Ceramic picture

The picture depicts an exotic, dramatic scene in the typical style of the contemporary genre painting. According to information supported by Dr. Ilona Sármány, it is a ceramic version of one of Gustav Klimt's early paintings. A frightened, half- naked young woman with long hair clings close to a Moorish young man who is about to defend her and himself. The raised dagger and the face reflecting his wild emotions most probably evoked a sympathetic shiver in the contemporary audience, reminding them of romantic literature. The colours are dark the background is basalt brown, the body of the woman is almost yellow, while the picturesque clothes and turban of the man are painted in warm colours. The hair is black, brightly iridescent. The whole surface is bright like a freshly finished oil painting.

Ceramic painting was growing more and more independent from the early 19th century onward in this case, it already lacks any characteristics of an object for everyday use or decoration, it is a piece of fine art. Aiming at the impossible with the highly developed techniques of the second half of the nineteenth century, apart from porcelain painting, ceramic glazes were also used to provide immortality to paintings. In polychrome faience technique, the cooperation of Théodore Deck and Albert Anker (see Kuthy, Sándor: Albert Anker: Fayencen in Zusammenarbeit mit Théodore Deck. Zürich 1985) probably initiated Vilmos Zsolnay's successful innovations in this field. His glaze technique imitating oil paintings were applied by educated painters in his factory, for making copies as well as independent compositions.