Treasures abroad
 
Honlap
Medieval News
Bibliography
Resources
Chief works
The Holy Crown
Treasures abroad
Wall paintings
Manuscripts
New books


 

 

Medieval and Renaissance objects of Hungarian provenance in America

A preliminary checklist

Compiled by Zsombor Jékely, Budapest

Contents: Manuscripts and incunabula    Goldsmith works   Other works

 

 

I. Manuscripts and incunabula

1. The Nekcsei Bible - Library of Congress, Washington

Bologna, before 1335, commissioned by Demeter Nekcsei

Link 1: overview; link 2: Collection overview

Images:    

Key bibliography:

Meta Harrsen: The Nekcsei-Lipocz Bible: A Fourteenth Century Manuscript from Hungary in the Library of Congress, Ms. Pre-Accession 1: A Study. Washington, 1949.

A Nekcsei-Biblia legszebb lapjai (Partial facsimile). Budapest, 1988.

 

2. The Hungarian Angevin Legendary

Hungary, c. 1340

Probably commissioned by or for the king.

The bulk of the manuscript is kept at the Vatican Libraries (MS Vat. Lat. 8541), while pages from the manuscript are preserved at the following American collection:

New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, M.360 (24 leaves), detailed description

New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, MS 1994.516 (1 leaf), collection database

Berkeley, University of California, Bancroft Library, Rare Book Collections, BANC MS UCB 130:f1300:37 (1 leaf)

(further leaves are at the Hermitage and at the Louvre)

 

Images:      (New York, Metropolitan Museum)

(New York, Morgan Library)

(Berkeley, Bancroft Library)

Images of further pages from the manuscript

Key bibliography:

Ferenc Levárdy, ed.: Magyar Anjou Legendárium. [Budapest] : Magyar Helikon, 1973 (partial color facsimile)

Giovanni Morello - Heide Stamm: Heilegenleben - Ungarisches Legendarium Cod. Vat. lat. 8541 (Facsimile edition and commentary). Zurich: Belser, 1990

Béla Zsolt Szakács: A Magyar Anjou Legendárium képi rendszerei (The Visual World of the Hungarian Angevin Legendary), Budapest: Balassi, 2006.

 

Manuscripts of Archbishop Johannes Vitéz

 

3. Cicero, Opera philosophica

From the library of Johannes Vitéz.

New Haven, Yale University, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Ms. 284.

Link 1.: Description

Image:

For further images in the Beinecke Library database, click here and search for Ms. 284

Key bibliography: Klára Csapodi-Gárdonyi: Die Bibliothek des Johannes Vitéz. Budapest, 1984.

 

4. Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini (Pope Pius II): Epistolae familiares

Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University, Houghton Library Ms. Typ. 91

From the library of Johannes Vitéz. Once in the Teleki Téka in Marosvásárhely. Sold in the 1930, entered the Harvard collections in 1952.

Link 1.: Description

Image:

Key bibliography: Klára Csapodi-Gárdonyi: Die Bibliothek des Johannes Vitéz. Budapest, 1984.

 

Corvinian manuscripts

For more information, including a list of surviving manuscripts, visit the Bibliotheca Corviniana Digitalis site.

 

5. Tacitus, Annalium libri XI-XVII.

New Haven, Yale University, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Ms 145

Once in the library of King Matthias. Bought in 1805 by Sámuel Teleki for the Teleki Téka in Marosvásárhely. Sold by Károly Teleki in 1934.

Link 1.: Description   

Image:

Further images (all pages) in the Beinecke Library database

 

6. Livius: Historiarum decas III

New York, The New York Public Library, Spencer Collection Ms. 27

Once in the library of King Matthias.

Link 1.: Collection description

Link 2.: Additional images

Image:

Key bibliography:  Alexander, Jonathan J. G., James H. Marrow, and Lucy Freedman Sandler. The Splendor of the Word: Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts at The New York Public Library. (2005)

 

7. Didymus: Liber de Spiritu Sancto

New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, Ms. 496

Florence, 1488

Made for the library of King Matthias.

Link: Detailed description

Image:

Key bibliography: Dániel Pócs, “Holy Spirit in the Library. The Frontispiece of the Didymus corvina and neoplatonic theology at the court of king Matthias Corvinus,” Acta Historiae Artium, 41, (1999/2000) 63-212

 

8. Cicero: Opera

New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, Ms. 497

Once in the library of King Matthias

Florence, 1470-75

Link: Detailed description

 

9. Iohannes Angeli: Astrolabium

New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, Inc. 55 1 75

Augsburg, 1488 (from the library of Wladislaw II.)

For a description, search here

Key bibliography: Bibliotheca Corviniana, 1490-1990. Budapest : National Széchényi Library, 1990, no. 182.

 

 

Other manuscripts

10. Kálmáncsehi Breviary and Missal

New York, The Pierpont Morgan Library, MS G.7

Buda, 1481. Made for Domokos Kálmáncsehi.

Link 1.: Catalogue record

Link 2.: Detailed description

 

11. Ulrich Richental: Chronik des Konstanzer Concils

New York, The New York Public Library, Spencer Collection Ms. 32

1460s

/Not of Hungarian provenance, but significant for its illustrations of the Council of Constance, 1414-1418. Images of king Sigismund abound, also coats of arms of Hungarian participants. One of the earliest surviving copies of the manuscript/

Link: Image set on the library's page

Image:

 

 

12. German-language manuscript copy of the Chronicle of Johannes of Thurócz

Harvard University, Houghton Library, MS Ger 43. (formerly Nikolsburg, Fürstl. Dietrichsteinsche Bibl., Cod. II 138)

Germany, c. 1500.

Link: Description and bibliography (Handschriftencensus)

Many copies of both Latin-language printed editions (Brünn, Augsburg, both 1488) survive in American libraries. The Harvard manuscript is a rare German-language translation of the entire chronicle. Another German manuscript copy survives in Heidelberg. The Heidelberg manuscript (Cod. Pal. germ. 156) is available in a full digital facsimile. The first German edition was printed only in 1536 in Augsburg.

Printed copies include:

Augusburg edition (Erhard Ratdolt, for Theobaldus Feger, 3 June 1488)

Washington, Library of Congress, Incun. 1488.T49 Rosenwald Coll.

New York, Morgan Library, PML 156, PML 125399

New Haven, Yale University, British Art Center

Brünn (Brno) edition, 1488

Washington, Library of Congress, Incun. 1488.T5 Rosenwald Coll.

New York Public Library, Spencer Collection Ger. 1488

New York, Morgan Library, PML 238

New Haven, Yale University, Beinecke Library

 

 

II. Goldsmith works

1. Reliquary shrine donated by Queen Elizabeth to the Convent of the Poor Clares at Óbuda

New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters (62.96)

Paris, second quarter of 14th century, attr. to Jean de Touyl. The Convent at Óbuda was founded in 1334.

Link: Description, photos

Images:    

 

2. Crystal barrel of Emperor Sigismund

Private collection, USA (?) - formerly owned László Rákóczi (1662) and the Erdődy family. Sold to America in the 1920s, present location unknown.

Images:

 

3. Chalice with filigree enamel, with paten

Hungarian, 1450-1500

Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1990.3

Images:

Link to object page: Collection database

4. Chalice with filigree enamel

Hungarian or Silesian, 1460-1480. Made for Johann Benedict of Breslau.

New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art (Gift of Pierpont Morgan, 17.190.368)

Images:

Link to object page: Collection database

5. Reliquary

Silver gilt, rock crystal and pearl.

Hungary, ca. 1500

New York, Metropolitan Museum, The Cloisters Collection (58.20)

Image:

Link to object page: Collection database

6. Chalice with filigree enamel

Hungarian, middle of the 15th century

New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Salgo Trust for Education, 2010

Image:

7. Chalice with filigree enamel

Hungarian, 1462

New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Salgo Trust for Education, 2010

Inventory number: 2010.109.6

Image:

See this post on my blog for more photos of the last two objects.

III. Other works of applied arts

1. Corvinus dishes

1a. Dish with the allegory of Chastity and the coat of arms of Matthias Corvinus and Beatrice of Aragon

Part of the Corvinus-set. Pesaro, c. 1476

New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Link 1.: Collection database

Image:

 

1b. Dish with the coat of arms of Matthias Corvinus and Beatrice of Aragon

Part of the Corvinus-set. Pesaro, c. 1476

Berkeley, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology

Image:

 

Together with another large and one smaller dish (both at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London), these majolica dishes were likely given to King Matthias and Queen Beatrice on the occassion of their wedding in 1476. The dishes were made in Pesaro, and were gift of the lord of Pesaro, Costanzo Sforza.

Bibliography:

THE DOWRY OF BEATRICE Italian Majolica Art and the Court of King Matthias Corvinus. Edited by Gabriella Balla and Zsombor Jekely. Budapest, Museum of Applied Arts, 2008.

 

2. Bone saddles and ceremonial weapons

2a. Bone saddle associated with the Order of the Dragon of King Sigismund

Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, 69.944

Possibly Hungarian. Formerly in the Batthyány collection, Körmend

Link: Collection database

Image:

 

A total of four similar bone saddles are preserved in the Metropolitan Museum. The most beautiful of them comes from the Trivulzio-collection in Milan.

2b. New York, Metropolitan Museum, 40.66 (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1940)

Image:

Link: Collection database, with additional views

Bibliography:

Sigismundus Rex et Imperator - Kunst und Kultur zur Zeit Sigismunds von Luxemburg (1387–1437). Ed. Imre Takács et. al. Budapest-Luxembourg, 2006.

 

2c. Crossbow with the arms Matthias Corvinus

Hungarian, dated 1489

New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund (25.42)

Images:

Link: Collection database  

2d. Shield

Hungary, early 16th century

New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund (49.57.1)

Image:

Link: Collection database 

 

IV. Other works

 

Lippo Vanni (active 1344-1376): Madonna and Child Enthroned with Donors and Saints Dominic and Elizabeth of Hungary, ca. 1343

Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami (Gift of The Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 61.024.001-.003)

The donors depicted by the Madonna are Queen Elizabeth and her son, Prince Andrew. Likely commissioned on the 1343 journey of Queen Elizabeth to Naples.

Link: Collection description

Image:

 

horizontal rule

Other countries

In addition to the above, many museums, libraries and treasuries of the world  preserve a great number of objects coming from the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. The list below gathers some of the most famous of these works.


 
Cross of queen Gisela, wife of Siant Stephen. Commissioned by the Queen  for the tomb of her mother at the Niedermünster in Regensburg. Presently preserved in Munich.

Regensburg, after 1006

 


 
The diptych of King Andrew III of Hungary. Preserved at the Historisches Museum, Bern

Venice, c. 1290


 

Schatzkammerbild at Mariazell, donated by King Louis the Great around 1360.

 


 
Reliquary cross of King Louis the Great. At the Ecclesiastical Treasury in Vienna.

Between 1370-1382


 
The Hungarian Angevin Legendary.  The bulk of this Hungarian royal manuscript is preserved at the Vatican, with additional pages in the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Hermitage, the Metropolitan Museum, the Louvre.

Hungary (?), 1330s


 
The Istanbul antiphonal, preserved at the Topkapi Serai, Istanbul.

Buda, 1360s


 
The Library of King Matthias - the Corvina Library

Manuscripts have been scatterred all over the world. For an overview, see the Digital Corvina Library

The site includes a complete list of manuscripts, with description and photos of many of the mansucripts

A number of Corvina manuscripts are available in digital form from the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel, Germany (Illustrated here: the Ficino manuscript from Wolfenbüttel)


 

An early 15th century of the Virgin and child from the region of Ungvár (present-day Ukraine), in the Louvre, Paris -  (more photos available)

Hungary, early 15th century

Funerary shield of King Matthias, Paris, Musée de l'Armée

Vienna, 1480s

     

HOME | Medieval News | Bibliography | Resources | Chief works | The Holy Crown | Treasures abroad | Wall paintings | Manuscripts | New books

© 1998-2009 by Zsombor Jékely
Last updated:
2011.10.07.