Absztrakt

The study describes the modern scientific material analyses of a silver cup from 1655 and a silver goblet from 1936, providing an insight into their present functions in the life of the family. Originally, both keepsakes functioned as christening gifts, handed down through many generations. The cup’s first owner was Péter Zágoni Jankó III (1655–1690), while the goblet belonged to András Zágoni Jankó (1936–1944), who endured the atrocities of the Second World War. Enlisting the expertise of a museologist specializing in ecclesiastic art as well as a physicist / materials scientist, the study examines the goldsmithing techniques of both artifacts. Through a 2024 interview with key informant Tamás Jankó (András’s brother, born 1945), it traces various segments of aristocratic attitudes inherent in the objects across historical periods, as well as the family members’ thinking and emotions concerning these objects to this day. The two objects have retained their original symbolism, while their roles have changed over time as they became commemorative “family heirloom.” The paper concludes with a brief discussion of modern christening gifts in the Christian church tradition.