Zsolnay Ceramics - A Guide for Collectors

When the thought first occurred that we should publish a handsome, representative volume to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Vilmos Zsolnay and the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Zsolnay factory, the authors and editors began wondering how their book could contribute something new to the already impressive Zsolnay literature. The activity of the factory is generally familiar, yet is just as unfamiliar. When we see objects with the golden-green sheen or the ceramic décor of the Hungarian National Bank, we know that we are seeing a product of the Zsolnay factory. But relatively few people know that the elephant reliefs in the elephant house of the Budapest Zoo were also made by the Zsolnay factory, while the great variety of the types and styles of the products makes us feel that we are walking through a nearly impenetrable jungle without a guide. The authors and editors have therefore taken upon themselves the role of guides, though without striving for completion of any kind. They have not written a chronological history either of the factory or its products, though the back of the book contains pertinent information in this regard. Instead, they have tried to show, through the presentation of the types of objects, forms, decorations and glazes, how rich the Zsolnay legacy has become. This manner of presentation, which emphasizes formal characteristics, will help in identifying, evaluating and further appreciating pieces of Zsolnay found in museums or jealously guarded in private collections, not to mention odd pieces that grace many homes. It will also help in identifying objects, including dinner sets, vases and bowls, on sale in antique shops. The illustrations were also selected with this new approach to the subject in mind. Those who compiled it tried to present objects that have appeared in books before, whether they come from the warehouses of the Museum of Applied Arts, the Janus Pannonius Museum of Pécs, or from Hungarian and foreign private collectors. With the exception of a single exhibition catalogue, the comprehensive volumes to date have concentrated on Zsolnay objects as art, and have ignored the use of Zsolnay ceramics in architecture. lYow, for the sake of completion, we have also presented the close relationship between the Zsolnay factory and architectural decoration. We know from the memoirs of the daughter and granddaughter of the founder of the factory that the great Art Nouveau architect Ödön Lechner was a close associate and friend of the family. The pyrogranite decorations that ornament buildings such as the Geological Institute of Budapest, are therefore the products of team work. But so are the many ornamentai objects, which have become part and parcel of the history of Hungarian applied arts, which are all the result of the close co-operabon between the members of the family, its relatives, and the factorys employees. Those who have put this book together hope that their co-operation, too, has brought something new and worthwhile to the Zsolnay legacy.