Portrait of a Transylvanian Lady: Sara Bulceşti (1655-1708)
Portretul unei doamne transilvănene: Sara Bulceşti (1655-1708)

Summary/Abstract: Based on documents from the period under scrutiny and especially on a last will and testament translated from Hungarian into Romanian, the paper draws the biography of a gentle lady from XVIIth Century Transylvania, Sara Bulceşti. Born in Wallachia from a Romanian father end a Hungarian mother, she was married twice, first with a gentleman, Székely László, then after his death, with the Transylvanian governor, Haller István. In-between, as a widow, Sara wrote a last will which represents perhaps the most outstanding document of the kind, preserved from the XVIIth Century. Through the language of the act transpires the personality of a women of a keen baroque sensibility, active in the public sphere, supportive of the Reformed Church, interested in promoting education, skilled in conducting bussines and networking in the political arena. Moreover, the inventory of her garnments and jewelry testifies to her inclination to luxury and fashion.

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