Herend China: A Guide to the Patterns
Written by Tamar Medzadourian, Paris Tableware, Ridgewood, New Jersey. Updated .
Herend china is hand-painted porcelain from the Herend Porcelain Manufactory in the village of Herend, Hungary, which traces its start to 1826. The patterns people ask about most are Rothschild Bird, Queen Victoria and Chinese Bouquet. You can buy Herend dinnerware by the single piece, which lets a service start with one plate and keep growing for decades.
The Herend china patterns in this guide
This site covers the Herend dinnerware patterns with the most US search interest and the widest choice at Paris Tableware. The last column counts the listings that could be ordered at paristableware.com on October 24, 2026.
| Pattern | Decor code | What is painted | Listings available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rothschild Bird | RO (bordered: RO-EB, RO-EV, ROETM2) | Birds on branches with butterflies and insects, in twelve different scenes | 201 |
| Queen Victoria | VBO, VBO-Y3, VBO-Y4 | Peonies, flower sprays and butterflies inside a colored rim with gold swags | 97 |
| Princess Victoria | A-BGN and related codes | The Queen Victoria rim decoration alone, on white | 139 |
| Chinese Bouquet | AV, AB, AP, AOG, ANG, AB3-X1, AF | A stylized bouquet, rim sprays and a leafy band, in one color plus gold | 373, plus 45 in Garland |
| Apponyi | Same codes as Chinese Bouquet | The manufactory's own name for Chinese Bouquet | Sold as Chinese Bouquet |
| Golden Edge | HDE (Platinum Edge: HDE-PT) | White porcelain with two fine gold lines | 93, plus 15 in Platinum Edge |
Decor codes are the letters at the start of each Herend item number in the Paris Tableware catalog.
Which Herend pattern suits you?
Rothschild Bird
You want a different scene at every seat, or a pattern to collect motif by motif.
Queen Victoria
You want every plate fully painted, so the china itself decorates the table.
Princess Victoria
You like the Victoria look but want white space for food, in one of nine colors.
Chinese Bouquet
You want a single color across the table, from green or blue to rust or black sapphire.
Golden Edge
You want a white-and-gold base that sits under any painted pattern.
Apponyi
You found the name Apponyi on a European piece and want its US match.
Why Herend patterns mix so well
Herend paints its classic patterns on shared porcelain shapes. In the item numbers at Paris Tableware, the dinner plate is shape 01524 in Rothschild Bird, Queen Victoria, Princess Victoria, Chinese Bouquet and Golden Edge alike. The salad plate (01518), the bread and butter plate (01515), the dessert plate (01520) and the tea cup (00734) are shared the same way. Rims and sizes line up, so a Golden Edge dinner plate under a Rothschild Bird salad plate looks planned.
The size of every piece, and how many settings to buy, are in our guide to setting a Herend table.
How to make sure your Herend is genuine
- Choose an established retailer. A shop with years of trading behind it, a phone number a person answers and a written return policy is the safest place to buy. Paris Tableware has been a family-owned store in Ridgewood, New Jersey, since 1982, and its store FAQ describes it as an authorized Herend retailer.
- Check the backstamp. Turn the piece over. A Herend base carries the factory mark, a shape number and letters for the decoration, and those letters should fit the pattern name, such as RO for Rothschild Bird. Our care guide explains how to read the base of a Herend piece.
- Be wary of prices far below retail. Each Herend piece is painted by hand in Hungary. A "new Herend" plate offered for a small fraction of what established shops ask deserves questions, and clear photos of the base, before you pay.
More for the Herend table
- Herend tea sets and teaware: teapot sizes from 12 to 84 oz, the knobs, cups and mugs.
- Setting a Herend table: the five-piece place setting, plate sizes and how many settings to buy.
- Caring for Herend china: washing, gold trim, storage and replacing a broken piece.
- Herend china on a wedding registry: where to start and what to list.
Common questions
What is Herend china?
Herend china is hard-paste porcelain shaped and painted by hand at the Herend Porcelain Manufactory in the village of Herend, Hungary. Its dinnerware patterns, such as Rothschild Bird, Queen Victoria and Chinese Bouquet, are sold one piece at a time.
Which Herend china pattern is the most popular?
By US search volume, Rothschild Bird leads with about 200 searches a month, ahead of Chinese Bouquet at 150, Queen Victoria and Princess Victoria at 100 each and Golden Edge at 90, according to Ahrefs estimates from October 2026.
Is Herend china still made in Hungary?
Yes. The manufactory still works in the village of Herend, near Veszprém in western Hungary, where its porcelain is shaped, fired and painted by hand.
Can I buy Herend china one piece at a time?
Yes. Paris Tableware sells Herend dinnerware individually, so you can buy a single dinner plate, a cup or a teapot, or replace one broken piece.
Sources
We checked this page against the sources below on October 24, 2026. Piece counts, sizes and item numbers come from the Paris Tableware catalog on that date.