Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 30. (Budapest, 2016)

Kornélia HAJTÓ: Zsolnay Pyrogranite: Tradition and Fact

nomenclature and erroneous terminology as these were adopted by one source from another. One thing is certain: this is a legendary product of a legendary company and has impressed both lay observers and experts for nearly 120 years.

In view of all this, restoration of Pyro- granite architectural ornaments preserved as standalone art works should only be undertaken on the basis of the best information, after thorough research. Before starting the reconstruction of the Museum of Applied Arts, it is important to determine the exact composition of the ceramics that cover and adorn the façade and the roof, and to establish the extent to which the different materials have withstood the stresses of their environment.

NOTES

1 The original spelling of this product name was the subject of discussion at a 1998 conference on the industrial history of Baranya County (involving Éva Csenkey, Ferenc Halmos, Mrs László Halmos, Éva Hárs, Orsolya Kovács, Sándor Kozma, Tamás Mattyasovszky-Zsolnay, Zsuzsanna Mendöl, Éva Tóth and Eszter Vécsey). They established that it should be spelt with a “y” - “pyrogránit” - rather than with an “i”. See Hárs, Éva: ‘Vita a kerámiairodalomban használatos szakkifejezésekről’ [Discussion on terms used in the ceramics literature] In Szirtes, Gábor - Vargha, Dezső (eds.): Angstertől Zsolnayig, Ipartörténeti tanulmányok [From Angster to Zsolnay, Essays in Industrial History]. Pécs, 2007, p. 253. In English, the word is usual rendered as “Pyrogranite”.

2 Búzás, Gergely - Orosz, Krisztina (eds.): A visegrádi királyi palota [The Royal Palace of Visegrád]. Budapest, 2010, pp. 390-391. Imre Tavas restored the artwork shown in the exhibition of the King Matthias Museum, Visegrád.

3 Véninger, Péter: ‘Soványító anyagok erősségének mérése. Az agyag képlékenysége és a formázási eljárások közötti összefüggések vizsgálata.’ [Measuring the strength of tempering materials. Investigation of the relationship between clay elasticity and forming processes], in Petkes, Zsolt (ed.): Hadak Utján XX., Népvándorláskor Fiatal Kutatóinak XX. Összejövetelének konferenciakötete [Following the Hordes. Proceedings of the 20th Conference of Young Researchers into the Age of Migrations]. Budapest, 2013, pp. 375-393.

4 Zsolnay, Teréz - M. Zsolnay, Margit: Zsolnay, A gyár és a család története [Zsolnay, History of the Company and the Family]. Budapest, 1980 (hereafter: Zsolnay - M. Zsolnay 1980), p. 27.

5 Zsolnay - M. Zsolnay 1980, pp. 29-30.

6 The 19 original Terrakotta books are owned by the Zsolnay company. They contain the architectural ceramic elements made between 1875 and 1893, with sketches and terrakotta numbers of nearly 4900 products. Photocopies of them are held in the

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