Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 31. (Budapest, 2017)
Diána RADVÁNYI: Changes in the Critical Reception of Haban Ceramics: A Brief History of Research with a Discussion of Some Prominent Viewpoints
DIÁNA RADVÁNYI CHANGES IN THE CRITICAL RECEPTION OF HABAN CERAMICS A BRIEF HISTORY OF RESEARCH WITH A DISCUSSION OF SOME PROMINENT VIEWPOINTS The Origins of Haban Ceramics Haban ceramics had been commissioned for its decorative rather than functional value and the luxury it added to the homes and furnishings of the nobility and upper classes, and therefore it attracted the attention of art collectors early on. In the last third of the 19th century, interest further increased as a variety of postulations were made about its origins and makers. At the time, the former Haban settlements were located in several countries, and since then the number of countries has increased. Collectors and experts at the end of the 19th century in particular attempted to place these faience objects into a national cultural context. Often a lack of information led them to assert Haban ceramics belonged to ‘old Hungarian’ or ‘old Slovak’ art; yet they were unable to determine anything about the ceramists or the technical or artistic execution of the pieces. At the same time, however, there were many who examined the written sources and the characteristics of the works and gradually began to piece together an accurate history of Haban ceramics. The earliest sources were estate or other inventories which often mentioned ‘new Christian’ dishware and ‘Vine’ stoves. Among contemporary references, those of the much-quoted Turkish traveller Evli- ya ţelebi' transformed the high prestige of Haban ceramics at that time into almost a cliché. In the last quarter of the 19th and first quarter of the 20th centuries, when collectors’ interest in Haban only intensified and an increasing number examined this popular type of ceramics, it became obvious that a group of early pieces could be defined that was finer and of greater quality than the earlier ceramics of the region. In Hungary, swept up in the spirit of historicism and enchanted by Hungarian roots and motifs, people often spotted traces of old Hungarian ceramic arts in Haban objects. 1. Dish, dated 1678. Faience, Haban workshop, probably 'Western Hungary. Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest, inv. no.: 2837 25
