Portrait of Bálint Balassi, Anonymous Artist, 17th Century. Courtesy Christian Museum, Esztergom (Inv. No. 59.1059)

A HUNGARIAN SILVER-GILT, ENAMEL AND STONE-SET AIGRETTE

TRANSYLVANIA, LATE 17TH CENTURY

細節

A HUNGARIAN SILVER-GILT, ENAMEL AND STONE-SET AIGRETTE
TRANSYLVANIA, LATE 17TH CENTURY
Mounted on a silver-gilt stem atop a conical base, the wing-form aigrette painted with polychrome enameled foliage, set with two turquoises, the feathers with cloisonné enamel scrolls, apparently unmarked
9½ in. (24.1 cm.) long

出版

Lászlo Mravik, "Sacco di Budapest" and Depredation of Hungary, 1938-1949, 1998, illus. no. 20031, p. 341

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拍品專文

This splendid silver-gilt and enameled aigrette speaks for the magnificence of Hungarian noble costume in the 16th and 17th centuries. By this time, Magyar national dress had arrived at its ultimate form and reflected an ornamental, yet thoroughly masculine aesthetic. While a Hungarian nobleman of the period would have sported a mente, or fur-trimmed cloak with delicately-worked metal buttons and ornately-enameled clasps, in addition to his luxurious belt and bejeweled sabre, his hat ornament would have been the finest and most prominent of his jewels. Although more commonly fashioned as medallions set with pearls, diamonds, or precious stones, this rare example, with its delicate polychrome enamels and dramatic form, represents a more fanciful interpretation. Clearly representing colorful stylized feathers, the aigrette would have been even more striking when seen with the attached plumage of cranes or falcons. A similar example is in the collection of the Museum of Applied Art, Budapest (inv. no. 53.4929)