Herend: The Art of Hungarian Porcelain

Fülszöveg

Herend, known throughout the world for its fine porcelain, is actually a small town near Lake Balaton, in western Hungary, where for centuries country potters have been making their earthenware vessels. This is where Vinzenz Stingl founded his factory in 1826. Faced with serious difficulties at the outset, the shop was soon able to produce increasingly more and finer porcelain, until at the first Hungarian craft exhibition in 1842, Herend became recognized for its fine quality products. Môr Fischer was now the firm's owner and director, and soon he led his factory to fame with his reproductions of original Chinese porcelain. Traditionally, Herend porcelain is painted by hand. Highly gifted painters create the most beautiful patterns, flowers and figures on the clear white china, either before or after it is glazed. Herend became a regular exhibitor at world fairs, starting with London (1851), New York (1853), Paris (1867) and Vienna (1873). Each time the factory won distinctions... Tovább

Fülszöveg

Herend, known throughout the world for its fine porcelain, is actually a small town near Lake Balaton, in western Hungary, where for centuries country potters have been making their earthenware vessels. This is where Vinzenz Stingl founded his factory in 1826. Faced with serious difficulties at the outset, the shop was soon able to produce increasingly more and finer porcelain, until at the first Hungarian craft exhibition in 1842, Herend became recognized for its fine quality products. Môr Fischer was now the firm's owner and director, and soon he led his factory to fame with his reproductions of original Chinese porcelain. Traditionally, Herend porcelain is painted by hand. Highly gifted painters create the most beautiful patterns, flowers and figures on the clear white china, either before or after it is glazed. Herend became a regular exhibitor at world fairs, starting with London (1851), New York (1853), Paris (1867) and Vienna (1873). Each time the factory won distinctions and first prizes, and Herend porcelain came to compete with the china of Meissen, Vienna, Sevres and Capo di Monte, at times even surpassing these in quality. Môr Fischer's grandson, Jenô Farkashâzy, followed in his grandfather's footsteps as director of the Herend factory, which continued to excel in quality, leaving the big business of commercial porcelains to the factories of Bohemia and Germany. Naturally, this had a negative effect on Herend's finances, as a result of which in 1896 it became a share company. Soon, though, Farkashâzy repurchased his shop. Years later, in 1923, it again was sold to shareholders, who now were more successful both with producing high quality products and with the company's management. Besides its vessels, ornaments and tableware, Herend began to manufacture porcelain figurines as well. The models were created by outstanding Hungarian sculptors. In 1948, the factory at Herend was nationalized; to this day it follows in the artistic footsteps of its founders to international acclaim. And, throughout the years, Herend's fundamental principles—to keep the old traditions while honouring the spirit of the times—have remained triumphantly unchanged. Vissza