Prohászka László: Equestrian Statues - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1997)
than these large thoroughbreds.) After the erection of the statues, much criticism was aimed at the costume and armoury of the chieftains. Although these do contain several anachronistic features, one has to make allowance for the fact that scholarly publications discussing the dressing and arms of the early Hungarian settlers were by no means as generally known at the beginning of the century as they are today. In any case, Zala paid little attention to historical accuracy in his effort to create the idealised figures answering the official expectation of the day. The statues of the seven leaders are the product of the academic histori- cism which had survived the turn of the century. And yet these pieces represent a significant aesthetic value, and the sculptural group is in perfect harmony with the rest of the monument. The statues of the chieftains were restored to their original splendour in 1995-96. A group of their scale models can be seen in the Budapest History Museum (building E of the Royal Palace of Buda). The two colonnades behind the Corinthian column topped by the statue of Archangel Gabriel feature the bronze statues of the most outstanding statesmen of Hungary’s history. (These originally included five Habsburg monarchs standing in the colonnade nearest the Palace of Exhibitions, but after 1945 these were replaced by the leaders of the fight for Hungary’s independence.) Equestrian figures can be seen on some of the reliefs below the statues on the pediment. These, from left to right, are the following:- St. László defeats the Kun warrior who seized a girl (György Zala),- László IV and Rudolf Habsburg meet in the battlefield of Morvamező (György Zala),- Lajos the Great marches into Naples (György Zala),- The Hajdú soldiers of Bocskai join the mercenaries of the emperor in battle (László Marton),-The patriotic Kuruc warriors of Thököly defeat the pro- Austrian Labanc soldiers in the battle of Szikszó (Jenő Grantner). The battle-scenes are full of life and motion, whereas in scenes following a battle the image of the horse is meant to heighten the pomp and circumstance of the triumphal feasts. It is worth observing how little difference in style can be seen between the works of Zala made in the late twenties and the reliefs created by Marton and Grantner in the 18
