This book presents magnificent artifacts collected by an aristocratic family of fabulous wealth. It shows goldsmiths' work and jewelry of extraordinary quality, dating from the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries. These include some of the finest creations of their time by artists such as Hans Petzolt of Nuremberg and Augsburg's Drentwett family, as well as other renowned German and Hungarian goldsmiths of the Mannerist and Baroque era. There are also objects from the nineteenth century illustrating the career of the international diplomat Pál Esterhazy. The book explains the more important phases in the evolution and growth of this outstanding collection. The Esterhazy treasures, as well as the Esterhazy family themselves, have an extraordinary history, including tragic losses and damage through bombing in 1945. Since then, many of the damaged pieces have been brought back to life after years of meticulous restoration. Many pieces in the Esterhazy collection and the Esterhazys themselves are inextricably linked at numerous points to many important developments in the political and diplomatic history of Europe. No other book in English documents this unique collection.