The Zsolnay Family and the Golden Age of Hungarian Ceramics

From a struggling pottery factory in nineteenth-century Hungary to one of Europe's most celebrated ceramic manufacturers, the story of Zsolnay is one of extraordinary ambition, artistic innovation and family genius.

In the first of two episodes, Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene explore how the visionary businessman Vilmos Zsolnay transformed a modest factory in the city of Pécs into an international centre of ceramic excellence. At the heart of this remarkable transformation were his two daughters, Teréz and Júlia, whose pioneering designs drew on Hungarian folk traditions and influences from across the world.

Against the backdrop of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, industrial expansion and the rise of Art Nouveau, they uncover the revolutionary techniques, dazzling iridescent glazes and extraordinary craftsmanship that made Zsolnay famous.

This is the story of a family's creative vision, a nation's cultural identity and the golden age of one of Europe's most remarkable ceramic manufactories.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction: The Zsolnay Family and the Golden Age of Hungarian Ceramics
• 00:02:47 Pecs: A Mediterranean City in the Heart of Hungary
• 00:04:02 The Zsolnay Factory Origins: From Pipes to Prestige
• 00:07:49 Political Context: The 1867 Austro-Hungarian Compromise
• 00:09:39 Vilmos Zsolnay: The Visionary Businessman
• 00:12:44 The Zsolnay Sisters: Terez and Julia's Design Revolution
• 00:15:32 Terez Zsolnay: Traditionalist and the Floral Renaissance
• 00:20:05 Julia Zsolnay: Avant-Garde Fusion of East and West
• 00:23:21 The Alhambra Vase: A Masterpiece of Islamic Homage
• 00:30:12 Eosin Glaze: The Iridescent Revolution of 1893
• 00:34:34 Art Nouveau and International Success
• 00:40:51 The Golden Age: 1870 to 1910

Images from this episode:
Vase with Flowers ca. 1901 and Vase with Bird Ca. 1902, Sándor Apáti Abt, Creative commons, Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:P%C3%A9cs_Zsolnay_cultural_quarter#/media/File:Gyugyi_collection_2.JPG 
Panoramic of Pécs, Ca. 1840, L. Rohbock, Creative Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pecs_panoramic_c1840.jpg
Miklós Zsolnay Senior, 1800 – 1800, public domain
Buildings owned by the Zsolnay Family Ca. 19th c.public domain
Ignác Zsolnay, 1826 – 1900
Vilmos Zsolnay at the Zsolnay Museum, Creative Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9cs#/media/File:Zsolnay_Sz%C3%A9kely.JPG 
Advertisement for Zsolnay Department Store, ca. 1850s 
Locomotive at Déli Railway Station, Hungary, Ca. 1905
Vilmos Zsolnay, Ca. 1890s, Creative Commons https://etruscanmajolica.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-majolica-of-zsolnay.html 
Houses and Cottages Bordering Zsolnay Factory, Ca. 2010s, 
Rowntree Chocolate Factory, Ca. Late 19th C
Rowntree Chocolate Factory, Ca. 1933
The Development of Cite Ouvriere in Mulhouse, Ca. 19th c. Archives de Mulhouse.
The Zsolnay Family, Ca. 1890s
Teréz Zsolnay, 1854 – 1944, as above
Júlia Zsolnay, 1856 – 1950, as above
Vilmos Zsolnay and his family, Ca. 1860s as above
Teréz Zsolnay, 1854 – 1944
Júlia Zsolnay, 1856 – 1950, 
Bread Plate Ca. 1850, Augustus Pugin,The Met Collection
Janus Pannoninus Museum,
Photo of Tádé Sikorski, Ca. 1907, Public Domain Creative Commons,

Alhambra Vase, Ca. 1883-5, Tádé Sikorski, V & A Collection
Alhambra, Ca. 1878, Joseph-Theodore Deck, V & A Collection
Alhambra, Ca. 1877-90, Crown Derby Factory, The Met Collection
Zsolnay Logo, Ca. 1898-1900, Júlia Zsolnay, 
Brick Stacks, Zsolnay Cultural Quarter, Ca. 2015, Creative Commons,

Original Alhambra Vessel, Drawn by Diego Sánchez Saraboa, Ca. 1762, Creative Commons, Public Domain,
Eosin Glaze of Zsolnay Fountain, Installed in 1930, Creative Commons, Public Domain,
Memento Mori, Ca. 1900, Lászlo Mattyasovzky Zsolnay,
Vincze Wartha 1844 – 1914,
Eos, by Evelyn de Morgan, Ca. 1895 Creative Commons, Public Domain
Eosin Parrot, Ca. 1910, Zsolnay Factory, Creative Commons, Public Domain,
Roman Glass Fragments Ca. 43 - 410 CE, Creative Commons,
Early photograph of Hôtel Tassel, Creative Commons, Public Domian
Main Façade of Hôtel Tassel Built by Victor Horta, Ca. 1893, Creative Commons,
L’Art Nouveau Museum, Ca. 1900s,
Zsolnay at the Vienna World Fair, Ca. 1873.

Credits:
Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene
Editor: Dennis Caouki
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac