Expansion and theatricality: Ovid frescoes in the Ráday Mansion, Pécel

Abstract

Ovid made a rare appearance in the Hungarian countryside in the mid-18th century. Enlarged illustrations from the Metamorphoses formed a mythological cycle in the Ceremonial Hall of the late baroque mansion of the noble Ráday family. The mansion was built in the 1720’s in Pécel by Pál Ráday and was renovated later in the century by his son Gedeon. The original decoration consisted of 16 large frescoes and was inspired by two illustrated Ovid editions published in Amsterdam in the 1730’s. Each scene is supplemented with Gedeon’s verses in Hungarian. The wall paintings form a significant part of a larger decoration program, which aspires to present the encyclopaedic knowledge of the era. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the mythological cycle including its visual sources and textual additions, examine its historical and cultural context, analyse its program and acknowledge the role of the patron in the dissemination of classical knowledge in Hungary. It claims that the Ceremonial Hall provides a scenery for theatrical representations, encloses the idea of theatricality and outlines yet another important chapter in the afterlife of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.