Kovács Petronella (szerk.): Isis - Erdélyi magyar restaurátor füzetek 19. (Székelyudvarhely, 2019)

Pápay Kornélia: Beszámoló a műtárgyak esztétikai szempontból zavaró szőrmehiányainak pótlására tett kísérlet tapasztalatairól

sive building structures (roof structures and belfry) and a few examples of wooden churches known just from the archives are also presented.

*The title refers to a publication of János Herepi and Attila T. Szabó, which is a most comprehensive catalogue of wooden building structures of Székely Land. The quote is from the description of the belfry in Káinok. Herepei - Szabó T. 1939. p. 7.

Dóra Danielisz Architect, PhD student

Translated by: the author

András Emődi

Turret Clocks of Locksmith János Tébi from Nagyvárad/Oradea (Thoughts About the Possible Fates of Old Clock Mechanisms)

The work of János Tébi (1771 -1851) represents a remarkable chapter of the history of clock making in Nagyvárad/ Oradea. His clocks were made with classical locksmithing techniques, the constructions are weight driven striking clocks with anchor escapement and pendulum rating. The main area of his activity was primarily in the historical Bihar County, but turret clocks of him were also made for the reformed parishes of the neighbouring territories.

Two decommissioned turret clocks of locksmith Tébi were recently removed at the request of the owner parishes. After cleaning and conservation they were exhibited as permanent display items. Concerning the clocks of Hegyközcsatár (made in 1817) and Nagyvárad-Újváros (made in 1844) the study is presenting a few ethical and technical questions related to the conservation and placement of these kinds of artefacts.

The main aim of the treatise is to draw attention to these artworks, because there are no appropriate regulations that could give any legal protection or monumental heritage status for the turret clock, which is not even qualified as a piece of equipment for the church. A number of unique and hand-made clocks were changed for modern, more precise, factory produced pieces. The records of the old structures were preserved by archival sources at most. Besides the ignorance and the lack of circumspection, illegal art trade may contribute to the destruction and disappearance of our technical heritage as well.

The two cases presented here could show us, that even a minor financial investment could be enough for ethical cleaning, conservation and adequate placement of these devices. The clock of Nagyvárad-Újváros had to be disassembles before moving it down from the turret. The cleaning of its parts was executed by mechanical methods only, using wire brushes in different grades and scarpers. To passivate the iron surfaces, a 15% solution of tannin in ethanol/distilled water was applied. The brass elements were cleaned with household vinegar, the wooden cylinders were treated by linseed oil. After assembling, the artwork was placed on a wooden stand, so the pendulum and the stone weights could be displayed together with the superstructure.

With a pulley system, the clock of Hegyközcsatár could be successfully dismantled without disassembly. Mechanical cleaning was not implemented, the cleaning was performed with high-concentration industrial degreaser to soften the hard and stubborn crust, and the object was washed with high-pressure water. The cleaning process revealed the signs of the base minium painting on the wrought-iron surfaces, and we have decided to preserve these signs of an earlier intervention.

András Emődi Archivist

Conservation assistant

Translated by: Eszter Tóth

Brigitta Mária Kürtösi Artwork Reconstructions Executed in Mosaic Techniques

It is not so rare that the scale of degradation of an artwork is so serious concerning its own era that it is not able to serve its original purpose anymore because of technical or other environmental circumstances. These artworks became practically non-conservable, or simply a much more long-standing solution was chosen when they have decided to create replicas in mosaic techniques. Not only the architectural scaled murals, but metal reliefs, altarpieces and paintings are also affected.

In which cases and how strictly fits the setting manner and the preparation technique with the characteristics of the original artwork?

How shall we look at these pieces? Without the knowledge of their real history we only can have false visual information, although they are - no doubt- brilliant works.

The ancient mosaics were basically to decorate the floors, the walls and vault of buildings, but sparse mobile artworks, as for example the mosaic icons, are also known. The golden age of the mural mosaics was the Byzantine period when the mosaic making showed the essence of the quality, the real nature of the technique and the perfect know-how of the use of materials. These characteristic marks disappeared later, or their goals were significantly modified.

The goals of making replicas and the raw materials used were also various. The existence of the copy can serve the better understanding, the preservation of the continuity, or the accent of significance, but it can have a protective role as well. Sometimes originality is not equivalent with conserving the material but preserving the intellectual content or conception.

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