Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 28. (Budapest, 2012)

Diána RADVÁNYI: The Early Products and Brief History of the Porcelain Factory of Regéc

factory. After Breczenheim's death a new period began in the history of the factory run by leaseholder-directors. The success or failure of the factory now solely depended on good or bad management and on the amount of invested capital.

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1 Until 1865 when the last member of the founding family, Alfonz Breczenheim died, REGECZ or REGETZ was stamped into the vessels for a trademark, although the estate was not inherited by the brother but by the widow and Alfonz received an annuity: a fourth of net incomes.

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2 Until 1857 the former director János Mayer was the lessee as well, but after him several leaseholders followed in quick succession: József Moll of Kassa (the same József Moll who was among the founders of the first stoneware factory in Kassa), Friedmann from Boldogkőváralja, then Martini and Gerhardt from Kassa.

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3 Neither the sources, nor the products themselves tell posterity much about them. In 1860 another committed person took lease of the factory and ran it for quite a long time: Gyula Fiedler. First he made a study trip to Bohemia,

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4 and then renovated and modernized the factory. The stress was shifted back to porcelain production.

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5 Fiis products closely resemble Czech porcelain in body, forms and ornaments alike. Some years later he introduced a new trademark stamped into the bottom of the vessels: FIEDLER GY/TELKIBÁNYÁN. Unfortunately, porcelain production was not lucrative despite the fine execution, and after 1870 only majolica was produced again. Factory output was increased considerably, and the products were richly painted, often gilded. A large amount of products were put on display in the millennial exhibition (plates alone numbered 150!) and the production process was also demonstrated. The factory won a gold medal at the exhibition.

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6 In 1899 Gusztáv Wittich took the factory on lease. Earlier he was a book-keeper at the Hollóháza stoneware factory.

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7 The target clientele of his products were the peasantry. His array of goods contained plates, mugs, jugs, ewers which did not differ in form or ornamentation from the products of the other factories in the country (Hollóháza, Bélapátfalva, Városlőd, etc.). Underlying this tendency was probably the spread of pattern-books published in large quantities, which made available certain motifs and patterns in a wide circle within a short time. All his efforts notwithstanding, Gusztáv Wittich failed to run the factory at a profit. Owing to infrastructural defects and the upswing of the Hollóháza factory first the two factories were merged, and after a fire production was stopped at Telkibánya in 1906. The equipment and half-ready products were moved to Hollóháza and some of the workers were also given jobs there. In this way, the forms and motifs could survive for a few decades. The half-ready pieces were also used later, as a mug in the Abaúj Museum reveals bearing Gusztáv Wittich's mark stamped in the bottom and a painted inscription with the date 1930.

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8 Characteristics of the Telkibánya porcelain and majolica goods The porcelain objects produced in Telkibánya are most widely varied. As Sándor Mihalik put it, "In the Telkibánya factory creative imagination could soar, finding out a great variety of formal solutions; the richness of contents resulted in a splendid realm of forms."

2' Both owner and directors were inclined to experimentation and searching 78