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Zsolnay Pottery

September 11, 2011

The iconic Hungarian art pottery of Zsolnay :

For 158 years, the iconic Hungarian company of Zsolnay has been producing innovative and high quality ceramic wares. What started as a small family ceramics workshop in Pécs in 1853 had grown into a modern factory by the 1880’s, thanks to Vilmos Zsolnay’s long decades of painstaking and dedicated experimentation. Founding father Miklós Zsolnay originally established the first manufacturing shop of ceramics for his son Ignác. In 1863 the younger son Vilmos took control and expanded into a factory production.

The Zsolnay Porcelain Manufactory

The factory’s first major success was reached at the 1873 World Exhibition in Vienna. On the basis of its product displays, the factory received a great number of orders from England, France, Russia, and even from America. By the 1870’s the the Zsolnay family rapidly became well-known and highly appreciated in Europe, and the business employed 20 workers.

The family were perceptive and their experimental nature in historical and Art Nouveau styles made the Zsolnay ceramics successful at many fairs and exhibitions (Vienna, Paris, London, Milan, Torino, California US). The success achieved during the 1878 World Exhibition in Paris was tremendous. The jury praised the Zsolnay collection as being unique and gave it the gold medal, the so-called Grand Prix. Numerous buildings belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy were also decorated with Zsolnay tiles. Prior to the 1890s, the company produced ornate pieces inspired by Islamic pierced wares and traditional Hungarian wares. It was not until 1893, when Vilmós appointed the chemist Vincse Wartha as artistic director, that Zsolnay began to specialize in Art Nouveau-inspired ceramics with crystalline metallic glazes.

Zsolnay fountain in Pecs

The most famous invention of the factory was the creation of ‘eosin”, a metallic shiny glaze on ceramics. . Their technique of firing glazes at high temperatures remains unique even today.

The Zsolnay production suffered many hardships during the 2 World Wars from problems sourcing materials to having to abandon artistic production for the creation of electrical insulators and the like. Along with being bombed in the WW2. The incoming Communist Regime , although recognizing it as a National Treasure , were very restrictive to overseas markets.

After Vilmos Zsolnay’s death, in 1900, his son Miklós took over the management and at the end of 1991 the factory was upgraded . In 1995 the business was privatised and the main owner was the Hungarian Investment and Development Bank (MBFB) . The new owner set a goal of preserving the historically significant, long tradition of Zsolnay and making a profitable plant without changing the product structure.

Zsolnay Showroom

The Zsolnay factory today still pursues innovative design and permits designers to conceive beautiful pieces that explore modern expression and utilize their earlier technical and stylistic achievements with organic shapes and metallic glazes. It has also revitalized the company’s tradition of creating architectural ceramics with the production of vividly colored weather-resistant tiles and ornamentation, from statues to decorative clocks , examples of which can still been seen on buildings throughout Hungary.

Zsolnay Vase

Hand painted Zsolnay vase with botanical decoration

Vase Zsolnay Museum

Classic Zsolnay Art Nouveau Figural Compote.

( John & Rico’s Zsolnay Store )

The Viennese Rothschilds commissioned the company to make a tea service and sent an illustrated book on orchids for the design, which featured a different orchid for every piece in the 24 set.

Zsolnay vase with eosin iridescent glaze

Zsolnay ( Dr. Gyugyi Collection )

Zsolnay Ceramic Round Table

Zsolnay 60’s inspired Vase

Red Zsolnay Planter

Art Nouveau vase with pewter

Zsolnay Pitcher 1918 ( John And Rico’s )

Zsolnay Art Nouveau Fireplace

Zsolnay Eosin glazed snake vase

Zsolnay multiple handle vase

Zsolnay Art Nouveau vase

Zsolnay metallic glaze ewer

Zsolnay butterfly vessel

Zsolnay red tulip

Zsolnay Art Nouveau vessel

Zsolnay Art Nouveau cachepot.

John & Rico’s Zsolnay Store

Zsolnay iridescent glaze vase

‘Thinking’ – Zsolnay contemporary sculpture

Mid Century Zsolnay Pitcher

Zsolnay ceramics vase with hunting scenes of Diana the Huntress

Zsolnay Manufactory gardens

Zsolnay Fruit Bowl

Zsolnay coiled python sculpture

Zsolnay Table Lamp with Green Taurus Figurine

Zsolnay centrepiece with four female figurine supports

Zsolnay Art Nouveau iridescent glaze vase

Unusual Zsolnay eosin glaze figure sculpture

Art Nouveau mermaid and lover vase – Zsolnay

Turquoise mottled surface vase – Zsolnay

Zsolnay Esoin Three Graces figure vessel

Pinter Auctions

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Also tagged Art Nouveau Zsolnay, Fireplace, Zsolnay, Zsolnay Pitcher, Zsolney Muzeum – 26 Comments

French Raku Studio “la porte du soleil”

July 25, 2011

Philippe Buraud

La porte du soleil – ‘Gate of the Sun’

Situated 37km south of Paris in the region of Essonne in a rural location is a quaint studio that attracts pottery aficionados wanting to explore the applications of Raku Ceramics. The workshops are conducted by Philippe Buraud and Jacqueline Hoerter whose backgrounds were respectively in Photography and Scientific Research before following their desire to create French Raku pottery.. After 20 years of striving, testing and researching various raku pottery techniques they now, on a fulltime basis, confidently guide others to achieve fantastic results in the subtle art of Raku. Their influences have ranged from ancient African techniques of pottery from the Kalabougou Malian Association Teria to internships with Brigitte Mororn Houdebine and Patrick in the Ardeche. The ceramic styles they pursue are Raku, firing in saggers, raku naked, cooking with wood and terra sigillata. Judging by the results , they have an intrinsic flair for inspiration and creativity and guiding others to find these attributes.

The ancient Japanese practices of Raku are still honored in their courses. For example in the creation of the Japanese tea ceremony bowls ( chawan ) irregular, uneven, flawed, sometimes rough form is encouraged to enhance their organic charm. In April 2007 The Association The Gate of the Sun ( la porte du solei )was created as it seemed to Phillipe and Jacqueline to be the best way to naturally discover and share their passion and to encourage meetings and enthusiastic discussions . They regularly conduct 4 day workshops ( 2 weekends ) during the Spring and Summer.

Raku chawan

A distinction between the Raku techniques covered in the course are : Unlike a conventional ceramic cooking, which includes a slow rise and fall in temperature in the kiln, a raku firing is short. The room is quickly rising to the temperature of maturation of the enamel (typically 900 to 1050 ° C) and removed immediately from the oven. The heat shock induces contractions of the various enamels and the earth cracks appear in the glaze of the piece, which is then immersed in a container of organic matter to undergoe a post reduction. The lack of oxygen changes the color of the enamel, resulting in iridescent metallic oxides, and the carbon released from burning organic matter enters the cracks of the enamel and draws subtle black networks.

The Naked Raku is a variant of the previous technique. The room gets a polished layer of glaze that does not adhere to the shard, then a layer of enamel. This separates the ceramic enamel after the reduction, leaving an image on the part of its cracks.

The terra sigillata : The land polished sigillated and smoky are techniques that come from the depths of time and numerous fragments have been found in archaeological searches, and with Greek, Roman and Mayan pottery decor with their red and black surface slips ranging from a soft lustre to a brilliant glaze-like shine. These techniques survive in all current commercial productions from Africa, Latin America and Asia. It is an unglazed pottery bearing the traces of iron and fire.