Herend

(51)

Flamboyant Pheasant Multicolor 14.25 in L X 8.5 in H

Ring-necked pheasants often live in tall vegetation and old fields which, despite their very colorful plumage, can make them hard to see. Only a bare winter landscape renders these birds highly visible. Perhaps that is why the male pheasant resorts to a rooster-like crowing which can be heard miles away at all hours of the day – much to the delight of his neighbors no doubt. With this figurine, a hush has settled over Farmer Brown’s field because this pheasant realizes that his brilliantly hued feathers no longer need a town crier to be noticed. From the saturated turquoise on his head to the rich, red tones on his chest and wings to the dramatic gold highlights throughout, this beautiful boy is sure to be visible regardless of the season.

Now the biggest porcelain manufactory in Europe, Herend was founded in 1826 to produce earthenware in the small Hungarian village for which it was named. At the time, Hungary was flooded with low-cost pottery, but in 1839, Mor Fischer became the Manufactory’s new owner and he decided to focus on producing dinnerware replacement pieces for Europe’s royal families to complement their valuable porcelain patterns from Germany and the Far East.



As his client base grew, Fischer commissioned his artists to begin designing dinnerware patterns of their own. Queen Victoria’s 1851 purchase of a large set for Windsor Castle was a milestone, setting the stage for aristocrats throughout Europe to clamor for Herend in their estates.



In the 1850s, Herend added meticulously-crafted figurines to its creations. Herend’s trademark fishnet pattern, which is widely recognized and prized as Herend’s signature design, started in 1858 when an artist who was intrigued with a Chinese plate’s fish scale design painted it onto a rooster figurine to imitate feathers.