|
|
|
History of Imperial Porcelain
|
You may have seen the famous Russian Imperial porcelain called Lomonosov porcelain. Many locals purchase these beautiful hand painted ceramic products as special gifts, and tourists often bring them back as unique Russian souvenirs. This type of porcelain is produced at the Lomonosov porcelain factory in Russia, and it is usually decorated with gold, white and blue. Lomonosov porcelain dates back many centuries and has become an integral part of Russian history.
The Lomonosov Porcelain Factory
In 1744, the Lomonosov Imperial Porcelain Factory was established at the request of Empress Elisabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. A man named Christoph Conrad Hunger was summoned to St. Petersburg to recreate the famous porcelain created in China. He was unsuccessful in his porcelain production attempts and was eventually expelled from Russian in 1748. At that time, a talented mining engineer and technician named Dmitry Vinogradov became Hunger's successor. Vinogradov was assigned the responsibility of creating a hard porcelain that was very similar to bone china. This type of fine china was not available in Russia at the time, but Vinogradov was able to recreate the art form.
The Lomonosov factory created small dinnerware sets decorated with gold, initials, flowers and other decorative designs. Each set was made to order and was available only to royalty. Russian artists hand created and painted this unique porcelain which reflected the Russian perception of beauty. The rich, decorative shapes and richly painted figures are very distinct. Fortunately, Vinogradov thoroughly documented his studies of porcelain and made detailed notes on the production technology. Expert craftsmen continue to form the basis of porcelain creation at the Lomonosov factory today.
Lomonosov Porcelain Today
The original factory outlets in Russian still produce beautiful Lomonosov porcelain. However, visitors can marvel at the most elaborate and oldest pieces at the country's Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The building houses the very first porcelain objects created by Vinogradov and porcelain dinnerware that was purchased by royalty at the time. Once the state assumed ownership of the Lomonosov factory in 1917, a new type of porcelain emerged. Traditional themes such as country scenes filled with fishermen, peasants and flowers and narrative elements of Russian mythology and fairy tales became very popular. Every piece of Lomonosov porcelain that was created during the first ten years after the revolution is characterized by very vivid, bright colors. Delicate fine-shelled tea cups with beautiful ornamental gold patterns first appeared in 1968, and they have since appeared in many parts of Western Europe.
Identifying Lomonosov Porcelain
If you wish to purchase an authentic piece of Lomonosov porcelain, you should turn the object over. The bottom of each piece will contain an identifying stamp that ensures the piece is authentic. The stamp will contain the date 1744, the words St. Petersburg and the imperial double-headed eagle. Lomonosov porcelain is always hand created and hand painted. Gold, white and blue cross-hatch designs continue to be the most popular. Decorative vases, snuff boxes and ornate table centerpieces form many of the antique pieces of Lomonosov porcelain. However, you may also find collectible animal figurines and dinner sets painted with beautiful folkloric and floral designs.
|
|
