In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Hungarian aristocracy, as well as the upper middle class, began to collect Chinese art in large quantities, trying to decorate their estates with the most unusual Chinese objects. Expensive and exquisite Chinese and Japanese porcelain however became a symbol of status and wealth from then on. Chinese porcelains appeared in the interior of the Hungarian aristocracy and upper middle-class, integrated with the popular decorative styles of the same period, were an extremely important part of the collections in the 18th and 19th centuries. The study of them is therefore of great importance for the research of the domestic environment and daily life of these wealthy people in Hungary of the period. In this essay, I will rely on documentary and artifacts to illustrate Chinese porcelain collected by the Hungarian upper classes in the 18th and 19th centuries, to introduce its important role in interior decoration, and to analyse how the attitudes of European collectors toward Chinese art and society changed during this time.

Ying Zhang. Chinese Porcelain Preserved in Interiors of Hungarian Aristocratic and Upper Middle Class from the 18th Century to the 19th Century. Frontiers in Art Research (2022) Vol. 4, Issue 16: 64-76. https://doi.org/10.25236/FAR.2022.041609.

[1] Györgyi Fajcsák. White Gold, Mohammedan Blue and Peach Blossom. Budapest: Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts, 2011.

[2] T. Volker. (1971) Porcelain and the Dutch East India Company: as recorded in the Dagh-registers of Batavia Castle, those of Hirado and Deshima and other contemporary papers, 3: 1602-1682.

[3] Jorg, C.J.A.. Porcelain and the Dutch China trade. Berlin: Springer, 1982.

[4] Miao Liu, Shuyang Hu. Shipwrecks, Porcelain and the Maritime Silk Road. Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press (CHINA), 2016.

[5] Géza Galavics. (2000) 18th century depictions of Eszterháza - the image as an art historical source. Ars hungarica, 1: 37-71.

[6] Ferenc Dávid. (2002) Historical room book of the Fertőd Esterházy Castle: functions and wall coverings. ARS HUNGARIAN, 1: 238-320.

[7] Györgyi Fajcsák. Mulan at Eszterháza: the lacquer cabinets in the collection at Esterházy Palace. Fertőd. Eszterháza Centre of Culture, Research and Festivals, 2018.

[8] Györgyi Fajcsák. Collecting Chinese Art in Hungary from the Early 19. Century to 1945 as Reflected by the Artifacts of the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts. Budapest: Department of East Asian Studies, Eötvös Loránd University, 2007.

[9] Katalin G. Győrffy. Culture and way of life in the 18th century in Hungary: observations of foreign travelers. Budapest: Academic Publishing House, 1991.

[10] Jenő Radisics. (1910) Art treasures of Count János Pálffy. Hungarian Applied Arts, 13: 101-127.

[11] Hilda Horváth. The art collection of Count János Pálffy. Budapest: Hungarian Academy of Arts Historical Research Institute, 2007.

[12] György Kelényi. Castles, villas, mansions. Budapest: Corvina-Helikon Publishing House, 1974.

[13] Györgyi Fajcsák. (2007b.): "Garden of Pleasures" Chinese, Mongols and Manchus in Eszterháza. The lacquer cabinet of the ducal suite of the Esterházy Castle. Budapest: State Custody of Monuments, 2007.

[14] Mingdi Wu (2019) The collection of Chinese porcelain in eighteenth-century Europe and its impact on the art market. Cultural Relics World. 7: 114-121.

[15] Györgyi Fajcsák. (2006) Exhibition of Oriental art, 1929 “Ausstellung Orientalischer Kunst. Budapest. 1929” Collecting Chinese Artefacts in Hungary in the 1920s and 1930s. Ars Decorativa, 24: 147-182

[16] Jenő Radisics. (1911) Collection of Ferencz Hopp. Sunday Newspaper 2, 1: 28-32.

[17] Zoltán Felvinczi Takács. (1914) Collection of Ferenc Hopp. Hungarian Applied Art, 17: 68-89.

[18] Marianne Felvinczi Takács. (1994) Hopp Ferenc Eastern Research. Autumn, 9: 7-23.

[19] Yuping Zhu. (1999) Shiwan pottery sculptures from the late Qing and early Ming Dynasties. Shanghai Arts & Crafts. 2: 9-11.

[20] Qiang Hu. (2017) Study on the Themes and Aesthetic Appreciation of Blue and White Porcelain Decorative Arts in Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. Journal of Jingdeyhen University. 4: 132-135.

[21] Kelun Chen. Porcelain China. Shanghai: Shanghai Shuhua Press, 2021. 

[22] Yanbin Jiang, Ying Fan. (2009) Discussion on Characteres of Purple Sand Pottery Exported Between 17th to 18th Century and Their Influence to European Ceramics. Jiangsu Ceramics, 4: 23-25.