This refers to a family of Hungarian aristocrats who began collecting artworks throughout the 17th century. Their origins trace back to the Salamon clan in Csallóköz (Western Hungary). The founder of the princely branch was Miklós Esterházy (1583), who married Orsolya Dersfy. Together, they laid the foundations of the Esterházy family’s wealth and influence. Subsequently, another family member, Pál Esterházy (1652), considerably increased the family’s fortune by modernising agricultural practices and acquiring numerous estates (Horányi, 1962). This financial growth enabled future family members to have sufficient resources to purchase artworks.
Notably, Nikolaus "the Splendid" (1714-1790) and his grandson Nikolaus II (1765-1833) were instrumental in expanding the collection. They housed their acquisitions in Fraknó Castle, the Baroque castle of Kismarton, and Esterháza Palace (Garas, Genthon, and Takács, 1966; Restellini y Radványi, 2011). From the outset, Nikolaus II dedicated himself to collecting paintings and prints, striving to include works by all major schools and important masters, thus creating a highly diverse collection. To achieve this, he employed a large network of agents, such as the Neapolitan Mattia Zarullo and Simon Meller in Rome (Radványi, 2007).
Bibliography
GARAS, Klára, GENTHON, István y TAKÁCS, Marianna Haraszti (1966): Museo de Bellas Artes de Budapest, Aguilar, Madrid, pp. 20-23.
HORÁNYI, Mátyás (1962): The magnificence of Esterháza, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, pp. 14-16.
RADVANYI, Orsolya (2007): "Les collections d'art de la famille Esterházy aux XVIIIe et XIXe siècles et la naissance de la Pinacothèque Nationale", en Nicolas II Esterházy 1765-1833. Un prince hongrois collectionneur, Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, París, pp. 86-91.
RESTELLINI, Marc y RADVÁNYI, Orsolya (2011): La naissance du musée les Esterházy. Princes collectionneurs, Pinacothèque de Paris, París, pp. 14-38.