The Coronation Mantle of the Hungarian Kings [antikvár]

A THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD RELIC IN A NEW SETTING (In place of a Foreword) When after multilateral diplomatic preparations the state secretar/ of the United States handed over the Holy Crown and the coronation insignia to the Speaker in the Parliament on 6 January 1978, it was clear that a new phase had started in the history of these precious relics. For one thing, they came under utterly different circum- stances from those of the previous three decades or so. From the last year of World War II, the Hunganan crown jewels had been kept in Fort Knox, USA, locked away from viewing, whereas back home they were immediately in the focus of attention of the public and the scientific community - in far more polluted air than before. The great social appeal of the event was caused by its political preparation. Both sides were interested in propagating the return of the jewels as a major step in international detente, which indeed it was. For quite a different reason were the scholarly circles overcome by excitement. It was in 1938 for the last time that a few representatives of this community had a chance to examine the Holy Crown and the corona- tion jewels on the basis of direct experience. A respected generation of scholars with great achievements behind them, most of whom were already past the zenith of their careers, tried to exert pressure to be allowed to start immediate all-inclusive scientific and historical researches into the insignia. They referred to the prev- ention of the contract of restitution saying that after several centuries of "hidden storage", the relics honoured as state symbols should be continuously on display. Because of - and despite - all that, the protection of the physical state of the jewels had to be ensured with distinguished care from the "first moment of their return", together with up-to-date scientific investigations of a broad basis and the most modern methods. To this end, the minister of culture set up an advisory board named "Committee in charge of the protec- tion and scientific elaboration of the crown and the crown insignia" (hereinafter: Crown Committee) with the participation of noted researchers and public personages: Béla Köpeczi (historian, academician, president), Ferenc Fülep (archeologist, general director), György Györffy (historian), Zoltán Kádár (art historian, university professor) Eva Kovács (art historian), Tibor Kovács (archeologist, secretary), Zsuzsa Lovag (archeologist), Gyula László (archeologist, university professor), Ernő Marosi (art historian), György Székely (historian, university professor), Pál Miklós (art historian) and joachim Szvetnik (restorer). Later on Ferenc Fülep (archeologist), Alán Kralovánszky (archeologist), István Gedai (numismatist) were the president of the Crown Committee in diferent times and László Selmeczi was in charge of duties of secretary. Prior to the return of the insignia, a sharp dispute emerged among officials about the place where to pre- serve the regalia. Eventually, the Hungarian National Museum was decided for. Thus the crown jewels came to be officially placed in museum setting. They belong to the state treasury so they were never entered into the museum inventory under any number. This situation - now we know - was only temporary and lasted until late 1999 when the majority of the crown jewels were shifted to the Parliament, except for the mantle which is still in the National Museum. We know that it is not only appropriate but also our duty "to keep and present them as one ensemble", and we are insisting on it. The place can be a moot question, Obviously, those whose job it will be to decide upon the place of presetvation will have to start out from our national tradition, since the European exam- ples are widely varied: similar ensembles are kept in royal palaces (Vienna, Edinbourgh, Copenhagen), in cathedral treasuries (Monza, Palermo, Prague), in museums or arsenals (Paris: Louvre, Moscow), and even in banks (Trondheim). The abovesaid also influenced, even determined in some sense, the preservation and assessment of the coronation mantle from the point of view of monument conservation, as well as its scientific elaboration. Looking back from a quarter of a century later, the "start" appears shockingly simple, or, as we would say today, undeservedly perfunctory. In the acknowledgement of receipt signed in the National Museum at night on 6th January 1978, the following laconic description can be read: "5. One mantle on bluish green fabric with