BY THE GARDNER FACTORY, MOSCOW, CIRCA 1790

Details

A Rare Porcelain Tea-Pot
by the Gardner Factory, Moscow, circa 1790
The body of compressed form, decorated on both sides with a cartouche painted with a multi-coloured bouquet of orange and yellow flowers, on a stylized claw-like foot, the spout in the form of a mythical sea-horse decorated with gilt scales, the neck simulating the head of a Russian epic hero with beard and moustache painted en grisaille, wearing, as a cover, the helmet of a German knight and sitting on the sea-horse, holding onto its neck with both hands, the handle in the form of two allegorical young naked boys, one sitting on the neck of the other and thus comprising the upper and lower half of the handle, marked under base with blue underglaze crossed swords and with incised '2131'
6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm.) high with the helmet, 4 3/8 in. (11 cm.) wide, 6½ in. (16.5 cm.) long, 3 in. (7.7 cm.) diameter of the base

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 15% on the buyer's premium

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Lot Essay

The tastes and skills of foreign porcelain masters had an influence on the pieces made in the first twenty years of the Gardner factory, between 1760 and 1780. However, foreign themes were not universally imitated. New tendencies, adopted by the young Russian porcelain masters, in the 1780s and 1790s became particularly noticable. During this period, sculpted earthenwear began to appear more frequently, in which the features of Russian realism were already clearly and definitely establishing themselves.

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