Opus regium: On the Longue Durée of the Matthias Calvary in Esztergom Cathedral

• In Event: The Extended Narrative of the Object I

Abstract

The so called "Calvary of King Matthias Corvinus" is one of the most prestigious and enigmatic objects of the archepiscopal treasury of Esztergom/Gran. Its upper part was made as a new-year’s gift to Philip the Bold in 1402, the lower part is an impressive work of italianate renaissance goldsmith’s work made in the 1480s. Although the early phases of its history are not fully known, its afterlife is much more fully documented. Archival sources provide the possibility of following a series of alterations to its physical appearance, from which one can trace the influence of this opus regium on later derivations of the Calvary from the bequest of King Mathias. My aim is to demonstrate how, in the course of its physical transformation, the work inspired a peculiar revivalist style within the context of archepiscopal representation in the late 16th century.

Author

• Erika Kiss, Hungarian National Museum, Budapest