About Herend

Herend holds a rich history spanning many years, crossing many oceans and charming generation after generation to enjoy worldwide acclaim as the pinnacle in supreme porcelain, also known as “white gold.” 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, so competition was fierce. In 1839 a major turning point occurred when Mor Fischer became the Manufactory’s new owner. Taking Herend in an entirely new direction, visionary Fischer carved out the unique niche of producing dinnerware replacement pieces for Europe’s royal families to complement their valuable porcelain patterns from Germany and the Far East. Fischer engineered a string of royal successes that quickly put Herend on the map and led to the next phase of Herend’s growth, when Manufactory artists began 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. The company’s foray into America came in 1853 with its medal-winning entry at the New York Exhibition of Industrial Arts, now commonly known as the World’s Fair. In the 1850s Herend added meticulously-crafted figurines to its creations, with folk figurines commanding center stage in the early years. Herend’s trademark fishnet pattern, which is widely recognized and prized as Herend’s signature design, started in 1858 when an artist intrigued with a Chinese plate’s fish scale design painted it onto a rooster figurine to imitate feathers. Black was the original fishnet color, followed by rust in 1870. Blue and green were added to the fishnet family in the 1950s, when the popularity of Herend’s fishnet figurines surged. Raspberry fishnet came on the scene in 1986, butterscotch in 1994 and chocolate in 2003 to add even more spice to the mix for Herend fanciers worldwide.