Article: Herend: The Story Behind Hungary's Porcelain, and the Pieces We Chose
Herend: The Story Behind Hungary's Porcelain, and the Pieces We Chose
Herend has been making porcelain by hand in one small Hungarian village for almost two hundred years. Queen Victoria bought it, the Rothschilds commissioned it, and families still add to sets their grandparents started. Below is a short history of the house, what it makes, and the dinnerware patterns and figurines we chose to carry, with why we chose each one.
Jump to: The history · What Herend makes · Our dinnerware edit · How to start a set · Our figurine edit · Care · FAQ
A short history of Herend
1826. Vince Stingl opens a small pottery works in the village of Herend, near Veszprém in western Hungary. It makes earthenware, not yet porcelain.
1839. Stingl goes bankrupt, and his creditor, Mór Fischer, takes over. Fischer turns Herend toward fine hard-paste porcelain, and within a decade he is selling to the Hungarian aristocracy.
1851. Herend exhibits at the Great Exhibition in London. Its pattern of flowers and butterflies wins a medal, and Queen Victoria orders a service for Windsor Castle. The pattern is still called Queen Victoria.
The royal years. Orders follow from the Habsburgs, including Emperor Franz Joseph I, from Maximilian I of Mexico, and from Europe's great families. Many patterns are still named for those first customers. Rothschild Bird was painted for the Rothschilds in the 1860s, and Waldstein for Baron Waldstein, who bought a set in 1842.
The 20th century. Herend is nationalized in 1948 and privatized in 1993. By 2015, its own managers and workers owned 75 percent of the company.
Today. Herend is still in production in the same village, from the same materials (kaolin, feldspar and quartz) and still painted and gilded by hand. In 2011 Herend created Royal Garden as Hungary's official wedding gift to Prince William and Catherine.
What Herend makes
Dinnerware. Herend's patterns are kept in production for generations, so you can add a dessert plate to a set started in the 1970s, or start your own knowing the pattern will be there when you want more. Each plate is painted by hand, which is why two plates in the same pattern are never quite identical.
Figurines. Herend's animals and keepsakes are best known for the fishnet: a fine painted net of tiny scales in one color, often finished with 24K gold on the ears, paws or details. The same figure can come in fishnet with gold, fishnet alone, or white with colored accents, and the price follows the hand work. A Bunny with Heart is $225 in white and blue and $395 in fishnet with gold.
Our dinnerware edit
We carry 14 Herend patterns, chosen to cover every kind of table: the famous classics, florals, graphic modern patterns, simple gold-edged bases to mix with everything, and one seasonal pattern. Prices below are for a dinner plate. Each pattern links to its full collection of chargers, plates, rim soups and bowls, or browse them all on our Herend page.
The classics
The patterns that made Herend's name, and the ones collectors ask for first.
The florals
Softer and lighter than the classics, and easy to set for lunch as well as dinner.
Graphic and modern
For a table that feels current. Both use the fishnet and gold that Herend is known for, in a more architectural way.
The foundations
White porcelain and gold. On their own they are simple and elegant. Under a patterned dessert plate, they make the pattern look even better.
Seasonal: Mushroom
Shop all six motifs in our Mushroom collection.
How to start a Herend set
1. Start with a base. Golden Edge or Gwendolyn as chargers or dinner plates. They work with every other pattern, and with what you already own.
2. Add one pattern you love. Use it on the dessert or salad plate, where it sits on top and gets seen. Chinese Bouquet and Queen Victoria are the easiest to live with.
3. Aim for four, then grow. Four place settings is enough to set a real table. Because Herend keeps its patterns in production, you can add the rest over birthdays and holidays, which is exactly how most Herend sets are built.
Our figurine edit
We chose figurines that are made to be given: keepsakes for a new baby, gifts for her, and a few that are simply fun. Most come in several colors. See all of them in our Herend figurines collection.
For a new baby
For her, and for fun
Caring for Herend
Herend is meant to be used, and it lasts for generations when it is washed by hand. Hand painting and 24K gold are the reason to own it, and the dishwasher is what wears them down.
- Line the sink. Put a soft towel in the bottom of the sink so a slip doesn't chip a rim.
- Use warm water, not hot, and avoid sudden changes in temperature.
- Use a little mild liquid dish soap and a soft sponge or cloth. Skip scouring pads, abrasive powders and lemon-scented cleaners.
- Wash a few pieces at a time, and rinse plates soon after the meal rather than leaving food on the painting overnight.
- Dry right away with a soft, lint-free towel.
- Keep it out of the dishwasher, microwave and oven. Detergent, heat and rattling racks wear down the painted glaze and gold over time, and gold never goes in the microwave.
When you stack plates in the cabinet, put a soft cloth or paper napkin between each one so the painting and gold rims don't scratch. Figurines only need dusting with a soft dry cloth.
Herend FAQ
Is Herend still made by hand?
Yes. Every piece is shaped, painted and gilded by hand at the Herend manufactory in the village of Herend, Hungary, where the company has worked since 1826.
Does Herend discontinue patterns?
Herend keeps its patterns in production, which is why a set can be added to for decades. Queen Victoria and Rothschild Bird date to the 1850s and 1860s and are still made today.
Why does the same Herend figurine come at different prices?
Most of the price is hand work. Figurines finished with 24K gold accents take more time than the same figure painted in fishnet alone or in white with colored accents, so they cost more. The Bunny with Heart, for example, runs from $225 in white and blue to $395 in fishnet with gold.
Can Herend go in the dishwasher?
We recommend washing Herend by hand in warm water with mild dish soap and drying it right away. Dishwasher detergent, heat and rattling racks wear down the hand painting and 24K gold over time. Herend should also stay out of the microwave and oven.
What is the best Herend pattern to start with?
Start with a neutral base like Golden Edge, then add one pattern you love, such as Chinese Bouquet or Queen Victoria, as dinner or dessert plates. Four place settings is a good first goal.
What is a good Herend gift?
For a new baby, the rattle, baby shoe or rocking horse. For her, the bunny with heart or the handbag. For a host, a single dessert plate in their pattern.
Building a registry? Herend is one of the best patterns to register for, because it never goes out of production. See our luxury wedding registry guide.
