Pálffy Family

Kone a kočiare ako špecifický typ reprezentácie uhorskej aristokracie na príklade Esterházyovcov Az Esterházy család képviselőinek-a magyarországi politikára és törté-nésekre gyakorolt befolyásuk mellett-megvoltak a maguk szűkebb körű érdekei, amelyek természetesen a rep-rezentálással is összekapcsolódtak. Ezek közé tartozott az is, hogy szeret-ték a lovakat. A lovak egyrészt a rep-rezentálással, másfelől pedig az üzleti érdekekkel függtek össze. A semptei uradalmon belül-Tallóson, Cseklé-szen vagy Jattón (Kisjattón)-a bécsi és pozsonyi reprezentálásra szánt lova-kat tenyésztették már a 18. században. Cseklészen született meg az a bricska-típus, amelyet később Esterházy-vagy cseklészi kocsi (cseklezer) névvel illet-tek. A család képviselői Bécsben car-rosse-okat és Berlinéket (Berlinereket) használtak reprezentálásra, amelyekből sokkal rendelkeztek. Státuszukat éppen a háromfogatos Berlinék erősítették, amelyeket az udvarhoz érkezésük hi-vatalos alkalmai során vettek igénybe. A társadalmi állás e módon, kifelé történő reprezentálása azonban (a néhány kivételes alkalmon túl is) általában a mindennapi élet fontos részét képezte. Példaként említhetjük ifjabb Esterházy Józsefet, a cseklészi kastélyt építtető idősebb Esterházy József országbíró fiát. 1 Ő 1730-tól hosz-szabb időt töltött Bécsben. Apja utasításai alapján 1730 áprilisában felkereste a szolgálatában álló nyeregkészítőt, aki 90 forintért egy szinte teljesen új, könnyű egylovas hintót-ún. csézát-kínált. Belső oldaláról zöld posztóval vonták be, szélein pedig sárga szegély díszítette. Az ifjú Esterházy József egy szíjgyártónál is járt, akitől lószerszámot rendelt egy darab lóra. 2 A 100 forint értékű megrendelt árut végül néhány héten belül szállították le neki. 3 A LOVAK ÉS A LOVAS KULTÚRA A lovas kultúra közvetlenül kapcsolódik a nemesség reprezentálásához. Ugyanúgy e kultúrá-hoz tartoznak a közlekedési eszközök is: hintók, bricskák, kocsik és más típusok. A közlekedési eszközök-a mához hasonlóan-a paraszt, a polgár, a nemes vagy az egyházi tisztségviselő vagyoni állapotának és társadalmi helyzetének a megtestesítői. A közlekedési eszközök egyes 1 A későbbi Esterházy József (1714-1762) altábornagyról van szó, aki az említett időszakban tanulmányai okán tartózkodott Bécsben. 1730 decemberében levélben kérte apját, hogy varrasson neki ünnepi öltözéket, miközben biztosítja őt, hogy ezt szorgalmas tanulással hálálja meg. Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár Országos Levéltára (a továbbiakban: MNL OL), Esterházy család tatai ágának levéltára (P 197), Familiaria, 52. csomó, fasc. 106, no. 2, 1730. 12. 28-án kelt levél. Valószínűleg néhány évet töltött itt diákként. Bécsben kezdett felkészülni a Kavalierstourra is. Uott, 1732. 4. 2-án kelt levél. 2 Uott, 1730. 4. 21-én kelt levél. 3 Uott, 1730. 5. 17-én kelt levél.

This study, based on an extensive archival research, focuses on the collections of Count John Pálffy (1829-1908). In his will, he bequeathed his collections to the state and demanded that they be made available to the general public. According to the will, museums were to be established in Vienna, Bratislava, Kráľová, Bojnice. His heirs refused to accept it and filed an action for annulment of the will. When the trial ended in 1918, the Hungarian government and later the Czechoslovak government protested against the failure to fulfil the last will. Negotiations between the heirs and the Czechoslovak state ended in 1923 with the conclusion of a so-called friendly agreement. Based on this mediation part of the collections were given to the Czechoslovak state and part went to the heirs. The heirs sold the collections to a consortium of Otto Kretschmer and Rudolf Ryšavý. Subsequently, exhibitions and auctions were organized under the patronage of the East Slovak Museum in Piešťany (1924), Prague twice (1924, 1926) and Karlovy Vary (1926). All of them attracted a lot of attention from the public, politicians and the press. Ministry of Foreign Affairs wanted to furnish its headquarters at the Czernin Palace in Prague with works of art from Pálffy’s collection. However, the interest was temporary, because the use of the palace did not begin until the late 1930s. In the years 1928, 1931 and 1933, the collections intended for the state were transferred from Kráľová, Bojnice and Pezinok to the Slovak Museum of National History in Bratislava.

Parallels and Diff erences in Portrait Representation of Count Nikolaus
Pálff y and Count John Pálffy

The study is just an introduction to the research of the so far neglected topic of portrait representation of the Pálffys in the 18th century. Its more narrow scope focuses on two defi nitely most prominent personalities among the Pálffys in the 18th century: two brothers, Count Nikolaus (1657 — 1732) and John (1663 — 1751) Pálffys, who were
extremely competent commanders and statesmen holding the highest political offi ces in the country, the offi ces of a Palatine. By their participation in the military and political and diplomatic defence of Habsburg interests in Hungary and beyond, each of them markedly strengthened their personal, but jointly also the family, prestige.
Despite the mentioned signifi cance of the brothers in different contexts of social, cultural, military and political history of our territory and a broader historical Habsburg Danube region, individual features of both brothers have still remained — both physically and in terms of character — just vaguely differentiated. Without any identifi cation inscriptions, the portrayals of the brothers are currently virtually indistinguishable from each other. It must be partially caused by distinct parallels in their personal careers and certainly also (let us suppose it at least) by their sibling look or mental and cultural “equipment” formed by the identical family educational strategy. In case of Palatines Nikolaus and John Pálffys, a few original, in their lifetime painted portraits, graphics or sculptural reliefs, as well as different, later painted copies, replicas and graphics reproducing older (often not preserved) originals have been
preserved in Slovakia and abroad. These unoriginal versions were created in the wide span from the middle of the 18th century to the middle of the 20th century. The entire process of identifi cation calls for a work with a huge number of comparative image materials needed in order to verify or refuse hypothetical identifi cations of portraits
of our brothers Palatines which are presented both to the lay people and experts in this paper, in many cases really for the first time.

The Devín Manor had been in the hands of the Hungarian aristocratic family since
1654. The townlets of Devín and Rača were the most lucrative sites of this property;
on the one hand, thanks to their size, number of subject and total economic potential;
on the other hand, owing to the Devín Castle. In the Small Carpathian Region, wine
had been the most important economic and trade commodity since the Middle Ages.
In Rača and Devín, viniculture was the basic livelihood of the majority of the subjects.
Having acquired the manor, the Pálffys concluded contracts with both townlets;
the contracts became the basis of economic activities and thus of mutual relations
of both parties. The contracts were mostly used to lay down the subjects’ obligations
as well as rights towards the manorial lords. It can be stated based on an analysis
of individual sections of these contracts that their wordings were similar. The most
important factor was to make it possible for the subjects to work on their own farmsteads
— particularly in vineyards, the work rent (i.e. forced labour) was minimized
at the expense of different payments and fees. The profi t of the manor was also
generated from a ninth paid in the form of must or other crops by the subjects according
to Hungarian laws. This way of economy suited both the Pálffys and their
subjects. As a result, mutual relations were mostly proper, no complaints appear
in documents, as is the case with other villages and townlets. The proof of the fact
that this relationship suited even the subjects is a dispute asking for the application
and approval of a new urbarium in Rača on the basis of Maria Theresa’s edict from
1767. The inhabitants of Rača wanted to retain the old contract, which they were not
allowed to. The landholding (urbarian) regulation was applied but the subjects were
still allowed to buy themselves out of precisely defi ned work obligations.

In: Theatrum historiae 9 (2011), s. 491 - 507.

Abstract:
The text evaluates the crucial sources of the Pálff y's collections and their interior design at the Castle of Červený Kameň in the mid-18th century, when this oldest family residence was inhabited by members of both family branches. Th e older branch of the family (Rudolf I Pálff y) is represented by the preserved collections catalogues in six books; the younger line (Karl Paul Pálffy) is represented by several inventories of their rooms from 1742–1774.

The text evaluates the crucial sources of the Palffy’s collections and their interior design at the Castle of Cervený Kameň in the mid-18th century, when this oldest family residence was inhabited by members of both family branches. The older branch of the family (Rudolf I Palffy) is represented by the preserved collections catalogues in six books; the younger line (Karl Paul Palffy) is represented by several inventories of their rooms from 1742–1774.

In:  O p u s c u l a H i s t o r i a e A r t i u m, 6 1 (2 0 1 2), s. 120 - 133.

Abstract:
The study presents the collection of nine portraits of “famous men”, preserved in the collection of Červený Kameň Museum, which has so far not been published. Recent research has revealed many unsuspected facts, as a result of which it has been possible not only to identify the
portraitees and to determine who commissioned most of the portraits and the approximate date they were painted, but also to establish the specific historical and political circumstances to which the paintings reacted in very topical ways. The collection of paintings, arranged in a grid system in wall panelling or a coffered ceiling, was originally without doubt considerable larger. It was commissioned by Baron Miklós II Pálffy, a Hungarian and Lower Austrian aristocrat from the era of the Emperors Maximilian II and Rudolf II, who wanted to visually demonstrate his high-level international contacts by having these portraits in his dynastic residence in Červený Kameň castle. From
an art-historical viewpoint, however, the collection is also a significant example reflecting trends in official portraits in the Habsburg courts in Hungary and in the Central European area in general: it clearly confirms Pálffy’s connections with the court milieus in Prague, Vienna, and
Innsbruck, and also with the Lower Austrian aristocratic scene.

Alžběta Pálffy (1782–1843) byla prvorozeným dítětem Rudolfa II. Pálffyho (1750–1802), spolumajitele panství Červený Kameň a Pezinok, a Marie Antonie Krakowské z Kolowrat (1763–1842). V roce 1805 se provdala za bratrance Jana Nepomuka Lažanského z Bukové (1774–1830), majitele statků Manětín, Rabštejn nad Střelou a Kalec v západních Čechách a pozdějšího prezidenta českého zemského soudu. Bohužel, v literatuře se o ní nic bližšího nedozvíme. Stejně jako u mnoha jiných dam stála její osobnost zcela ve stínu manžela. Příspěvek si klade za cíl přiblížit spletité osudy této bratislavské rodačky a upozornit na některé dosud opomíjené skutečnosti, které ji přinutily vystoupit z předurčené role oddané manželky a starostlivé matky a ujmout se role prozíravé hospodářky, mecenášky nebo obětavé dcery.

The subject of this study is the princely House of Liechtenstein in our history (the territory of Slovakia) in the Kingdom of Hungary up to 1918. It addresses the question – what role this family played in our history and
perceptions of them in the light of sources. Preserved sources point to the activities and influence of the members of the House of Liechtenstein on the history of what was then the Kingdom of Hungary and the regions of our land. The ancestors of this princely house entered into our history even before the Mongolian incursion in 1227. Their activities up to 1918 can be divided into three historical periods. In the 13th century members of this line stood on the side of Czech kings, and thus in the war over Babenberg inheritance they were often adversaries of the Kingdom of Hungary.
Members of the line built stronger ties to the region of western Slovakia in the roles of military commanders, politicians, informers, diplomats or judges only after the 15th century. Vivid correspondence with representatives of the Pressburg city senate as well as with Queen Elizabeth, the daughter of the Emperor
Sigismund, is documented from the 15th century up through 1526. Aside from informing on the movements of the Hussites, negotiations with the queen on the assistance and defence of Pressburg, various documents are preserved, predominately of a judicial nature. At the end of this period a family alliance was formed between the then Counts of Liechtenstein and the Mikulov Estates with the major line of the counts from Svätý Jur and Pezinok.
The princely House of Liechtenstein formed its strongest ties on our territory only after 1526. After the Battle of Mohács in that year they appeared in various roles in our history. In 1608 Charles I acquired from the successor of Emperor Rudolf, Hungarian King Matthias II, by means of the power of the King of Hungary, the title of prince, thus becoming the first house to have a heritable princely title.
Although the original document has not been preserved, a reference to it is preserved in documents from 1623. The most significant was the role of military commanders in the anti-Turkish wars, in suppressing the anti-Habsburg estate rebellions or coalitions and the wars against Napoleon, as well as diplomats at the
Sublime Porte or in negotiations with insurgents and Napoleon. They also took on the role of territorial lords of the estate in Liptovský Hrádok, which Prince Hans-Adam Andreas I (1657 – 1712) obtained in 1702 from the Hungarian Chamber after the Ostroziths. The princely house owned this estate for nearly 31 years and it served for the founding of the local salt office.
Several members of the princely line were important natives, residents or visitors to Slovak towns and villages. A no less significance connection with our history are the marriage and family alliances with the Hungarian nobility (Czobor, Pálffy, Esterházy, Hunyády, Andrássy, Apponyi, Ürményi, Dessewffy, Jankovich, Kálnoky, Károlyi). Princesses of Liechtenstein asserted themselves here as patronesses of religious, cultural or educational institutions.
The ties of this princely house to our history in the Hungarian period cannot be denied. A similar statement also applies after 1918, when these ties developed further as part of Czechoslovakia.

In: PORTRÉT V TOKU DEJÍN : Štúdie k teoretickým, historickým a socio-kultúrnym aspektom dejín portrétu. Eds. : I. Halászová - E. Hrnčiarik. FF Trnavskej univerzity v Trnave, Trnava 2018, s. 77 - 85.

Abstract: The most prominent portraitist and really successful painter of the Early Central European Baroque era was indisputably the Viennese court painter of Flemish origin, Frans Luycx (1604-1668). The principal essence of Luycx‘s success was his ability to transfer an elegant modern
baroque portrait style of P. P. Rubens and A. van Dyck into Vienna court and to adapt it to the specific local artistic conditions. His portrait style was dynamic, elegant and opulent, no doubt that Luycx was really the enormously popular portraitist also in aristocratic circles throughout the
Habsburg Empire.