Arpad, Grand Prince of the Hungarians 1828

Josef Kriehuber made this print of Árpád, Grand Prince of the Hungarians, sometime in the 19th century. Árpád led the Magyar tribes into the Carpathian Basin in the late 9th century, establishing a dynasty that would rule Hungary for centuries. This image presents Árpád as a noble warrior, complete with a fur cloak, sword, and mace. But these are visual and cultural references. Consider the time it was made. In the 19th century, Hungary was part of the Austrian Empire, and Hungarian nationalism was on the rise. Artists and intellectuals looked to the past for symbols of national identity and glory. They used images like this to construct a heroic narrative of Hungarian origins and destiny. Historical research into fashion, heraldry, and military history would help us to either confirm or debunk its accuracy. So what is this image? Is it a historical record or a nationalist fantasy? It’s somewhere in between, and it reminds us that history is always interpreted through the values and interests of the present.