{"id":5724,"date":"2022-02-14T13:48:28","date_gmt":"2022-02-14T12:48:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr\/?p=5724"},"modified":"2026-10-27T16:16:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T15:16:53","slug":"commode-esterhazy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr\/en\/2022\/02\/14\/commode-esterhazy\/","title":{"rendered":"Esterh\u00e1zy Chest of Drawers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Restoration of this unusual piece of furniture which comes to us from\u2019Austria\/Hungary<\/a>. I had a little trouble placing it geographically. It clearly didn't come from France, but rather from Eastern Europe. But from where? Fortunately, the engravings provide valuable clues. The clothing corresponds to the late 17th or early 18th century. The landscapes show mountains and villages, deciduous and coniferous trees, and several ruins of medieval castles. So it's not northeastern Europe, but rather Bavaria or the...\u2019Austria\/Hungary<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Commode<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, several clues will give us the exact origin of this chest of drawers and, above all, the family to which it belonged: The house Eszterh\u00e1zy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First clue: Forchtenstein Castle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Commode
(Right) Inventory label from Forchtenstein Castle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The castle stands southwest of Mattersburg, above the Wulka valley. Its first part, with its 50m keep (bergfried), was built at the beginning of the 14th century by the lords of Mattersdorf, who later became lords of Forchtenstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around 1450, the lords of Forchtenstein died without male heirs. The Habsburgs inherited the castle for 170 years and made commitments, notably to the Counts of Wei\u00dfbriach and Hardegg. In 1622, Nicholas Esterh\u00e1zy received the castle from Emperor Ferdinand II, and the Esterh\u00e1zy family was granted the title of Count. Nicholas began by expanding the dilapidated castle, transforming it into a fortress. He completed this work between 1630 and 1634 with the Viennese master builder Simone Retacco, and from 1643 onward with Domenico Carlone for the castle's reconstruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His son Paul continued the construction of the castle in the second half of the 17th century, following the plans of the architect Domenico Carlone, with a strong emphasis on artistic design. The former fortress now houses the prince's arms, archives, and collections: clocks, automata, taxidermied exotic animals, and other objects from a cabinet of curiosities. The so-called treasure and miracle chamber is accessible only through a secret passage; the door can only be opened with two different keys. One is kept by the prince and the other by the treasurer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the castle belongs to the private Esterh\u00e1zy Foundation and showcases the history and treasures of this family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ch\u00e2teau
Forchtenstein Castle <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Second clue: Esterh\u00e1zy Palace<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A second inventory label allows us to track the chest of drawers' movements. A member of the Esterh\u00e1zy family probably commissioned it in the late 17th or early 18th century for Forchtenstein Castle. By 1936, it was in the Esterh\u00e1zy Palace, a few kilometers away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Commode
Label from Eisenstadt Castle, Esterh\u00e1zy Palace, 1936<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Esterh\u00e1zy Palace is located in Eisenstadt, the capital of Burgenland, the easternmost Austrian state, and is only 57 km south of the city of Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1763, Prince Nicholas I Esterh\u00e1zy ordered the reconstruction of his palace, which dated from 1721. Two architects worked on the project: Johann Ferdinand M\u00f6dlhammer initially, and then, from 1765, Melchior Hefele. Construction was completed in 1766. The palace comprises 126 meticulously decorated rooms. With its numerous windows, gardens, and statues, it is considered a Hungarian Versailles. Nicholas had, in fact, visited Versailles in 1764. However, Austrian influences, particularly those of Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace, can also be seen in the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the heart of Eisenstadt, the Esterh\u00e1zy Palace is among the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Austria. Formerly a residence of the high nobility, it is particularly captivating for the Haydn Hall, the Empire Hall, the small Chinese Salon, and the chapel, where relics rest in glass coffins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Palais
The Esterh\u00e1zy Palace<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Third clue: An envelope stuck behind a drawer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, this envelope indicates where the chest of drawers was recently located (the stamp is in euros) and who owned it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Commode
Address on the envelope<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Esterhazy Castle in Edelstetten, Bavaria, contains the Archives of Prince Esterhazy of Galantha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ch\u00e2teau
Esterhazy Castle in Edelstetten<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Commode<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Commode<\/figure>\n
Other labels found on the chest of drawers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Esterh\u00e1zy house<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Portrait
Paul I<\/strong>er<\/sup> Esterh\u00e1zy<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Originating from the minor nobility of Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia), the Esterh\u00e1zy family traces its roots back to the ancient Salomon clan, which dates back to the 12th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first known ancestor of the Esterh\u00e1zy family is Benedek Zerhas de Zerhashaz who later took the name Eszterh\u00e1s de Gal\u00e1ntha, who died in the first part of the 16th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the 17th century onwards, it was among the most important magnate families of the Kingdom of Hungary, the Austrian Empire, and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Traditionally supportive of the Habsburg dynasty, it received the title of baron in 1613, that of count in 1626, and the Frakn\u00f3\/Forchtenstein branch received the title of reigning prince (F\u00fcrst) in 1712 from the Holy Roman Emperor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purchase by the Hungarian state of the collection assembled by the Esterh\u00e1zy family in 1870 marked the foundation of the Museum of Foreign Art in Budapest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sophie M\u00e1ria Josepha, Princess von und zu Liechtenstein, Countess Esterh\u00e1zy von Gal\u00e1ntha, known as the "Countess Esterh\u00e1zy" (born September 5, 1798 in Vienna, died June 17, 1869) was a lady-in-waiting to Empress Elisabeth of Wittelsbach, known as "Sissi".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karoline Esterh\u00e1zy de Gal\u00e1ntha (1805-1851) was a piano student of the composer Franz Schubert, in Zsel\u00edz in Hungary (now \u017deliezovce in Slovakia) and in Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The writer P\u00e9ter Esterh\u00e1zy, born in 1950, is a member of the comital branch of the princely family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Esterhazy family who were able to order this chest of drawers: <\/p>\n\n\n\n