About the collection
This collection comprises furniture from all areas of historical Hungary, including areas primarily populated by ethnic Hungarians, as well as other prominent ethnic groups (German, Serbian, Slovakian, Wendish Slav, etc.).
Forming the basis of the collection are items of furniture collected by János Jankó (450 pieces) for the millennial exhibitions on industry, agriculture, and other topical areas, and the pieces collected by János Xántus for an exhibition in Vienna in 1873 and for the national exhibition in 1885. Most of these pieces were made new specifically for the exhibitions and were intended to illustrate typical products of rural cottage and small industry. In addition to newly made furniture, the collection included several hand-made wooden trunks and a 17th century painted chest from Komárom. Vintage lighting implements, primarily torch holders, were added to the collection by Ottó Herman as part of his endeavours to illustrate what he had termed the "Ősfoglalkozások" or "ancient occupations" of the Hungarian people.
Between the two world wars many simple, functional items and decorative peasant furnishings were added to the collection. The efforts of collector Edit Fél in Martos in 1939 produced a complete set of furnishings from a single room.
Systematic expansion of the collection was begun in 1947 under the direction of Klára K. Csilléry with the aim of providing a fair and complete picture of the Hungarian furniture-making industry. By documenting the products of workshops which had the greatest historical impact on the development of various styles, the museum was able to illustrate major trends and changes in the home furnishing industry. A series of artefacts collected from Debrecen, Hódmezővásárhely and Komárom, for example, illustrate the succession of stylistic changes that occurred between the second half of the 18th century and the end of the 19th century.
Material from the smaller workshops of the 19th century, such as those of Derecske, Fadd, and Kalocsa, illustrate how the influence of major centres for carpentry spread across the country. In addition to painted furniture, the collection includes series of objects illustrating how styles changed over time, including those associated with inlaid furniture from the region north of Lake Balaton, carved-backed chairs from Transdanubia, trellis-work furniture of the Palóc region, and wooden chests from areas all over Hungary, the earliest ones dating from the 14th-16th centuries.
Of the various collections of items related to home furnishing and interior decoration, many serve to demonstrate social differences and changes in culture. Outstanding examples in this regard include the collections from Bodony, Tiszaigar, Dunapataj, Szakmár, Harta, Vértesacsa, Hódmezővásárhely, and Sárköz. Efforts conducted in the last decade have added material illustrating trends in 20th century interior decoration, focusing on locations such as Mezőkövesd, Uszód, Sárpilis, and Dunabogdány.
The present furniture and lighting collection comprises a total of 4,719 pieces, all of which have their permanent home at the museum's storage facility in Törökbálint. Items are organised into various categories: vessels and objects used for storage, seating, children's furniture, beds, lighting implements, mirrors, clocks, objects used in interior decoration, etc. According to statistics produced by Gábor Fejér, counties from which the greatest number of pieces have been taken include: Tolna (Sárköz, 340), Heves (Palóc furniture, 250), Borsod (Mezőkövesd and Miskolc, 227), Csongrád (Hódmezővásárhely, 168), Veszprém (Veszprém and surrounding areas, 165), Nógrád (Palóc furniture, 161), and Kolozs (Kalotaszeg, 133).
The curator of the collection is Margit Kiss.