HYDERABAD: My love for porcelain dolls pulled me like a magnet to Herend Porcelain, the world famous porcelain factory, when I was travelling to Budapest. I stopped at this Hungarian manufacturing company that specialises in luxury hand painted and gilded porcelain. Herend boasts a 185 year history. Anyone visiting Budapest would certainly make a day trip to this place to see the most beautiful porcelain and admire, if not to buy: they are horribly expensive and added to that, carrying them home is a risk, though sometimes the risk is worth it!! The dainty, exquisite porcelain would steal your heart. I am yet to come across someone who doesn’t love porcelain figurines. Founded in 1826, the factory is located in the town of Herend, close to Lake Balaton. It carried out experiments on porcelain making and developed the first true porcelain pieces in a very short time. Soon however, a very unique line emerged, making Herend famous all over the world. In the mid-19th century they used to supply exquisite crockery to the Habsburg Dynasty and aristocratic customers throughout Europe. Many of its classic patterns are still in production and are exported to over 60 countries around the world. Its main markets are Italy, Japan, Russia and the US. The Vienna Exhibition in 1845, the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, the Exhibition of All Nations in New York in 1853, and the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1855, brought the highest recognition for Herend. Orders were made on behalf of several royal courts and for many aristocrats, both in Hungary and abroad. Perhaps the most well known Herend pattern was presented at the London World Exhibition in 1851, the Chinese-style butterflies and flowery branches painted in joyful, lively colours. The British Queen, Victoria, ordered a dinner set with its gold medal-winning pattern for Windsor Castle. Her name became associated with the Victoria pattern and the collection was named after her. Many celebrities and art connoisseurs along with kings, queens and aristocrats of the 19th and 20th centuries have been customers of Herend porcelain. Some of the rich and famous who have enjoyed the beauty of the hand-made pieces: Princess Diana collected Herend china figurines. Her collection, now on display at the Spencer Family’s home at Althorp, consisted of various animals painted in the classic Herend fishnet design. Several Herend pieces were donated to Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI received a Herend figurine for his 80th birthday. Formula 1 pilot and champion, Lewis Hamilton is the happy owner of a Herend Trophy presented to him for his victory in the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a collector and has purchased several pieces of Herend china. The factory consciously preserves traditions and therefore the quality of Herend Porcelain is consistent.Herend products are made from hard-paste porcelain using a mixture of kaolin.
After cleaning, decorating and drying, it is first fired at 830 degrees Celsius. The fired pieces are then immersed in a glaze and fired again, this time at 1,410 degrees Celsius. This results in white, translucent porcelain. At this stage it is ready for painting by hand and then, depending whether it has been painted with colours or with gold, it is finished off with one or two more firings. Visitors can venture behind the scenes and learn about the technology and art of porcelain-making through short films and demonstrations. During the demonstration that I attended, I saw the artists painting with total concentration, expertise and a love for their art. There is a porcelain museum on site that houses one of the largest porcelain collections in the world.
Their restaurant is named after the celebrated Roman gourmet Apicius. Marcus Gavius Apicius was a notorious Roman gourmet and lover of luxury who lived in the 1st century AD. And said to be the author of the first Roman cookbook, which was actually compiled about 300 years later. At the restaurant, I took longer than usual to finish my coffee and cake. Know why? I was lost in admiring the birds and butterflies on the fine china.