Item under consideration is a beautiful, majestic, extra large and very rare HEREND Black Dynasty “Footed Shell Bowl” Centerpiece, Siang Noir, SN 6681. Shell Bowl is hand-painted in black and white enamels with florals and 24K gold accents.
An exceptionally large, unique, and elegant centerpiece bowl in the style of the Black Dynasty / Siang Noir collection, produced by HEREND Guild located in Hungary
Retails at $6676 without tax or shipping.
Stamped SN (Siang Noir) 6681
Dimensions:
• Diameter, widest point- 16 1/16 inch.
• Length- 15 1/4 inch.
• Height- 4 inch.
• Weight- 6 pounds, 8 ounces.
Details:
The Shell Bowl is decorated in the Siang Noir (SN) decor. “Siang Noir” being a famous classic HEREND Chinoisserie Far Eastern pattern developed in the mid 19th century.
The bowl is massive with a 16-inch diameter and 15-inch length with a weight of 6 1//2 pounds. The structure of the bowl is that of a large seashell design in the shape of a wheel containing 17 indented vertical white columns separated by 18 raised vertical black columns (spokes of the wheel), accompanied by a scalloped rim.
The decorative scheme for the large recessed columns is a white background with white, pink, and yellow florals connected by light green vines and buds (see photos# 1, 3, & 4). The smaller raised 18 columns (spokes) have a black background with white, yellow and pink daisies connected by light green vines and buds.
There are 3/4 inch wide bands of black along the border of the rim of the bowl, one on the inside and one on the outside (photos# 2, 5, 6, & 7). Both black bands have identical white, yellow and pink florals with connecting green vines and buds. The very top of the rim has a 1/4 inch wide 24K gold trim (photos# 1, 3 & 4). There are 3 scroll shaped, gold trimmed, feet (photos 9, 10, & 11). The 2 back feet are 1 1/2 inch tall x 1 1/4 inch wide and the front foot is 2 3/4 inch tall x 1 3/8 inch wide.
Black Dynasty Pattern:
During the 18th century the Austrian-Hungarian Empire became greatly enamored by things Oriental.In particular, things oriental porcelain. This influence is exemplified in the Black Dynasty Shell (wheel) design, which consists of the use of Imperial Black and White coloration and is based on the creations of the famous 'Japanese Dynasty of Porcelain Producers’, the Kakemonos. The pattern was introduced to the Queen of Hungary in the early 1850s.
A unique aspect of the saturated tones of the SD decor is that the pattern is applied with enamel colors. Enamel painting is an exacting process, in that, the density of enamel paint requires the application of many more layers than with normal paints, in order to create the rich pigmentation unique to enamel finishes. It is a balancing act of beauty versus technical constraints. Because if only one of the layers is applied unevenly, it can effect the adherence of the paint to the piece, resulting in an overall uneven presentation of the product. This characteristic required HEREND to assign only their most skilled, knowledgeable, and technically competent artists to the finishing of these enameled figurines. The sheer attention to detail is very obvious, even to the casual observer.
About Herend (Manufacturer)
Herend Porcelain occupies a singular place in the world of luxury European ceramics. The firm's distinctive patterns are visually striking, and notably different from those of other major porcelain producers like Meissen or Sèvres. Whereas the latter tend to feature discrete decorative elements that appear to float on a white ground, Herend favors large, bold designs incorporating historical scenes, animals or vegetation.
Vince Stingl established what would become the Herend Porcelain Manufactory in 1826 in the town of Herend, Hungary, to produce earthenware. When he went bankrupt in the late 1830s, Mór Fischer, who took over, switched the focus from earthenware to porcelain to take advantage of the growing European market for fine china. By 1849, Herend counted among its clients members of the Habsburg dynasty and the Hungarian aristocracy. Thanks to its participation in several important international exhibitions and fairs—including the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, the 1853 Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in New York and the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris—its wares became a popular choice for courtly dining in the middle of the 19th century. Its patrons included Francis Joseph I of Austria and Queen Victoria of England, for whom its Viktória pattern was named.
The company floundered in the latter half of the 19th century under the leadership of Fischer’s two sons. But it was given new life, artistically and financially, when Fischer’s grandson, Jenő Farkasházy, himself a trained ceramist, took the helm around 1900. Farkasházy designed new patterns and revived classic ones. After World War II, Herend was nationalized by the Communist government, but kept alive its tradition of skilled craftsmanship by continuing to produce its classic patterns. In 1993, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the factory was privatized once again and today is owned by its management and workers.