Coming soon! Everyday Luxuries

An unprecedented selection of Zsolnay, Holics, Hollóháza, Fischer, and vernacular ceramics comes together at the Museum of Ethnography, where almost 600 objects bring to life nearly two centuries of Hungarian refined white earthenware production. The large-scale exhibition Everyday Luxury: From the Queen’s Table to Peasant Homes is organised by the Museum of Ethnography in collaboration with the Museum of Applied Arts and the Hungarian National Museum. It presents the rich and varied world of refined white earthenware pottery – from the elegance of aristocratic tableware to the colourful plates adorning the walls of peasant homes.

Alongside the early 18th-century Neoclassical pieces from the Holics factory, visitors will encounter blue-and-white jasperware from Pápa inspired by Wedgwood, as well as the inscribed, rose-decorated devotional wall plates typical of peasant households. The exhibition also features Batiz black ceramics in glossy silver and gold lustre, and the 20th-century designed plate sets of the Gránit factory – classics of Hungarian industrial design.

The exhibition evokes the dining room of Empress Elisabeth's private apartment at Schönbrunn – so beloved by her – where peasant furniture and sets from Apátfalva and Hollóháza created the royal version of the rustic Hungarian style. Everyday Luxury tells the story of the “English dish” in Hungary, the birth of a national design language, and how everyday use, beauty, and identity intertwine – from the Queen’s table all the way to peasant homes.