Ethnography collection
The nucleus of the ethnographical collection includes 1,368 items bequeathed by the art collector and dealer Mrs György Szegedy Maszák, neé Valéria Holló. The most significant groups of objects are traditional costumes, folkweave items, pieces of folk embroidery from the regions of Kalotaszeg, Upper Hungary, Mezőkövesd and Sárköz, pottery mostly from Northern Hungary and Transylvania, as well as shepherd artefacts from Transdanubia.
Many items found in the collection are from Heves County. Complete traditional cottage furnishings are on display in old cottages at Abasár, Átány, Kisnána, Nagyréde, Noszvaj, Parád and Verpelét.
The traditional costume and textiles section numbers 4,500 items, including folkweave goods, linen embroidery, complete traditional costumes including mantles (szűr). cloaks (suba) and sheepskin jackets (ködmön).
A further section includes utensils used in the trades, farming, and homes. There are two complete blacksmith shops, a cooperage and joinery. Some utensils relate to such handicrafts as slipper-making, bootmaking, hat making, textile dyeing, basket weaving, stonemasonry, cellar building and gingerbread making.
The farming collection contains tools used on small farms for animal husbandry and arable farming. The most significant pieces are the items from wineries from Eger and the surrounding area: vine pruning knives, presses and barrels.
The shepherd craft section of the ethnographic collection is also noteworthy. Shepherds used to make their own tools and those more adept at crafting often decorated them. Among the tools used for their craft was the herding stick, bullwhip, axe, fat containers for animals, spice containers, salt containers, razor containers, water containers, mirrors, drinking vessels and knives used for outdoor living. Shepherds were often musicians and crafted flutes and pipes for themselves. On request they also carved different gift items and items for personal use for the villagers: laundry bats and boards, standing mirrors, picture frames, chair-backs, forks and spoons.
The pottery, furniture and toy collection is also a part of the Ethnographic collection as well as the Palóc, Visonta, Bakó photo collection.
