by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Author's program note. Quick! What do you know about the great Magyar nation of Hungary, a key element in the European equation for two thousand years? Exactly. Unless you are Hungarian yourself, you know little, if anything, about the matter... and that's why you, if you had the chance, would have walked past this gem... and missed a rare occasion to add its splendor and verve, radiating the e'clat that is so very Hungarian, to your collection.
For make no mistake about it, this is a picture of consequence... not least because it is, in microcosm, an apt representation of its nation, being bold, supercilious, absolutely sure of itself with an arrogance and hauteur that is quintessentially Hungarian (and got the nation into such a lot of trouble and grief, even unto its complete suppression and subjugation).
Look carefully and consider what you see, for this is how a king should look ... and be.
Now add the musical accompaniment of the Rakoczi march. It's the very thing to go along with and amplify this article. Find it in any search engine. Listen to the sound of this blood stirring music (composer unknown). You can see the crack troops of the kingdom on parade; the petted darlings, dazzling in their designed-to-impress uniforms and valorous decorations.
We look! We admire! We fall victim to a charm that defines the nation! This is the Hungary of September 28, 1830, the very day the young man portrayed, His Imperial Majesty Ferdinand I, already an emperor, was crowned King of Hungary as King Ferdinand V, and thus one of the key factors influencing every European nation and their millions of inhabitants. In short, this was History!
And, since History is the supreme ironist, you may be sure that what you see is most assuredly not what you get. See for yourself...
The facts.
People who enjoy the undeniable delights of condescending to others can never afford to forget that to condescend with credibility you must win, constantly, consistently, completely. To condescend without victory is to open yourself to ridicule... snide remarks... and condescension by others more successful than you. Thus, while Hungary had been a great nation in the days of Attila the Hun (434 A.D.) since then Victory had been fickle, elusive... and so it found itself in 1830 one of a vast number of dukedoms, principalities and other kingdoms in unhappy and restless thrall to God's good servant, the emperor of Austria, reigning supreme and condescending to all from Vienna.
This galling fact roiled every loyal Hungarian, for bending the knee to anyone was bitter indeed to the schemers of Budapest. But to bend the knee to the man who called himself Ferdinand V was the most bitter of all.
For these are the attributes and features that distinguished this imperial majesty... epilepsy, hydrocephalus, neurological problems, speech impediment, and more. Such was the fruit of the union between his consanguineous parents the Emperor Francis II and his double first cousin Maria Theresa, princess of Naples and Sicily.
His ability to produce an heir, non existent. His ability to reign, impossible. His ability to make the crucial decisions inherent in his weighty and powerful position... episodic, unpredictable. The only adamant decision he ever made related to... dumplings. Told by his chef that he could not have an apricot dumpling because apricots were not in season, he responded with uncharacteristic decisiveness, "I'm the Emperor, and I want dumplings!" And so in this matter at least he was gratified.
Otherwise for the 13 long years of his reign he was a negative factor, a void at the center of a turbulent Europe, marching to the Revolutions of 1848, when at last His Imperial and Apostolic Majesty was gently deposed, to be succeeded by his nephew Franz Joseph, who allowed his uncle to live in suitable splendor in Prague's Hradcany Castle, where perhaps he found dumplings a plenty and entirely to his taste. The record does not say.
His portrait as King of Hungary, 1830.
The picture you see above, so grand, so designedly inaccurate was left behind... only to turn up as Lot 125 at Dorotheum's Austrian auction 3 April, 2012. You can see its deplorable "before" state, the state in which I first saw this picture and knew I had to have it. You see, a true collector relies upon a practiced mixture of fact, hunch, visual impact and affection to evaluate a picture and make decisions which may well cost a small fortune, or more. It is a process in which the skills of sleuths, specialists, historians and lovers are uniquely mixed and which, luck willing, produces connoisseurs with bravado and nerves of steel. I am such a person, and I have been liberally helped along the way by conservator par excellence, Simon Gillespie of Cleveland Street, London. He is the man who has helped me acquire and return to their pristine perfection over three dozen such pictures. I honor and trust him accordingly.
What Simon saw.
When the image was first put in front of him it seemed destined to be rejected as dull and flatly painted. Close inspection revealed that the unknown artist had applied a thick oil paint which over time had left deep interstices that collected considerable dirt and old varnish which had itself discolored. The resulting effect was dismal, a dull surface, dirty, disfigured.
Here is where experience and a trained eye become absolutely essential. Connoisseurs and their conservators must learn to see that which is below the surface, to see the dazzling promise in the seemingly hopeless. Here Simon Gillespie excels.
After extensive analysis, he concluded the work was worth acquiring, though there was still risk involved; there always is. Still, Simon concluded that at the end of the day the picture would be magnificent as the Elect of God should always be. On this basis I acquired the work at auction, though other discerning eyes did succeed in increasing the price. Still, I did not overpay, always a danger when one's heart is involved.
In short order, Simon had the picture, shipped with their usual speed and careful packing by Dorotheum. As the crate was opened, always a moment of concern and nervous anticipation about what one would find within, the picture emerged, forlorn, dirty, distressed, but not disheartened. For this fortunate image had had the good fortune to become distressed in ways that could be dealt with... so long as it had an empathetic purchaser... and that I most assuredly was.
In Cambridge, in sympathetic hands.
Now this object of royal grandeur, with its uniquely opulent frame, has come to its new home where it will be properly handled, regarded, and maintained. I see it before me now, touched by the divinity that must hedge a real monarch. Yet it would scarcely be a true Hungarian tale without its mysteries still to be revealed. Who painted his majesty and why did he leave no clue? Who composed the Rakoczi march? And why, too, did its composer demur and remain incognito despite composing a work so excellent the fastidious Abbe Lizst would honor it at his piano? Again, we do not know. And, finally, did Ferdinand I and V get the apricots he coveted for his dumplings? All these are left to discover.
However, one thing is clear. The work is imperial indeed, made perfect again by the scrupulous care of Simon Gillespie. And so Ferdinand, sore troubled and afflicted in life, goes confidently into the ages to come, looking every inch as he should, a king, and a King of Hungary at that.
About the Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Services include home business training, affiliate marketing training, earn-at-home programs, traffic tools, advertising, webcasting, hosting, design, WordPress Blogs and more. Find out why Worldprofit is considered the # 1 online Home Business Training program by getting a free Associate Membership today.
Republished with author's permission by Ruthsella Corasol http://WorkingAtHome101.com
No comments:
Post a Comment