Special trophies await Hungary winners 05 Aug 2006
Pay special attention to the podium ceremony this weekend. Instead of the usual silver, gold or glass trophies, the victors will be presented with some very special, local porcelain.
Hungarian company Herend, world famous for almost two centuries, is one of Europe’s oldest surviving porcelain manufacturers, where modeling, throwing, shaping and decorating are still all done by hand. The Grand Prix organizers in Hungary, who are this year celebrating the 20th anniversary of the race’s arrival in Budapest, turned to them for prizes for this year’s victors. What they got were some very individual trophies.
The Herend vase made for the winning driver is neoclassical, reflecting the style and form of the ancient world, with a design showcasing one of Budapest’s best-known scenes, the Chain Bridge arching over the Danube River with the Royal Palace of the Buda Castle behind. The team trophy is a wall plate, 52cm in diameter, featuring the same scene.
The design and development of the trophies took four weeks, with the initial model making the work of four different artists and craftsmen. The pottery work itself required a further two weeks, after which four master painters spent another three completing the finished items. The results will doubtless find a very special place in the trophy cabinets of this year’s Hungarian Grand Prix winners.
