Földes Mária: Ornamentation - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1993)

No. 21 Nádor utca, apartment building,

SCULPTURAL DECORATION ON FA<p\DE

(wrought iron railing, stucco ornaments, wood-carving) only survive in traces. Fortunately the facade can still be appreciated in its entirety in spite of the missing elements. Its architect, Artúr Meining, here, too, achieved a varied articulation, even though the clear, logical surface of the other bank is absent. With diverse aperture shapes, with the application of alternating open and closed balconies, and with the lavishly decorated architectural features, the designer’s intention was to achieve a more crowded, richer effect. The sculptural decoration of the facade serves the same purpose- meandering garlands, tulip and daisy motifs on the balconies and, at the top of the pilasters, female heads and masks. The bearded old man on the relief over the entrance and on the ornamental wrought iron gate are allusions to the person who commissioned the building.

Szabadság tér, the last main stop of our walk can be reached via several small side-streets. It is worth making a detour for the sake of the following buildings, which are of a more modest size than the stern edifices of

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