami", i.e. true friend, who brings peace and thus creates the opportunity to practise the arts. It has been suggested that this person might be Philip II, which would make the work a political allegory 7 , but this assumption is disputed. It is also questionable whether the female figures are depictions of the muses or the liberal arts. In the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance, muses were generally associated with the liberal arts. The seven liberal arts (which increased to nine after the fine arts were added) originally included the sciences and arts taught as preparatory studies for theology and philosophy at medieval universities. The muses, who were goddesses providing inspiration for various arts, each had their own particular sphere of influence on a branch of art. 22 Therefore, as Hans C.J. Schraven pointed out, the muses implicitly refer to the artes liberales. 23 Based on a number of arguments, Schraven actually regarded the figures as being depictions of the muses. Despite the differences, the other Budapest pen-and-ink drawing (fig. 7) attributable to Floris shows obvious links with the Ponce painting. 24 The differences between the drawing, made by the artist at a young age, and the picture, dated to 1556-1557, are a result of changes that occurred over many years. The arrangement of the figures looks chaotic and unbalanced in the sketch, while it has a clearer, more stable and organised structure in the painting. 'Ehe
