Zsuzsa Lovag
A Crowning Achievement
Éva Kovács: Species Modus Ordo. Selected Essays. Budapest, Szent István Társulat, 1998. 473 pp., 264 illustrations.
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The other half of the essays selected for Species Modus Ordo are associated with an extraordinary object, the Matthias Calvary in the Treasury of the Basilica in Esztergom. This exquisite work decorated with ronde-bosse enamel of gold comes from a similarly illustrious place, the ducal court of Burgundy: it was Margaret of Flanders’ gift to her husband, Philippe le Hardi, for New Year’s Day in 1403. While on this subject, I would like to relate a personal memory. More than twenty years ago Éva Kovács presented the results of her research on the Matthias Calvary at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; while showing slides of the details of the object, she read out a French description of the Calvary dated 1403. After her astounding lecture, one colleague happened to say something to the effect what an incredible stroke of luck it must have been to stumble on a contemporary description of the artwork. Somewhat irritated, Éva Kovács replied that ploughing through hundreds of sources and unpublished medieval documents borrowed from French libraries over the years also helped.
The magnum opus, the monograph on the Matthias Calvary, was in the making for more than two decades, and is ready for publication. Apart from the handsome little book mentioned above, all she
published on the subject were other surviving examples of the French ronde-
bosse enamel, which she had studied
thoroughly, and whose origin and dating she was able to determine from historical sources precisely on the basis of the
accurate dating of the Matthias Calvary.
Of these, the present volume contains
the essays "A párizsi ötvösség 1400 körül és a források" (Metal Working in Paris around 1400 and the Sources, 1975), "Világi ötvösmuývek a középkori Franciaországban (Secular Metal Works in Medieval France, 1980); "Hattyú és strucc: Lancaster és Luxemburgi?" (Swan and Ostrich: Lancaster and Luxembourg?, 1980); "A Szentlélek rend ereklyetartója, Anne de Bretagne hozománya" (The Reliquary of the Order of the Holy Ghost, the Dowry of Anne de Bretagne, 1981);
"A gótikus arany ronde-bosse zománc idoýrendje, elterjedése az irott források tükrében" (The Chronology and Spread of Gothic Golden Ronde Bosse Enamel in the Light of Written Sources, 1981).
The study of historical sources means long and arduous work, yet one that
leads to large profits for art historians, too. The French documents contain ample references to Hungarian material; this have been published in "Késoýközépkori francia inventáriumok magyar vonatkozásai" (The Hungarian Aspects of the Late Mediaeval French Inventories, 1972); "A gótikus ronde-bosse zománc a budai udvarban" (Gothic Ronde Bosse Enamel in the Royal Court of Buda, 1982); "A magyarországi Jakab mester" (Master James of Hungary, 1967); and the articles about a hard-drinking, quarrelsome and rowdy Hungarian master who had moved to Paris: "Egy magyarországi himzoýmester: Etienne de Bičvre" (A Master Embroider from Hungary: Etienne de Bičvre, 1984); "Etienne de Bičvre himzoý utolsó munkái és az aranygyapjas rend ornátusa" (The Last Works of the Embroider Etienne de Bičvre and the Vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece, 1983).
The essays as they follow each other demonstrate an ever more refined scholarship, eventually weaving together a tapestry of inter-
relations. Research always starts with the objects themselves, from a thorough structural and technical inspection, since every object
discloses its unique details. At the same time, the medieval objects always carry something beyond themselves which can only be revealed through a comprehensive knowledge of the medieval mind, the spirit of the age and the historical context. Finally, one has to know the members of the craft and the structure of the workshops, and that can only be achieved through familiarity with the historical sources.
From the essays emerges the portrait of their author as that of a scholar who is equally familiar with the technical aspects of goldsmithry and the complex relations of iconography, heraldry and the origin
of artworks, not to mention relations between those who make and those who commission the works. She always wanted to know more and pass it on; she always wanted to go on polishing and enriching the results of her research; she always strove for perfection. This is the reason why the monographs on the coronation insignia and the Matthias Calvary have never been published, although I have
no doubt that the drafts are in her
drawer, and that they are outstanding as they are.
The outside cover of the book shows a detail from the Matthias Calvary, the figure of Virgin Mary mourning her Son. Éva Kovács’s unexpected death came just a
few days before the book was presented to her fellow scholars. This allowed colleagues who had gathered for the occasion to say their farewells to an outstanding peer.
Zsuzsa Lovag
is Director of the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest. Her publicatons include Mittelalterliche Bronzekunst in Ungarn
(also in Hungarian), Corvina Books, 1979, Aquamanilék (Aquamaniles, Budapest, 1984) and, with Éva Kovács, The Hungarian Crown and Other Regalia, Corvina Books, 1980, 1988, also in German and Hungarian.
