MOSAICS FROM THE HERITAGE OF ELTE – DECEMBER 2023

The object of the month – Coin cabinet

The ELTE Coin Cabinet was established by the Jesuits in Nagyszombat in 1753 and was originally located in the University Library, but today it is part of the Institute of Archaeological Sciences. The founder of the collection, Lieopold Fischer, not only donated numerous old coins to the collection, but also equipped it with three cabinets for their storage.

The largest is an inlaid, two-door cabinet (79 cm high, 65 cm wide, 50 cm deep) in Zopf style. It is made of pinewood covered with walnut veneer . The doors are decorated with inlayed elm and yew wood in an acanthus shape. The profiled edges are also made of walnut. In the larger, lower part of the cabinet, there are 11 veneered pinewood drawers specially designed for storing coins. A secret drawer has been hidden in the upper part of the curved profile, which is hidden behind the shield decorated with gilded acanthus.

Written by Lajos Juhász