(pronunciation: like heron with a D on the end)
While Herend does have some naturally colored animal figurines, their better known animal figurines have a net-like pattern covering most of the animals body. The shape used for this coloration is actually the outline of a feather tip with a v-shapes inset of color. The marking, once seen, is easily recognized. The porcelain dinnerware runs for fairly plain to ornate birds in trees patterns.
My opinion: Pricey, but the porcelain is beautiful. Pick your all time favorite animal or home accessory and buy it, and let the rest go. Watch out for imitators with similar but different overall netted patterns.
Product lines:
dinnerware: all on white body, the usual traditional and some modern patterns. Especially good for birds or insects on dinnerware, if that is where your interest lies. None with a plain round shape. Especially famous is the Victoria pattern of peonies and butterflies, first seen at the London World’s Fair in 1851, thus it is now enjoying its sesquicentennial in 2011.
figurines: animals, birds and fish in natural colors or in the Herend feather pattern with more realistic details on the head and extremities.
household items: vases, candle sticks, paperweights, baskets, boxes, etc., including linen.
special collections: jewelry, novelties, masterpieces (of a large nature), limited editions.
Prices:Some small items at $100, up to $8000 and much more.
Collector’s Society:Herend Guild (http://www.herendusa.com/herend_guild.php)
The official company site is: www.herend.com
Also try HerendUSA.coom.
History
Herend is now among the largest porcelain manufacturers in the world. Established in 1826 by Vince Stingl, its products have been the choice of royalty and the wealthy for over a hundred years. The factory is located in the middle of Europe, in Hungary. The company participated in the London Exhibition in 1851, where a china pattern of peonies and butterflies attracted the attention of Queen Victoria. The pattern was named for her and has been a favorite for one hundred and fifty years. The factory added a training school in 1897 for its hand-painted porcelain production.
Over the years, experiments in different styles have been part of company policy, as has its participation in world exhibitions throughout the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. The company was under state control from 1948 to 1981, but survived to become a private enterprise again. A museum of porcelain and a visitor center make the factory a tourist destination today, in the town of Herend, near Balaton Lake and west of Budapest.
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Read more about porcelain collectibles in the Porcelain Collectibles Guide.