Frameworks
Based on these elements, art historians, architects, archaeologists dated the construction phases of the monument, taking into account stylistic and historical reference points of the frameworks. The oldest frameworks in semi-circular shape with the edges flattened inside, specific to the early Gothic style, can be observed on southern and eastern sides of the monument. Another series of frameworks in late Gothic style are located at the upper storey of the big palace and entrance into the Chapel, some of them being art creations in late Gothic style. The Renaissance simplifies these elements. Examples of this kind of frameworks of windows placed on the northern side of the administrative palace.
Coat of arms
Most of these elements are specific for the 15th century and represent the coat of arms of Corvins Family (civil and military coat of arms), the Hungarian kingdom’s coat of arms during the Corvins’ times. The goat carved on Elizabeth Szilagyi’s coat of arms; she was Ioan of Hunedoara’s wife. The Anjou family’s coat of arms and the one of Pavel Chinezul (Pavel the Chinese) – Administrator of Timisoara County.
Key stones
The keystones complete the arches, arranged in cross, typical for big halls with civil destination (Knight’s Hall, Council Hall) (photo), Chapel and Capistrano Tower. Their typological range is a diverse one: from floral elements or geometrical compositions up to royal coat of arms.
Frescos
The fresco on the Matia loggia is preserved until the present times. Opposite to it there was another one depicting a series of coat of arms (coat of arms of the Corvins and their friends), completed with mythological or hunting scenes. Stylistically this fresco belongs to the 15th century. On the outside walls of the Mace Tower , Drummers’ Tower and Old gate Tower are still visible the frescoes painted there in the 15th century. These ornamental themes arranged in spiral or oblique, painted with white or redbrick colors are similar as style with buildings belonging to the Teutonic Order in Prussia. The fresco kept in the Council Hall is a 17th century one, belonging to the late Renaissance style. It consists of representations of royal personalities, high-church prelates as well as images of the most important fortifications in Transylvania. This achievement is completed by a series of floral scenery, which can be identified at the entrances to the Hunyads’ gallery. The fresco on the second level of the Matia pat of the castle dates from the second half of the 15th century. It is the only laic painting in Transylvania at that time. The fresco depicts how the Corvin family got its coat of arms. It consists of four scenes painted on the wall with the windows of the loggia, above and in between the three semicircular openings. The description of the fresco follows from right to left. The first scene depicts two human figures, a man, very poorly preserved, that holds his right arm in a calling position and a girl that holds in her right hand an apple with a cross above. She is looking at the man. This scene suggests the moment when the two of them met. The apple that the girl is having indicates the importance of this character, because the apple is the symbol of the Hungarian kingdom On the column that separates the first two openings is barely visible a human figure. The second scene shows the same characters. The man is holding in his right hand a ring and the left hand on the heart. The female figure is more mature. She is not looking at the man any more and she is holding her left arm lifted. This is considered to be the moment when the man pledges faith to the woman but she is refusing him. A raven bearing in its beak a band that probably had an inscription on is painted on the second column. The two characters are represented in the third scene too. The man has both of his arms toward the woman with a gesture of rejection. The woman is now mature – she has her head covered – and pregnant. In her left hand she holds a link with two rings .The two rings are a symbol of the marriage, but the man now refuses it. On the third column is painted a child that hold in his hand an apple identical to the woman’s in the first scene. The child is pointing to the man. This indicated that the child is the man’s son. It is supposed that the man is king Sigismund of Luxemburg. Above the child’s head was a band and some suggest that on it was written “Johannes”, Ioan of Hundoara’s Latin name. The last dial represents a boar-hunting scene, with a male character that bears a hunting spear. This character was identified as king Matia Corvin. On the same wall with the entrance into the Golden Room there was another fresco that represented coat of arms of various dignitaries of the Hungarian kingdom. This fresco was entirely destroyed at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th
Inscriptions
One of the most important inscriptions preserved in the castle is the one in the Knight’s Hall, on the capital of the second column. The inscription, written on a flat bar, is in Latin, written with Gothic characters. Its content is the following "Mag(nifi)c(us) Johannes de Hunyad regi(s) Hung(ar)I(ae) gub(e)r(n)a(t)or A(nn)o D(omin) MCCCCLII hoc opus fecit fieri". The translation of this inscription is: "This work was performed by the brave and great Ioan of Hunedoara, the Governor of the Hungarian Kingdom, in the 1452 AD". A famous inscription is the one that is now on one of the buttresses of the chapel. The text is in Old Arabian and for a long time it was thought to say, "You have water but you have no soul". Mihail Guboglu, an expert in Arabian languages translated this inscription as follows "The one who dug this well is Hassan, a prisoner to the giaours in the fortress next to the church". The characteristics of this inscription place it at the half of the 15th century.
Based on these elements, art historians, architects, archaeologists dated the construction phases of the monument, taking into account stylistic and historical reference points of the frameworks. The oldest frameworks in semi-circular shape with the edges flattened inside, specific to the early Gothic style, can be observed on southern and eastern sides of the monument. Another series of frameworks in late Gothic style are located at the upper storey of the big palace and entrance into the Chapel, some of them being art creations in late Gothic style. The Renaissance simplifies these elements. Examples of this kind of frameworks of windows placed on the northern side of the administrative palace.
Most of these elements are specific for the 15th century and represent the coat of arms of Corvins Family (civil and military coat of arms), the Hungarian kingdom’s coat of arms during the Corvins’ times. The goat carved on Elizabeth Szilagyi’s coat of arms; she was Ioan of Hunedoara’s wife. The Anjou family’s coat of arms and the one of Pavel Chinezul (Pavel the Chinese) – Administrator of Timisoara County.
The keystones complete the arches, arranged in cross, typical for big halls with civil destination (Knight’s Hall, Council Hall) (photo), Chapel and Capistrano Tower. Their typological range is a diverse one: from floral elements or geometrical compositions up to royal coat of arms.
The fresco on the Matia loggia is preserved until the present times. Opposite to it there was another one depicting a series of coat of arms (coat of arms of the Corvins and their friends), completed with mythological or hunting scenes. Stylistically this fresco belongs to the 15th century. On the outside walls of the Mace Tower , Drummers’ Tower and Old gate Tower are still visible the frescoes painted there in the 15th century. These ornamental themes arranged in spiral or oblique, painted with white or redbrick colors are similar as style with buildings belonging to the Teutonic Order in Prussia. The fresco kept in the Council Hall is a 17th century one, belonging to the late Renaissance style. It consists of representations of royal personalities, high-church prelates as well as images of the most important fortifications in Transylvania. This achievement is completed by a series of floral scenery, which can be identified at the entrances to the Hunyads’ gallery. The fresco on the second level of the Matia pat of the castle dates from the second half of the 15th century. It is the only laic painting in Transylvania at that time. The fresco depicts how the Corvin family got its coat of arms. It consists of four scenes painted on the wall with the windows of the loggia, above and in between the three semicircular openings. The description of the fresco follows from right to left. The first scene depicts two human figures, a man, very poorly preserved, that holds his right arm in a calling position and a girl that holds in her right hand an apple with a cross above. She is looking at the man. This scene suggests the moment when the two of them met. The apple that the girl is having indicates the importance of this character, because the apple is the symbol of the Hungarian kingdom On the column that separates the first two openings is barely visible a human figure. The second scene shows the same characters. The man is holding in his right hand a ring and the left hand on the heart. The female figure is more mature. She is not looking at the man any more and she is holding her left arm lifted. This is considered to be the moment when the man pledges faith to the woman but she is refusing him. A raven bearing in its beak a band that probably had an inscription on is painted on the second column. The two characters are represented in the third scene too. The man has both of his arms toward the woman with a gesture of rejection. The woman is now mature – she has her head covered – and pregnant. In her left hand she holds a link with two rings .The two rings are a symbol of the marriage, but the man now refuses it. On the third column is painted a child that hold in his hand an apple identical to the woman’s in the first scene. The child is pointing to the man. This indicated that the child is the man’s son. It is supposed that the man is king Sigismund of Luxemburg. Above the child’s head was a band and some suggest that on it was written “Johannes”, Ioan of Hundoara’s Latin name. The last dial represents a boar-hunting scene, with a male character that bears a hunting spear. This character was identified as king Matia Corvin. On the same wall with the entrance into the Golden Room there was another fresco that represented coat of arms of various dignitaries of the Hungarian kingdom. This fresco was entirely destroyed at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th
One of the most important inscriptions preserved in the castle is the one in the Knight’s Hall, on the capital of the second column. The inscription, written on a flat bar, is in Latin, written with Gothic characters. Its content is the following "Mag(nifi)c(us) Johannes de Hunyad regi(s) Hung(ar)I(ae) gub(e)r(n)a(t)or A(nn)o D(omin) MCCCCLII hoc opus fecit fieri". The translation of this inscription is: "This work was performed by the brave and great Ioan of Hunedoara, the Governor of the Hungarian Kingdom, in the 1452 AD". A famous inscription is the one that is now on one of the buttresses of the chapel. The text is in Old Arabian and for a long time it was thought to say, "You have water but you have no soul". Mihail Guboglu, an expert in Arabian languages translated this inscription as follows "The one who dug this well is Hassan, a prisoner to the giaours in the fortress next to the church". The characteristics of this inscription place it at the half of the 15th century.