14th of November 2019., Thursday 6.00 PM
Book launch
„Egy egészen új ornament előállítása” – Az egykori zalatnai Kőfaragó és Kőcsiszoló Ipari Szakiskola gipszminta- és kőfaragvány-gyűjteményének katalógusa (ed.: Imelga Földi, Emese Pál , Miklós Székely)
The catalog is presented by Dr. József Sisa, scientific advisor at the Institute of Art History at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ Research Centre for the Humanities.
The catalog, published by the Institute of Art History, presents an unparalleled collection of the stonemasonry school once operating in the small Transylvanian mining town of Zalatna. In the attic of the school building, which was built in 1985, an extremely fragmented collection of plaster and stone carvings was discovered in 2014, after which five years of art history research and restoration followed. The Transylvanian Ore Mountains’ industry was hit by a wave of modernization during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and the school became one of the symbols for modernization. In addition to stone cutting, stone grinding was also brought into the curriculum, resulting in a dual-profile education. Apprentices from all corners of the country were encouraged to create unique ornaments in a school atmosphere that promoted creativity and individuality. The Zalatna Collection is the only known historical collection of Hungarian architectural and sculptural stone carvings, which contains unique versions of familiar ornaments from the architecture of the period.