Ceramicists in Pukanec drew on craft traditions documented in writing as early as the mid-16th century, which have been evolving since the mid-20th century both within a production cooperative and in collaboration with local ceramicists and the ÚĽUV (Ústredie ľudovej umeleckej výroby – Centre for Folk Art Production).
Jan Könyveš (1919), a native of Pukanec, rose from humble beginnings and apprenticed in pottery under local master Pavol Máday to save money on accommodation and travel expenses. Gaining experience during his journey through Poltár, Brehy, and Banská Bystrica, he encountered various pottery traditions and product ranges, mostly consisting of utility items. He began focusing on production in 1933.
His progress was hindered by the outbreak of the Second World War. It was only in 1944 that he started working in his own workshop, while also being employed as a laborer in a sawmill, brick factory, and construction site. His exclusive dedication to ceramic work dates back to 1947, when he obtained a trade license for practicing his craft.
In 1948, he was approached and subsequently artistically guided by Júlia Kováčiková-Horová, a visual artist of the newly established ÚĽUV. He became a very active collaborator and, following the abolition of his trade license in 1951, he continued the started cooperation as a member of the Pukanec Pottery Cooperative established under the ÚĽUV. In 1952, following the reorganization of cooperative production, the cooperative was transferred to the Slovak Union of Production Cooperatives. Although Jan Könyveš remained active within it for six more years, even holding leadership positions, he increasingly felt a mismatch between the cooperative’s production level and his ambitions. Consequently, he returned to ÚĽUV, which bestowed upon him the title of Master of Folk Art Production in 1965.
Initially, Jan Könyveš’ range of products consisted of utility items such as pots, milk jugs, baking dishes, strainers, pans, plates, bowls, flower pots, and feeding troughs. They found demand through collaboration with merchants from Brehov, who had long been purchasing goods from Pukanec potters. After initiating collaboration with ÚĽUV, his product range expanded to include miniature tableware, as well as candleholders and ashtrays.
In the 1950s, following the integration of the Pukanec Pottery Cooperative into the Union of Production Cooperatives, the range of his products narrowed to flower pot production and seasonal poultry feeders, leading to a loss of his own artistic expression. Renewing his collaboration with ÚĽUV from 1961 represented a revitalization of his work. He returned to the traditions of Pukanec pottery in terms of shapes and decorations, while also creating products of new shapes and functions in collaboration with ÚĽUV artists (tableware, twin sets, wine sets, candleholders, ashtrays, treasure chests, miniatures).
His technical skill was notable in the quality of clay, his aesthetic sense in the shape of the product, and particularly in the decoration – often employing a traditional floral motif, either placed individually or in bands, complemented by incising and to a lesser extent geometric ornamentation.
As one of the few Pukanec potters, for a period he also engaged in figurative work. He hand-modeled figures, often choosing shepherd and bandit characters as themes, inspired by fairy tales and illustrations.
Through his work, he extended the life of the Pukanec pottery tradition by an entire generation. He persevered at the potter’s wheel despite the challenges that came his way and lived to a venerable age. Always adapting to new conditions, he remained faithful to the spirit of local ceramics.
(Source: Valentová, Z.: Master Jan Könyveš. In: Národopisné aktuality 3/1980)