20th Century Group of 3 Hollohaza Hungarian Porcelain Figures. Hand Painted. Man, Woman, and girl. All in good condition. 

Size: smallest 2 3/4 x 2 1/4 6 3/4 Inches

#6072 . 

Hollohazi (also called Hollóháza) porcelain is produced by the Porcelain Manufactory of Hollóháza, Hungary. The manufactory was founded in 1777, originally as glassworks. It is one of the oldest remaining porcelain manufacturers in Hungary, as well as Europe, running almost continuously since its creation. The factory is still on the original site in rural Northeastern Hungary amid lush forests and rolling hills. In the beginning, they only made rudimentary glass cups, bottles, and dishes. At the dawn of the 19th Century the Hungarian glass industry flourished, but the main transport routes and the raw materials needed to manufacture glass were far from the factory site. The owner of the factory, Count Karolyi, decided to turn it into a ceramic manufactory in 1831, using the kaolin clay found nearby. In 1857 Ferenc Istvanyi took over ownership of the country, expanding the small plant into a multi-building facility. This led to essentially every one of the 700 citizens of Hollóháza working for the factory. The decorations and motifs retained a folk art sensibility, as they were passed down from father to son through generations of workers. Ornamental porcelain such as figurines, lamps, and wall clocks appeared in the 20th century. The factory closed down during World War I and reopened in 1923, with a series of economic swings taking its toll on the company. Karoly Szakmary purchased the factory in 1939, but was removed when the factory was nationalized under Communism in 1948. After the nationalization Hollohazi Porcelain was only allowed to manufacture industrial porcelain, such as electrical insulators, which finally changed in 1957 when art pieces were allowed to be produced. This drew many talented artists from the surrounding area in the 1960s, boosting the reputation of the factory once more. Since the fall of Communism, the company has continued to thrive, now under the ownership of an export company called Raven Relix, Inc.