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This 120-year-old ceramic masterpiece can be viewed for free for five days from Friday in the garden of the Kőrössy Villa on the tree-lined avenue of the Városliget in Budapest.
At Tuesday's press event for the vase's return and unveiling, the two art collectors who brought it home — András Szabó, founder of the ResoArt Foundation, and István Törő, co-owner of the Virág Judit Gallery — spoke about its history and how it was discovered.
András Szabó said: Apáti Abt Sándor's giant Zsolnay ceramic, made in Pécs and depicting dancing female figures, is an outstanding piece. It was exhibited at the 1906 Milan World Exhibition and could have been an important decoration for the Hungarian pavilion, which was rebuilt after a fire.
Unique Zsolnay vase with an adventurous history
He added that the vase, which symbolises the pomegranate tree with five dancing women representing beauty, fertility, happiness and wealth, was crafted in 1905. He added that he would like to present the 110 cm high, 100 kg work, which is made of pyrogranite and is in good condition, to as wide a circle as possible.
He mentioned that the piece had recently appeared in a French auction house's catalogue and, since a similar piece had previously been on the Hungarian market, he was initially sceptical about its authenticity.
István Törő, who helped bring the 46 cm diameter vase home, said: "Based on the photos, the object was in a central place at the Milan World Fair. However, the Hungarian pavilion burned down in August, destroying numerous valuables and damaging the Zsolnay ceramics."
He said that the vase was later found in Romania and auctioned at the Virág Judit Gallery in 2013 before ending up in the Janus Pannonius Museum in Pécs. At that time, they learned from art historian Éva Csenkey that another such vase existed in France. He added that, according to their assumption, the exhibition could have been rebuilt after the fire and that the newly discovered piece could have been exhibited at that time.
He emphasised that, after the exhibition, the exhibited objects were sold, meaning that the finest Zsolnay pieces, created as samples, were sent abroad. This results in the constant discovery of previously unknown pieces wherever they appear on the market.
Zsolnay vase worth 100 000 dollars
He said that Zsolnay collecting is currently experiencing a renaissance and is at the centre of international interest. The most expensive ceramics on the world market are Zsolnay vases.
The market value of outstanding pieces can reach almost 100 thousand dollars (£33 million).
András Szabó told MTI that the vase acquired through their collaboration is also worth around 100 thousand dollars. He emphasised that the current factory is incapable of producing such a piece as it no longer possesses the expertise it had 120 years ago.
The object will be made available to the public for five days from Friday, so anyone can view the artwork for free in the Kőrössy villa garden (Városligeti fasor 47, 1071 Budapest) between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Starting 1 October, guided tours themed around the Milan World's Fair will be held every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Villa Kőrössy.
Source: MTI.hu
Photo: MTI/Hatházy Tamás
