Room 7 / Transylvania and Royal Hungary
On the right side of the room, the exhibits recall the Principality of Transylvania, which preserved its internal independence as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, and often counterbalanced the power of the Habsburg kings. Below the portraits of the princes are personal objects related to them. Family treasures include the dress of Catherine of Brandenburg and the late Renaissance sarcophagus of George Apafi.
The left side of the room is dedicated to the life of Royal Hungary. Exhibits highlight the achievments of the Counter-Reformation, the significant mining industry in Upper Hungary, the guild industry and the craftsmanship of the Hutterites (Habáns).
Fun facts:
- The Hutterites were a German-speaking, Anabaptist Christian religious community who moved to Royal Hungary and later to Transylvania to escape persecution. They long guarded the secrets of making white and blue tin-glazed pottery.
- The Principality of Transylvania was the first in Europe to legislate religious freedom.
- Prince István Báthory is considered by posterity to be one of the greatest Polish kings.
- György I Rákóczi donated a solid gold chalice to the church on Farkas utca in Kolozsvár.
- Catherine of Brandenburg was not only famous for her beauty, but was also briefly Prince of Transylvania.
- Before the Counter-Reformation, about 90% of Hungary's population was Protestant.
- The bowl of the Nádasdy chalice was carved from a single piece of red agate.
According to tradition, Catherine of Brandenburg, the second wife of the Transylvanian prince Gábor Bethlen Gábor, wore this plum-toned silk dress. The garment, consisting of a skirt and bodice, is richly embroidered with metal threads. Tulips, carnations and daisies arranged under arches are motifs frequently used in 17th-century embroidery surviving in Hungarian areas.
From the late 16th century onwards, human and animal-shaped precious metalworks of art used on ceremonial tables are often mentioned. Among the animal-shaped vessels, in addition to lions and bears, a particularly large number of deer were crafted. Mostly, the animal's head was to be unscrewed to pour the liquid into its body. During the 17th century, the use of the vessels changed somewhat: they gradually became ornamental tableware to enhance the brilliance of the banquet. This type was known in the circles of Hungarian nobility and is often mentioned in written sources. This piece of precious metal tableware camefrom the collection of István Marczibányi (1752–1810), it was donated to the museum by his heirs. The museum's first printed inventory book has handed down the story to us that the object originates from the former Zrínyi treasury in Csáktornya. However, this is difficult to verify.
The rosette-shaped pendant is dominated by faceted cut diamonds. The single set or row of gemstones were fastened with delicate, intricate pins and screws on the stylized leaf-shaped, cast "pea-pod" gold frame. The diamonds were probably polished in Antwerp, and the closest parallels to the large pendant can be found in Flemish portrait painting. The unique jewel came to the National Museum with the collection of Miklós Jankovich.
Jewel decorated with painted enamel and table-cut garnets from the mid-17th century. The pieces resembling bird feathers and equipped with pins were probably once worn on hats and caps by both men and women.
Among the jewelry worn by noblewomen in the 17th century, hairpins of various types and sizes were very popular. They were worn as decorations, pinned into the hair or veil. The individual elements of the composition, often in the shape of flowers or bouquets, were attached with small springs so that they vibrated gently when the person wearing them moved. This is where this type of jewelry acquired its name: trembler pin, which was widespread in the 16th and 17th centuries.
This exceptional goldsmith's object was commissioned by the Transylvanian prince György I Rákóczi for the former monastery, or as we know it today, the Reformed church congregation in Farkas utca, Kolozsvár (today: Cluj-Napoca, Romania). The chalice is special not only because of its rich iconographic programme, but also because it is one of the special relics of princely representation.
