Kovács Petronella (szerk.): Isis - Erdélyi magyar restaurátor füzetek 3. (Székelyudvarhely, 2003)

Erdélyi - romániai magyar vonatkozási múzeumi restaurátor publikációk

remarkably rich in zinc. The handles consist of two parallel strips that form an ogive at the end and stand away from the mouth of the cup.

This kantharos was inventoried by the Hungarian National Museum in 1939 as follows: Location: Szob, Period: end of 4th century B.C. Inventory number: 16/939.2.

The first restorer of the kantharos was probably Gyozo Baky, leader of the Department of Restoration in the Hungarian National Museum. At the time of the first restoration the only work done on the vessel was the reassembly and completion of the handles. The second time Gyozo Baky chose a unique technique for further restoration of the kantharos. He applied a socalled galvanoplastic procedure to restore the incomplete and warped body of the vessel.

The kantharos was last restored in the year 2002, in preparation for the latest permanent exhibition in the Hungarian National Museum.

The already existing galvanoplastic additions were preserved not only because of their esthetic qualities, but also because their removal would have most likely damaged the original material of the object.

Because of the scarcity of time before the opening of the exhibition, "Diamant Kupfer Plastic", a plastic compound containing metal, was used for the completition of missing pieces. The optimal solution would have been the casting of these additional parts using metal. They would have been applied by way of gluing, since the earlier technique of welding is no longer used for several reasons.

Although relatively little of the original metal was found, the reconstruction of the kantharos' base still wouldn't require much audacity due to the abundance of existing ceramic analogies.

All the finest traits of metal work are represented on the bronze kantharos, the peak of perfection in form: the slender, almost ethereal arched handles and the unlabored quality of the guilt metal object.

The value of the bronze kantharos from Szob is further augmented by the fact that it is the only known Greek find from the La Téne period in Hungary. For this reason it is most likely that the kantharos was part of Celtic loot and wasn't brought to Hungary by way of trade.

Katalin T. Bruder

Archeological and applied art restorer Deputy head of department of conservation Hungarian National Museum 1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 14-16.

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Éva MESTER

Glass painting in the Carpathian Basin I. Iconography, techniques, use of materials

The fate and development of historical glass painting have been determined by the framework provided by architecture as well as the political, economic, and cultural potential of the area in question. Works of art created by glass painters in the Middle Ages in the Carpathian Basin have been destroyed by the storms of history. New European trends in the 19th century, on the other hand, stimulated architectural and artistic development in our region. Following lengthy preparations, on the basis of foreign examples, the foreign minister Ágost Trefort decided to establish the National Glass Painting Institute in Budapest in 1878. From that time onwards, Hungarian glass painting began to develop spectacularly. Several significant workshops were established, especially in the capital, Budapest. However, activity by the Neumann brothers in Nagyvárad also deserves mention.

The most special artistic glass painting work with a national character was hallmarked by the half a century long work by Miksa Róth. Following in the footsteps of his father, Zsigmond Róth, a decorative glass expert, he cooperated with the most outstanding architects and artists of his time, elevating Hungarian glass painting to international standards. He combined the most notable aspects of medieval traditions (composition, techniques, choice of materials) with his own ideas. Glass paintings during the 2nd half of the 19th century, commissioned on a large scale by clerical authorities, display historical influences. Plastic design, understated color harmony, colored enamel painting as well as black shading indicate that these works were influenced by coeval German masters. The atmosphere of the Hungarian Millennium had a beneficial effect on artists.

The iconography and techniques of glass painting became clearer and more standardized. Large-scale construction work at the turn of the 19th and 20th century stimulated the full development of a special style of glass painting in the Carpathian Basin. In this study, the most important glass painting techniques - tonepainting (Schwarzlot, Überzug), outline-painting, lazurite or stain-painting (Silbergelb), grisaille painting, color erosion and enamel (email) painting - as well as materials will also be briefly reviewed.

Éva Mester Glass designer MA Budapest