Zsolnay Factory started in 1853 by Miklós Zsolnay who established the first manufacture of ceramics for his son Ignác. In 1863 Ignac’s younger brother, Vilmos took over as manager. The factory’s first major success was reached at the 1873 World Exhibition in Vienna, where Zsolnay received many orders from England, France, Russia, and America.
The success achieved during the 1878 World Exhibition in Paris was tremendous. The jury praised the Zsolnay collection as being unique and gave it the gold medal. The next steps in this series of successes were Melbourne in 1880, Brussels (1888), Chicago (1893) and Antwerp (1894). At the exhibition organized in 1896, on the occasion of the millenium of the Hungarian Kingdom, the factory introduced its most beautiful pieces, made of eosin. The emperor awarded the Franz Joseph Order to Vilmos Zsolnay, and the city of Pécs gave him the title of Honorary Town Citizen.
After Vilmos Zsolnay’s death, in 1900, his son Miklós took over management and adopted the new Art Nouveau style. In the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and in other neighboring countries, no competitors could be found for the frost-resistant Zsolnay building decorations. Vilmos Zsolnay’s great merit was his invention of several new technologies for the production of ceramics. In the course of his experiments, he developed a base material and glazes that yielded a quality equal to porcelain painting, but which at the same time allowed a much richer use of colours. His technique of firing glazes at high temperatures remains unique even today. Today, the Zsolnay porcelain Factory holds on to its great traditions, while at the same time stressing the importance of a continuous renewal.
This Angel Compote measures 11″ wide x 5.5″ high. With a chip it sold for $2,300 on eBay in April 2009.
