This is how Klára Schossberger, the painter lived
Painter, cosmopolitan, the lover of photography: this is Clarisse, that is, Klára Schossberger, the former inhabitant of BOTANIQ Castle of Tura, the personality and legacy of whom still permeate the walls of the castle. Her life intertwined with the history of the castle in many ways: her wedding was held here, and she was also pleased to capture the intimate moments of everyday life within the walls of the castle with her photographic equipment. Therefore her photographic legacy is invaluable, as her photos preserved the original glory and atmosphere of the building, and it proved to be rather useful during the reconstruction works of the castle. It is not by chance that the restaurant of BOTANIQ Castle of Tura, which was opened in 2021, is named after her.
Klára Schossberger was born in 1893 in Budapest. She was the child of Viktor Schossberger and Marguerita Brach and the sister of Viktor II. Also known as a painter, the lady started her studies with Lajos Deák-Ébner, the famous figure of Hungarian painting, and later she also studied alongside Adolf Fényes, following which she was working in Berlin for many years. As of 1911, she was pleased to attend exhibitions, as well. The life of the 31-year-old Klára reached another milestone in 1924 when she married Sir Basil Tangye from Birmingham. The series of photographs taken on the occasion of the wedding of the couple, who settled down in England later on, clearly show the state of the castle and the park in 1920. Klára and her family had visited the Castle of Tura more times until 1938 when her father died. The proprietary rights of the castle were almost passed to her completely as Viktor, her younger brother had declined to inherit the estate in her favour, however, the registration was never made.
Clarisse painted a great number of landscapes, still life paintings with flowers and portraits in her life and art career. Therefore, in memory of her work, there are about 40 different oil paintings and graphics on the gallery wall of Clarisse restaurant, so her personality still fills the whole castle as well as the restaurant. When selecting the works, it was a major aspect that the paintings should reflect the personality of Klára. The landscapes, the park scenes, the portraits and the still life paintings also reflect the fairy-tale atmosphere of the castle and the park, and their painters present the wonderful diversity of Hungarian and European fine arts from the second half of the 19th century to this day. The paintings include the work entitled “In the park” by the lady, and it may have been painted in the garden of BOTANIQ Castle of Tura by Clarisse. The topics and colours of the selected works and their compositions all rhyme with her creative world, they sensitively reflect the love of nature, and they show love, friendship and warm home through womanly motifs.
The castle of the Schossberger family
BOTANIQ Castle of Tura was built by the order of Baron Sigmund Schossberger for his love and wife, Therese Mayer von Gunthof in 1883. The castle of the crop-wholesaler magnate was designed by Gyula Bukovics, the talented student of Miklós Ybl in Neo-Renaissance and Baroque style. The building was constructed in line with the most modern technology of the era: central heating, electricity, dumbwaiter and several bathrooms could be found in it. Following the death of Sigmund’s son, Baron Viktor the Elder in 1938, the castle of Tura and the family fortune were inherited by his two children. The Schossberger family lived in the castle for more than 50 years.
