Pottery, Wood and Craft

Beyond cloth, the Hungarian village made and decorated a wide range of objects from clay, wood, leather, horn and straw. Many were the work of specialist craftsmen, such as potters and carvers, who sold at markets and fairs. This chapter looks at the main pottery centres, at wood carving and painted furniture, at the crafts of herdsmen on the Great Plain, and at the state title given to master craftspeople. Facts are from general knowledge and flagged for checking.

Pottery

Pottery was one of the most widespread village crafts, since every household needed jugs, bowls, pots and storage vessels. Different towns developed recognisable styles (check each).

Potters used local clay, shaped it on a wheel or by hand, decorated it by painting, scratching or stamping, and fired it in kilns. Decorated plates were hung on walls of the clean room (see Chapter 2), and wedding and commemorative pieces were inscribed with names and dates. The Zsolnay factory in Pécs, famous for ceramic tiles on Budapest buildings, was an industrial development with some links to the folk tradition (see Hungarian Architecture 7, and check the connection).

Wood: Carving, Furniture and Painted Chests

• Carving. Gates, house posts, spoons, yokes, cradles and shepherd's crooks were often carved, with geometric designs, rosettes and stylised plants (check regional styles).
• Painted furniture. Chests, cupboards and beds were often painted with flowers and sometimes dates and names. The dowry chest was a household centrepiece, holding the bride's linens (check).
• Wooden buildings and churches. Particularly in the east and in Transylvania, wooden churches and bell towers show carpentry on a larger scale (check, and see Hungarian Architecture 9).
• Everyday tools. Spoons, barrels, buckets and tools were made by hand and carved for pride as well as use.

Herdsman Crafts of the Great Plain

The Great Plain (Alföld) had a pastoral tradition of cattle, horse and sheep herding, and a distinct material culture of the herdsman (csikós, gulyás and juhász) (check the terms). Objects associated with it include:

The image of the Plain herdsman has become a national symbol, often more than the reality, which makes the same caution as in Chapter 1 important: much of what visitors see at "horse shows" today is a staged version of an older way of life (check).

Straw, Basketry and Other Crafts

Straw and reed were used for baskets, hats, beehives and mats, and gingerbread (mézeskalács) with painted and moulded decoration is another widespread craft sold at fairs (check). Blacksmithing, cartwright's work and the making of musical instruments belong here too, the latter taken up in Chapter 8.

The Folk Art Master Title

In 1953, the state introduced an honour for craftspeople, the "Master of Folk Art" title (Népművészet Mestere), together with related recognition for younger makers (check the date and details). Awards have continued, and the title is given to people regarded as outstanding practitioners of traditional crafts and performing arts. It is a good example of how the state became a keeper of tradition, a theme taken up in Chapter 9. The title can support makers, but it also raises the question of who decides what counts as authentic.

Exercises