church of Poniky, dated by an inscription to 1415.
Poníky was a royal town and the commissioner named
himself only as “dominus gregoriusplebanus ecdesie", nev-
ertheless in its complexity and its reliance on manu-
script sources, the ensemble resembles the monuments
discussed above.* * * 38 Although their commissioners usu-
ally cannot be identified, another group of frescoes
could still be brought into the analysis: the frescoes
in various chapels built into the fortifications of Tran-
sylvanian Saxon churches, such as Petersberg (Bar-
caszentpéter — Sínpetru, around 1400) and Honig-
berg (Szászhermány — Hárman, around 1440).39
To sum up, the frescoes in all of these churches
belong to the latě phase of the fashionable, Interna-
tional Gothic current. In all of the churches discussed,
the iconography is highly unusual, containing vari-
ous references to the commissioners or simply exhib-
iting a sophistication and detail not seen in other
monuments. The learned aspect of the frescoes and
the importance of inscriptions also connect the works:
it is likely that in all these churches, the fresco déco-
ration was executed relying on model books, manu-
scripts, or prints. This aspect is underscored by the
use of long inscriptions on borders and scrolls, giving
a detailed explanation for the complex iconographie
programs, while also providing solid foundation for
dating the works to the second and third decades of
the 15th Century.
From the appearance of this type of décoration in
many parts of the country at around the same time,
it is reasonable to suggest that they reflect a style and
männer of décoration favoured in the centre of the
country, more specifically in the royal court. Perhaps
they represent a new type of décoration, one that is
further removed from the example of the Italian Tre-
cento, one that is learned and fashionable, and which


4. Central part ofthe Lastjudgment on the northern wall ofthe nave at
Kyjatice, 1426. Photo: Peter Böttcher, Krems.

perhaps rendered the Italian-inspired frescoes some-
what outmoded. This supposition tempts us to imag-
ine painting at the royal court in a similar vein in this
period. Unfortunately the almost total loss of wall
painting from central Hungary makes this supposi-
tion impossible to prove. Our only clue is provided
by the monumental altarpiece of Thomas of Coloswar,
commissioned by the cantor of the royal chapel, and
painted for the Abbey of Hronský Beňadik (Garam-
szentbenedek, today at the Christian Museum of Esz-
tergom). The altarpiece similarly is a complex work

falképei. Budapest 1993, pp. 93-100. More recently, see cat.
no. 4.148 (M. Jánó) in Sigismundus Rex 2006 (see in note 1),
pp. 425-426.
38 Mûvészet '/sigmond kirdly kordban 1987 (see in note 18), pp.
301-311; BIATHOVÁ, K.: Die Funde in Poniky im Ges-
amtbild der gotischen Wandmalerei der Slowakei. In: Si-
gismund von Luxemburg: Kaiser und König in Mitteleuropa, 1587
— 1457. Beiträge zur Herrschaft Kaiser Sigismunds und der euro-
päischen Geschichte um 1400: Vorträge der internationalen Tagung
in Budapest vom 8. — 1 l.Juli 1987. Eds. J. MACEK — E. MA-
ROSI - F. SEIBT. Warendorf 1994, pp. 339-345; BURAN,

D.: Studien zur Wandmalerei um 1400 in der Slowakei — Die
Pfarrkirche St. Jakob in Leutschau und die Pfarrkirche St. Franzis-
kus Seraphicus in Poniky. Weimar 2002, pp. 119-207. Further
information on the history of Poniky, including the possibili-
ty of royal patronage, is available in ZOLNAY, L.: A régi
zólyomi ispánság építkezéseinek tôrténetéhez (4. kozlemény).
In: Ars Hungarica, 7, 1979, No. 1, pp. 39-46.
39 On these monuments, in particular on Honigberg, see now
FABRITIUS, H.: Die Honigberger Kapelle — Kunst und Selbstdar-
stellung einer Siebenbürger Gemeinde im 15. Jahrhundert. Dössel
2006.

165