Drawings in the legacy of Bandi Schima
by Peter Krausz
Many thanks to art historian Dr Emese Pápai
A month ago, we published an article about Bandi Schima A. (1882-1959), a nationally renowned metalsmith from Győr.
Dr Emese Pápai, art historian and chief museologist at the Rómer Flóris Museum of Art and History in Győr, an excellent expert on the artistic legacy of Bandi A. Schima, one of the authors and the editor of a book of studies on the artist, approached us with the following thought following the publication of our previous article on Schima:
“The fascinating topic has kept me intrigued and under the impact of the new perspective (i.e., possible other works by Schima related to Jewish culture – the ed.) I did some more research in the museum legacy of Bandi A. Schima.
As a result, I found two money-box plans from 1932 and 1936, as well as plans for a Torah pointer and an urn from 1932 and 1941, respectively.
I would be delighted to see these incredibly painstaking and detailed, meticulously worked out, elaborate blueprints published, and even more so if something could be found out about their afterlife and whereabouts of the objects, which were presumably executed.”
We are happy to comply with this request, both because Schima’s sophisticated and spectacular drawings demonstrate an interest in and affinity with Jewish cultural traditions, and because we are also wondering whether it is possible to trace the objects made from these drawings, if they were indeed commissioned by the client and accomplished by the artist. If they were, could these special, artistic objects have survived the extermination of a large part of the Jewish population of Győr?
In any case, anyone who knows anything about Schima’s latent works, please let us know.
Money-box (1)
The artist’s notes in the margins of the design give us the following information about the background of the object.
“Designed by Bandi Schima, metalsmith, Master of the Gold Ribbon of Hungary, by order of the Honourable Lipót Pollák, Treasurer of the /Jewish/ Community, in memory of the late Chief Rabbi Dr Mór Schwarz.
Symbols:
The front of the box: an illustration … (illegible term – ed.), a relief in silver, cold embossed and appliqué, referring to a philanthropic-minded Chief Rabbi who lived a life of faith and science.
Below the handle: the chiselled figure of Moses, prophet and leader of the people of Israel (the deceased was also the leader of the Israelites of Győr).
On the lid: on the lid of the modern urn-shaped funerary box, in a three-legged tripod (tripod vessel – ed.) ending in goat nails a fire is burning over the memory of the deceased. – The roses symbolize the beauty of life and the rays the glow of a happy lifetime.
Győr, 9 January 1936
(The owl, the stone tablets, the pen and the book – a Bible? – obviously refer to the scientific and theological work of Dr Mór Schwarz – ed.)
Natural size, with lock, yellow bronze.
Production price:
- entirely in bronze – P 165.- (P = Pengő, Hungarian national currency of the time – ed.)
- with silver relief – P 185.- “
Money-box (2)
The artist’s notes in the margins of the design give us the following information about the background of the object.
“It was commissioned by the Honourable Lipót Pollák, merchant, and designed by Bandi Schima, metalsmith.
Győr, 23 March 1932
Shape: funerary urn
Size: natural size
Decoration: on one side, a symbol of the deceased’s personality able to entwin hearts, and on the other side, a decorative expression of his love for his vocation and that of his achievements. (Inscriptions are for indication only – ed.)
Material:
900 silver, first class finish – P 320. –
bronze material, first class finish – P 125.
(The drawing shows the opening for the insertion of money – ed.)”
Torah pointer
The artist’s notes in the margins of the design give us the following information about the background of the object.
“Designed for the Jewish Community of Győr, commissioned by Lipót Pollák, Treasurer of the Community, by Bandi Schima, metalsmith, Győr, 1932.
Material:
900 silver – P 65.-
900 bronze silver-plated – P 28.- “
Urn
The artist’s notes in the margins of the design give us the following information about the background of the object.
“For the Jewish Community of Győr in memory of Dr Henrik Kallós, President of the Community
Commissioned by the Honourable Lipót Pollák, merchant, designed by A. Bandi Schima, craftsman, master smith
Győr, 25 April 1940
Size = 1:1
Material: yellow or red copper
Technique: appliqué in metal
Motif: on the front plaque the synagogue of Győr, with the coat of arms of Győr in the background (symbolising the Jewish community of Győr), on the back the 10 commandments, or the figure of Moses, or the Menorah, etc.
Finishing: patinated, polished, varnished (lacquered – ed.)
Structure: security coin slide on the inside and a strong hinged door with security lock and 2 keys on the bottom
Finish: first class, artistic – P 380.- “
Is there a Jewish tradition of similar metalwork?
About the money-box
Money was needed to run the Jewish school and the Synagogue, to maintain the cemetery, to provide minimum care for the sick, orphans and widows, to marry off poor brides, etc., to be covered from charitable donations, cedakahs, collected from all members of the community. The donations were collected in locked boxes. Both the closed box and the open bowls were made of various types of metal depending on the financial means of the community. Their design typically followed the object culture of the period and the purpose of the donation; the name of the collecting organisation was usually indicated in Hebrew.
Master smith Schima tries to follow the Jewish tradition in his designs for money-boxes, with however no Hebrew inscription but using other Jewish symbols.
Below are some examples from the collection of the Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives:
About the Torah pointer
It is inappropriate to touch the scroll, the letters, with your hands during the reading. In the Middle Ages, parchment was still covered with a textile cloth, which was also used as a finger pointer; the use of Torah pointers is recorded from the 16th century. The most common shape is the outstretched index finger of the right hand, made of metal, wood or bone, and nowadays also of glass and plastics. The traditional name for the object is the Hebrew word for hand, yad.
The design of master smith Schima basically follows the Jewish Torah pointer traditions.
Below are some examples from the collection of the Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives:
About the urn
The word “urn” is most commonly used to mean a container containing the ashes of the dead. We also know the word urn to mean an urn containing ballot papers, and urns are also used for drawing lots.
In principle, the use of funerary urns is incompatible with Jewish tradition, since according to ancient customs, the dead should be buried and not cremated. It is therefore no coincidence that urns are not found among Jewish objects.
Master smith Schima was certainly aware of these Jewish traditions. It is probable that he may have mistakenly given the name “urn” as the title of the fourth object he was requested to prepare. This is evidenced by the fact that he designed a safety coin slider on his urn and a strong hinged door with a safety lock on the bottom. In other words, this “urn” is in fact another money-box that he proposed to realise.
Who are the personalities named in the drawings?
The person commissioning
Lipót Pollák
Treasurer of the Jewish Community of Győr, member of the Community’s Board in the 1930s, merchant (grain merchant). His personal data were found in the books of the Győr Jewish Community by Olga Spitzer, Office Manager: Lipót Pollák was born in 1875 in Táp, his mother’s name was Wohl Ella, his wife Vilma. They died in Auschwitz.
Those honoured
Dr Mór Schwarz
Born in Csáktornya, 6 July 1869, died in Budapest, 20 August 1934. His parents were Jakab Schwarz, Chief Rabbi, and Róza Freuder. Wife: Steiner Berta.
Attended the high school of the Ferenc József National Rabbinical Training Institute in Budapest. He graduated in philology, philosophy and pedagogy from the Royal Hungarian University, and received his doctorate in 1893. He was ordained a Rabbi in 1895. In 1895-1896, teacher of religious education. From 1896 on, Rabbi of Turócszentmárton. From 1898, Chief Rabbi of Győr for 36 years. He was the first Rabbi of Győr who always delivered his speeches in Hungarian, which indicates that he supported the integration of the Jews into the Hungarian majority society. He introduced Friday evening sermons, confirmation for girls and Saturday afternoon services for high school students.
He did not support Zionist ideas, unlike his successor, Chief Rabbi of Győr, Dr Emil Róth. Ezra Grosz wrote in his memoirs:
“The fiercest opponent of progressive Zionist youth and students was the venerable Rabbi Dr Mór Schwarz. All the students of the high school attended his religion classes. As I was the only Jewish student at the Benedictine school, I also attended these classes and had the opportunity to conduct a covert Zionist campaign. However, this was not a secret from the Rabbi. To counteract my harmful influence, he used the weapon of mockery. “Grosz”, he said, “You’ll be ambassador to Palestine one day”. And indeed, this cheap weapon, so to speak, easily hit the mark, and the whole class burst out laughing at the ‘successful joke’”.
Dr Henrik Kallós
Henrik Kallós (Krausz) was born in Győr on 10 October 1879 and died there on 6 July 1940. He was a lawyer.
After attending the Neologue Jewish Primary School in Győr, graduated from the High School of the Order of St. Benedict of Pannonhalma in Győr in 1898. In 1902, graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Royal Hungarian University. In 1905, admitted to the bar and opened a law office in his hometown. In 1910, he became a member of the Municipal Law Committee and was elected to the Small Assembly. From 1924, a member of the Board of the Neologue Jewish Community of Győr, and from 1928 its President. In the same year, on the recommendation of the Minister of Religion and Public Education, he became a member of the Steering Committee of the Ferenc József Rabbinical Training Institute in Budapest. He continuously published articles. His writings can be found in the Jewish Yearbook, and news papaers like Egyenlőség and Győri Hírlap.
In 1932, he was appointed Senior Advisor to the Government. On this occasion, he was welcomed by Dr. Ferenc Szauter, Mayor of Győr, at the community’s honorary Assembly. In his reply, Kallós said: here in Kossuth Lajos Street (the Headquarters of the Community is located here), the four legally established religious denominations live side by side in the best of neighbourhood, in inner harmony, not seeking what divides them, but on the contrary, precisely what unites us all, /that is/ that we are interdependent children of one God, one country and one city.”
Following the Darányi speech in Győr, on 5 March 1938 (Kálmán Darányi, Hungarian Prime Minister, 1936-38 – ed.) and the introduction of the first law on Jews, he writes: “Whatever a Jew does, he will always be persecuted, because whether the pitcher falls on the stone or the stone on the pitcher, woe to the pitcher”.
On the basis of the second law on Jews, he was expelled from the ranks of the Municipal Law Committee on 27 September 1939.
Epilogue?
Now here is another interesting additional information, also shared with us by Dr Emese Pápai:
“The most talented student of the master, the eldest son of his brother-in-law, Nándor Havel Jr. (who later graduated from the College of Applied Arts), kept a diary during his time at the Schima workshop in Zombor Street, Győr. Here he regularly writes and, in many cases, draws the works in progress. On 3 January 1936, following the example of A. Bandi Schima, he also drew in his diary the ‘plan for an Israelite money-box. Only sketchily, of course, but clearly recognisably.”
I looked for Nándor Havel Jr. and found his name in the Yearbook of the National Royal Hungarian School of Applied Arts (1880-1941), for the years 1936/37 – 1940/41, together with photographs of his metal works created during his studies. I have not found anything about Schima’s young apprentice’s later life.
Let’s hope that this is not the epilogue of the story and that someone will come forward with information about the afterlife of Bandi Schima’s works presented here.
Sources (quoted verbatim in several passages)
First of all, thanks to Dr Emese Pápai for drawing attention to the hidden works of Bandi A. Schima presented here and for sending photographs of these works for publication.
My thanks go also to my brother, Andris (András Krausz), for drawing my attention to money-boxes and Torah pointers created according to Jewish tradition, and to the contradictions regarding Bandi A. Schima’s urn design.
Is there a Jewish tradition …
Lipót Pollák
Magyar Zsidó Lexikon (Hungarian Jewish Encyclopedia), 1929, edited by Péter Újvári
Dr Mór Schwarz
Győri Könyvtár (Győr Library)
Vázlatok a győri zsidóság történetéből (Sketches from the history of the Jews of Győr), József Kemény, Győr, 1930
Precursors of Zionism in Győr, Ezra Grosz
Dr Henrik Kallós
Győri Könyvtár (Győr Library)
A győri izraelita hitközség története 1930-1947 (History of the Jewish Community of Győr 1930-1947), István Domán, 1979
Nándor Havel Jr.
Yearbook of the National Royal Hungarian School of Applied Arts (1880-1941), edited by Ferenc Szablya-Frischauf, Budapest 1942, issuu.com
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