William Penn Life, 2011 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2011-12-01 / 12. szám
The company was founded in 1826 with a few employees; now, there are 850 painters who work on the porcelain sets, which make the factory the second largest of its kind worldwide and the second oldest porcelain factory in the world. Because all of its pieces are individually hand painted, Herend products are truly exceptional and valuable. When at the London World Exhibition in 1851, Queen Victoria ordered a large table service for Windsor Castle. Herend porcelain become internationally famous. The Queen Victoria pattern, with its Chinese design of flowers and butterflies, set a precedent, and soon other aristocrats followed the Queen's example. Thus, Herend prospered. In 1953, the company gained its first exposure to the American market with their medal-winning entry at the New York Exhibition of Industrial Arts. The special hand-painted Herend dinner set made by the factory and presented to Prince William and Duchess Catherine at their wedding was a modern interpretation of the usual flower and butterfly pattern, so it was named the "Royal Garden." This pattern with its purple, green, turquoise, rose and yellow tones with golden accents on its rimmed dinner plates has elevated Herend china to become even more prized by collectors. Besides the royal couple, Franz Joseph, Queen Elizabeth II, John Paul II, Lady Diana and Benedict XVI received valuable pieces from the manufacturer. WPA members can be rightly proud of whatever Herend they own, be they figurines, dishes, plates, entire place settings or little animal figurines like the few I own. For us all, Hungary can certainly be proud of its Herend handiwork. Kathy Megyeri is a writer in Washington, D.C., and can he reached at Megyeri@juno.com. (References: Diplomatic Connections, Business Edition, July-August 2011, p. 97-99.) Why I choose Herend My mother was an excellent homemaker and a very good cook. Her pastries were out of this world. I have lots of nice memories other holidays and special dinners for guests. Sadly, she passed away at the age of 41.1 often thought of what would be a fitting memorial to celebrate her life. What can you touch and admire, just like her life? A Herend porcelain dinner set. From thousands of motifs, these birds were playing in my dreams for 20 years before I was able to start buying. It took me 10 years to complete the I 19-piece set. This masterpiece was made in Hungary by Hungarian talent. They also have a lifetime guarantee with replacement pieces...something almost unheard of in the porcelain industry. The set was first created in the 1860s for the Baron de Rothschild family of Europe and is considered by many connoisseurs to be the paragon of hand painting on porcelain. The pieces are painted in 12 different motifs, each representing a 19th Century legend about the Baroness Rothschild, who lost her pearl necklace in the garden of her Vienna residence. It was found several days later by her gardener, who saw birds playing with the necklace in a tree.- MARW KOVÁCS, Crown Point, IN William Penn Life ° December 2011 0 15
