Vintage Herend

With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the vintage herend you’re looking for. A vintage herend — often made from ceramic, porcelain and enamel — can elevate any home. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer vintage herend, there are earlier versions available from the 20th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 20th Century. When you’re browsing for the right vintage herend, those designed in mid-century modern and Victorian styles are of considerable interest. You’ll likely find more than one vintage herend that is appealing in its simplicity, but Herend produced versions that are worth a look.

Prices for a vintage herend start at $80 and top out at $3,800 with the average selling for $824.

Herend Porcelain occupies a singular place in the world of luxury European ceramics. The firm's vast range of figurines and 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 background, Herend favors large, bold designs for its porcelain, with its serving pieces, dishes and other works 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, and its patrons included Francis Joseph I of Austria and Queen Victoria of England, for whom its Viktória pattern was named.

The company foundered 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.

Authentic Herend animal figurines — their groupings of white rabbits, cats or pheasants — are often covered head to toe with the factory’s famed “fish-scale” pattern, also known as Vieux Herend, which produces the effect of a dense coat of feathers or fur. The fish-scale pattern also appears on this chocolate cup and saucer decorated in the Cornucopia pattern.

Find antique Herend porcelain on 1stDibs.