SOVÁNKA, ISTVÁN (1858–1944)

Decorative bowl, 1896

double layered glass with etched decoration, d: 48.5 cm; marking inside the bowl: Sovánka
Historical Collection, Inv. No.: 53.256.1.

On 20 August, 1904, the second applied arts exhibition was held in the great hall of the Korona (present day: Avas) Hotel in Miskolc. The Art Nouveau inspired exhibition showcased the works of outstanding Hungarian and foreign masters of the genre. The artworks on display included pieces representing the still nascent glass art of Hungary, of which several were purchased by Borsod County deputy lieutenant Elemér Vay, who donated them to the museum of Miskolc. These acquisitions included an etched bowl and a vase, which were both made by István Sovánka, one of the most significant glass artists of the Art Nouveau period.
The decorative bowl is made of double layered glass consisting of the base layer and a second ruby glass layer over it. Decorations in the form of stylized traditional Hungarian ornamental motifs were added by etchings on the ruby glass surface. The bowl was made during the first period of Sovánka and shares many similarities with his turn of the century works, one of which attracted a lot of attention at the 1900 World Fair at Paris. The decoration of the bowl consists of two large compositional units, which include the large ornaments of the wide and elegant rim and the more detailed ornaments located at the centre. The rim is framed with a simple band with eight curved, three-lobed, striped and contoured motifs, with symmetrical leaves and wines on the inside and branches in bloom with heart-shaped flowers placed within the curvatures. Unlike the spacious decoration of the rim, the centre of the bowl is characterized by a dense central composition. Ornamentation becomes increasingly smaller towards the centre, with its entirety reaching the relatively simplistic eightfold rosette in the middle. This is a common decorative element on bowls made by István Sovánka.
Dr. László Veres
(In: A Herman Ottó Múzeum műkincsei. Editor: Veres, László–Viga, Gyula. Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén Megyei Múzeumi Igazgatóság, Miskolc, 1999. 345–346. Cat. 156.)