The tomb monument of Janka Zirzen commemorates one of the pioneers of women’s education in Hungary and, as one of Bory Jenő’s earliest monuments with an educational subject, embodies the ideal of education and the transmission of knowledge.
Janka Zirzen (1824–1904) was an educator, teacher and head of an institution who is regarded as one of the pioneers of women’s education in Hungary. In 1869 József Eötvös appointed her to direct the first Royal Hungarian Female Teacher Training Institute, making her the first Hungarian woman to head a state school. The institution she led became the foundation of the later Erzsébet Women’s School and served for decades as a defining centre of women’s education in Hungary.
The white marble relief on the tomb monument depicts Janka Zirzen with one of her pupils. The composition serves not only as a portrait memorial, but also refers directly to her principal vocation in life. The relationship between teacher and child symbolises the transmission of knowledge, the importance of education and her decades of work for the cause of women’s schooling. The other parts of the tomb monument were made of artificial stone.
The erection of the tomb monument was initiated by the Erzsébet Women’s School. The young Bory Jenő was commissioned for the task; he prepared the design and then revised it following suggestions from Alajos Stróbl. The monument thus became an important work from the early phase of Bory’s career.
Of particular interest, the original plaster model for the tomb monument survives. The work can now be seen beneath the arcades in the Court of a Hundred Columns at Bory Castle in Székesfehérvár, allowing visitors to encounter the precursor to the finished tomb monument.
The tomb monument of Janka Zirzen clearly exemplifies Bory Jenő’s endeavour to ensure that monuments recalled not merely the deceased individual, but also their life’s work and social role. The joint portrayal of teacher and pupil forms an enduring memorial to an exceptional figure in the history of Hungarian education.