LA PORCELAINE DE HEREND HEREND PORCELAIN

Gabriella Balla
Conservateur au Musée des arts
appliqués, Budapest
Gabriella Balla
Curator at the Museum of Applied Arts,
Budapest
La Manufacture de Herend
The Herend Manufactory
6 Cette exposition n’aurait pas eu le même éclat sans les
œuvres de qualité que le Musée des arts décoratifs de
Budapest a bien voulu nous confier temporairement,
nous en sommes profondément reconnaissants à sa
directrice, M me Zsuzsanna Renner, ainsi qu’à M. Zsombor
Jékely, responsable de la recherche et des expositions.
La majorité des œuvres nous ont été généreusement
prêtées par le Musée de la porcelaine de Herend et par
la Manufacture de Herend, laquelle nous a également
fourni un appréciable soutien logistique. Notre vive reconnaissance
va à MM. Attila Simon, directeur général
de la Manufacture de Herend; László Szesztay, directeur
commercial; Endre Körös, président du Conseil de la
fondation du Musée de la porcelaine de Herend, ainsi
qu’à leurs collaborateurs.
Nous remercions chaleureusement M. László Szathmáry,
de la Manufacture de Herend, qui a assumé avec compétence
et enthousiasme la lourde tâche de coordinateur
en Hongrie pour l’organisation de l’exposition et pour la
production du présent ouvrage. Un merci tout particulier
également à Monika Rudolf-Schmidt. Sans son initiative
et sans son assistance efficace et amicale, Herend n’aurait
peut-être pas trouvé le chemin de Genève!
The majority of the pieces have been generously lent to
us by the Herend Porcelain Museum and by the Herend
Porcelain Manufactory, which also gave us appreciable
logistic support. Deep gratitude is due to Mr Attila
Simon, the General Director of the Manufactory; Mr
László Szesztay, the Commercial Director; Mr Endre
Körös, President of the Foundation of the Herend Porcelain
Museum, and their colleagues.
We warmly thank Mr László Szathmáry of the Herend
Manufactory, who with skill and enthusiasm undertook
the heavy task of coordinator in Hungary for the organisation
of the exhibition and the production of this book.
Very particular thanks also go to Monika Rudolf-Schmidt.
Without her initiative and her efficient and friendly
assistance, Herend might not have found the way to
Geneva!
The original version of the small ornamental vase with
a lid glittering as a jewel was made in 1856, and
today it is kept in the Museum of Applied Arts. The
gilded handle of the richly coloured lid of the vase s
shaped like a Lion of Fo. Underneath it, fighting
green- and red-scaled dragons appear amongst
turquoise and green clouds; the back and the front
panels have two larger paintings each representing
the life of Chinese aristocracyThe original version of
the small ornamental vase with a lid glittering as a
jewel was made in 1856, and today it is kept in the
Museum of Applied Arts. The gilded handle of the
richly coloured lid of the vase s shaped like a Lion of
Fo. Underneath it, fighting green- and red-scaled
dragons appear amongst turquoise and green clouds;
the back and the front panels have two larger paintings
each representing the life of Chinese aristocracyvThe
original version of the small ornamental vase
with a lid glittering as a jewel was made in 1856, and
today it is kept in the Museum of Applied Arts. The
gilded handle of the richly coloured lid of the vase s
shaped like a Lion of Fo. Underneath it, fighting
green- and red-scaled dragons appear amongst
turquoise and green clouds; the back and the front
panels have two larger paintings each representing
the life of Chinese aristocracyThe original version of
the small ornamental vase with a lid glittering as a
jewel was made in 1856, and today it is kept in the
Museum of Applied Arts. The gilded handle of the
richly coloured lid of the vase s shaped like a Lion of
Fo. Underneath it, fighting green- and red-scaled
dragons appear amongst turquoise and green clouds;
the back and the front panels have two larger paintings
each representing the life of Chinese aristocracyThe
original version of the small ornamental vase
with a lid glittering as a jewel was made in 1856, and
today it is kept in the Museum of Applied Arts. The
gilded handle of the richly coloured lid of the vase s
shaped like a Lion of Fo. Underneath it, fighting
green- and red-scaled dragons appear amongst
turquoise and green clouds; the back and the front
panels have two larger paintings each representing
the life of Chinese aristocracy haped like a Lion of Fo.
Underneath it, fighting green- and red-scaled dragons
appear amongst turquoise and green clouds; the back
and the front panels have two larger paintings each
representing the life of Chinese aristocracy
Chapters from the history of Hungarian ceramic
The medieval kingdom of Hungary – in the time of the
Árpád kings, Robert Charles, Louis the Great, Sigismund
of Luxembourg and Matthias – was a major power in
Europe. Throughout the Middle Ages, the kingdom
maintained extensive commercial and cultural contacts
with both western and eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.
In this period and during the Renaissance, the
stock of luxurious household goods owned by the court
almost certainly included a few examples of fine cera -
mics. A new technique in the art of ceramics, tin glazing,
emerged in Italy in the 15 th century, and later in the
hands of Italian potters it developed into a much admired
art. The Hungarian royal couple – Matthias Corvinus and
his wife, Beatrice of Aragon, were among the first European
rulers to receive decorative platters adorned with
their coat of arms, allegorical depictions, and figural and
ornamental painting. Once thought to have been made
in Faenza, these dishes – parts of the Corvinus-service –
were most likely presented by the prince of Pesaro,
Costanzo Sforza, and his wife, Camille of Aragon. The
court of Matthias Corvinus was thus one of the first
recipients of Italian majolica beyond the Alps. Under the
direction of Italian masters, majolica workshops even
operated in Buda. The tin-glazed floor tiles painted with
the emblems of Matthias and the house of Aragon were
used primarily to decorate the rooms of the royal palace
in Buda. Art of the Matthias period continued to impact
Hungarian art and culture for centuries. The centralized
power of the Hungarian Kingdom, however, crumbled
several decades after Matthias’ death as a result of
repeated attacks by the conquering Ottoman Turkish
forces. The Hungarian troops suffered serious losses at
the battle of Mohács (1526), and later with the fall of
Buda (1541) the country was divided into three parts.
The eastern part comprised the independent principality
of Transylvania, the central region was under Turkish rule,
while the north-western area remained as the surviving
Kingdom of Hungary under Habsburg rule. Turkish occupation
lasted a century and a half, and the towns and
villages of the central region were depopulated. Never -
theless, the ceramic art of this period was rich, and
exported Turkish ware – especially the art of Iznik – had
a powerful influence on the repertoire of motifs used in
Hungary. A Turkish-Persian element in the decoration of
17 th century Haban pottery, which at first relied mainly
on Faentine motifs, became increasingly common. The
Hungarian aristocracy highly regarded this white dishware,
the so-called bianchi di Faenza, and numerous
inventories list this kind of dishware along with Turkish
rugs and silverworks. The Haban workshops produced
not only gallantly simple tableware (teapots, lids, bottles,
platters, bowls and fingerbowls) painted with cobalt,
antimony, bronze oxide and manganese, displaying the
year, the patron’s monogram and occasionally his name,
but also stove tiles used to build large columnar stoves
with decorative mouldings. Porcelain appeared less
frequently on stock lists in 17 th century Hungary than in
European territories west of the River Leitha. Rare Chinese
porcelains set in precious metals were considered
7