Rebirth of a painting
Mihály Zichy: Queen Elizabeth by the Catafalque of Ferenc Deák
MúzeumCafé 41.
The Gödöllő Palace has a new attraction – Mihály Zichy’s monumental canvas Queen Elizabeth by the Catafalque of Ferenc Deák, now on display after several years of restoration work. For decades the work, damaged during World War II, was kept rolled up in the Hungarian National Gallery’s storeroom. Serious restoration began in 2011, helped financially by a tender announced by the National Cultural Fund. Initially, the damaged canvas was strengthened in order to stretch the picture. The original stretcher was no longer available, but the National Gallery already had one, which was adapted to hold the huge canvas. After stretching, cleaning of the surface could begin as well as conservation of the paintwork. The Gödöllő Palace – the central memorial place for the Elizabeth cult in Hungary – has been planning to display the painting since 1996, but due to its large size the part of the building renovated between 1996 and 2003 wasn’t suitable. However, the space which was ready in 2010 and which served as the location for Hungary’s EU Presidency in 2011, became available in the autumn of 2011 and was deemed appropriate for displaying the work. The wing housing the painting opens directly from the end of the Queen Elizabeth memorial exhibition, which concerns the Elizabeth cult and displays objects formerly held by the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Museum. Antal Grassalkovich, for whom the palace was originally built, must have also intended the space for a picture gallery. The huge painting has been installed in the first room leading to the corridor. When it was painted it already depicted a symbolic event, reflecting the significance of the 1867 Compromise, and increased the cult of Elizabeth.