One of the most significant areas of Bory Jenő’s art is the portrayal of the outstanding figures of Hungarian history.
Throughout his life, the artist turned to the national past with deep interest, evoking in numerous works the figures of kings, military commanders, churchmen, writers, chroniclers and historical heroes. His sculptures are not merely portraits or historical reconstructions: through the individuals depicted, he sought to express the continuity of Hungarian history, the strength of national remembrance and respect for the past.
The fullest and most spectacular expression of this endeavour may be found at Bory Castle in Székesfehérvár. The historical arcade that surrounds the castle’s Hundred-Column Courtyard is in fact an open-air historical pantheon, in which defining figures of the Hungarian past stand side by side. Bory did not select his subjects at random: the sculptures invite the visitor on a kind of journey through history, leading from the era of the Hungarian conquest through the centuries of the late Middle Ages and the Ottoman period.
On the left wing of the historical arcade, the rulers of the House of Árpád appear from Árpád’s father Álmos to Andrew III, alongside defining figures of the foundation of the state and the medieval Hungarian kingdom. The central section accommodates Anonymus and the kings of the House of Anjou, while on the opposite side the rulers of the later dynasties, including King Matthias, Louis II, Ferdinand of Habsburg and John Zápolya, are joined by such historical and literary figures as Friar György, Queen Isabella, Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos, Miklós Zrínyi and the pair of figures commemorating Szondi’s Two Pages.
The sculptures are remarkable in that they do not appear as independent monuments, but as integral parts of the castle’s architectural system. The figures, made of quartz concrete, stand upon the pillars of the balustrades, as though they themselves formed the battlements of the castle walls. In this way Bory united architecture and sculpture in a singular manner: the historical figures not only adorn the castle, but also surround it as its symbolic guardians.
The historical figures at Bory Castle clearly reflect the artist’s view of history. He chose not only kings and military commanders, but also those personalities who made enduring contributions to the development of Hungarian culture, chronicle writing, literature or statehood. The Hundred-Column Courtyard is therefore not a simple collection of sculpture, but a summary of Hungarian history fashioned in stone and concrete, inviting the visitor to encounter the great figures of the national past.
