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:
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 |
