This book presents magnificent artefacts collected by an aristocratic family of fabulous wealth. It shows goldsmith's work and jewellery of extraordinary quality, and a number of decorations and commemorative medals, dating mostly from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These include some of the finest creations of their time, by artists such as Hans Petzolt of Nuremberg and Augsburg's Drentwett family, as well as renowned Hungarian goldsmiths of the Mannerist and Baroque era.
The book explains the more important phases in the evolution and growth of this outstanding collection. The Esterházy treasures, as well as the Esterházy family themselves, have an extraordinary history, including tragic losses and damage through bombing in 1945. Since then, many of the damaged pieces have been 'brought back to life' after years of meticulous restoration. The book includes archive photographs of those pieces beyond repair.
Many pieces in the Esterházy collection and the Esterházy themselves are inextricably linked at numerous points to many important developments in the political and diplomatic history of Europe. No other book in English dcouments this unique collection, which will be shown in a major exhibition in the Gilbert Collection in Somerset House in London from October 2004.
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