Herend Tulip Shell Blue

Endearing animals meek and bold, large and small, demure and majestic eagerly await the chance to melt your heart and warm your home.   Each is brought to life by the skilled hands of artisans crafting and painting these charming porcelain creatures.  The famous fishnet décor adorning many of the animals took form in 1858 when a Herend painter became inspired by a fishscale design he saw on a Chinese porcelain plate and painted a similar pattern onto a rooster figurine to imitate feathers.  The rest is history, with the fishnet design now a Herend signature prized worldwide.

This Herend Shell measures approx. 5" long, 2" wide, 1 5/8" tall.

Now the biggest porcelain manufactory in Europe, Herend was founded in 1826 to produce earthenware in the small Hungarian village for which it was named. At the time, Hungary was flooded with low-cost pottery, but in 1839, Mor Fischer became the Manufactory’s new owner and he decided to focus on producing dinnerware replacement pieces for Europe’s royal families to complement their valuable porcelain patterns from Germany and the Far East.

As his client base grew, Fischer commissioned his artists to begin designing dinnerware patterns of their own. Queen Victoria’s 1851 purchase of a large set for Windsor Castle was a milestone, setting the stage for aristocrats throughout Europe to clamor for Herend in their estates.