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拍品專文
EMPEROR NICHOLAS I AND THE IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FACTORY
Emperor Nicholas I (1796-1855), a great patron of the Russian arts, commissioned and awarded a remarkable number of vases by the Imperial Porcelain Factory during his reign. Under his patronage, the production of the factory reached its apogee and works from this period are the finest examples of palace and presentation vases produced. Exceptionally grand vases, such as the present example, were listed in the Imperial Porcelain Factory's records as vases of 'large sizes' and were amongst the factory's most expensive works. Works of such grandeur were mainly executed for presentation, and thus reflected the Emperor's personal preferences in their design and decoration. These vases were often presented directly to the Imperial family on special occasions, such as Christmas and Easter, and were used to adorn the vast palaces, private mansions and exhibition pavilions built during the period. Vases of this size and virtuoso execution were also commissioned by the Emperor as important presentation gifts to heads of foreign royal families and to diplomats, as recognition for exceptional service.
EUROPEAN PAINTINGS AND THE HERMITAGE
During the reign of Nicholas I, many vases produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory were decorated with copies of French, Italian, Dutch and Russian paintings. Consistent with the European tradition of using academic paintings as porcelain design sources, the middle section of the vase was treated by factory artists as a canvas on which to showcase their work. The paintings were typically scaled-down, faithful copies of original works in the Imperial Hermitage, the Academy of Arts or from collections in the Imperial palaces in the vicinity of St Petersburg. The names of both the original artist and factory artist were usually added to the vase paintings.
The detailed painting on the present vase was copied by the Imperial Porcelain Factory artist Vasily Meshcheriakov (1788–?) from a work by the French painter Jean Raoux (1677-1734) Smell from his Five Senses series. Jean Raoux was first trained in Montpellier where he was born, and in 1717 became a member of the Paris Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Raoux's paintings embody the joyful atmosphere of fêtes galantes, often allegorically depicting seasons, ages, or the senses.
The painting Smell by Jean Raoux was acquired by Catherine the Great in 1772 as part of the notable French collection of Louis Antoine Crozat, baron de Thiers, and Joseph Antoine Crozat, baron de Tugny (see Catalogue of the painting gallery. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. [Katalog kartinnoi galerei. Gosudarstvenniy Muzey Izobrazitelnikh Iskusstv imeni A.S. Pushkina.], Moscow, 1986, p. 145). Together with other works, this painting would form the foundation of the Imperial Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, which was founded by Emperor Nicholas I in 1852. From 1928, part of the Hermitage collection was distributed among other museums or sold by the Soviet government, which was in urgent need of foreign currency. As a result, the Smell was transferred to the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in 1928, where it is currently located.
VASILY MESHCHERIAKOV AND THE IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FACTORY
Vasily Meshcheriakov was recorded as an apprentice at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in 1820. During the reign of Nicholas I he was promoted to a master and oversaw the painting process at the factory. Meshcheriakov is regarded as one of the best painters of the period. In his 1906 history of the Imperial Porcelain Factory, Baron N.B. von Wolff illustrates two of Meshcheriakov's vases (nos. 232 and 251).
The present vase, dated 1838, was produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory during the reign of Nicholas I (1825-1855) and retains many of the neo-classical influences found in works produced during of the reign of his predecessor, Alexander I (1800-1825). The form and decoration is closely related to the single vase in the collection of Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Washington D.C. (see M. Korablev, M. Sokolenko, Antologiia Russkogo Farfora XVIII-nachala XX veka, vol. 3, part 2, Moscow, 2013, p. 167)
Emperor Nicholas I (1796-1855), a great patron of the Russian arts, commissioned and awarded a remarkable number of vases by the Imperial Porcelain Factory during his reign. Under his patronage, the production of the factory reached its apogee and works from this period are the finest examples of palace and presentation vases produced. Exceptionally grand vases, such as the present example, were listed in the Imperial Porcelain Factory's records as vases of 'large sizes' and were amongst the factory's most expensive works. Works of such grandeur were mainly executed for presentation, and thus reflected the Emperor's personal preferences in their design and decoration. These vases were often presented directly to the Imperial family on special occasions, such as Christmas and Easter, and were used to adorn the vast palaces, private mansions and exhibition pavilions built during the period. Vases of this size and virtuoso execution were also commissioned by the Emperor as important presentation gifts to heads of foreign royal families and to diplomats, as recognition for exceptional service.
EUROPEAN PAINTINGS AND THE HERMITAGE
During the reign of Nicholas I, many vases produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory were decorated with copies of French, Italian, Dutch and Russian paintings. Consistent with the European tradition of using academic paintings as porcelain design sources, the middle section of the vase was treated by factory artists as a canvas on which to showcase their work. The paintings were typically scaled-down, faithful copies of original works in the Imperial Hermitage, the Academy of Arts or from collections in the Imperial palaces in the vicinity of St Petersburg. The names of both the original artist and factory artist were usually added to the vase paintings.
The detailed painting on the present vase was copied by the Imperial Porcelain Factory artist Vasily Meshcheriakov (1788–?) from a work by the French painter Jean Raoux (1677-1734) Smell from his Five Senses series. Jean Raoux was first trained in Montpellier where he was born, and in 1717 became a member of the Paris Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Raoux's paintings embody the joyful atmosphere of fêtes galantes, often allegorically depicting seasons, ages, or the senses.
The painting Smell by Jean Raoux was acquired by Catherine the Great in 1772 as part of the notable French collection of Louis Antoine Crozat, baron de Thiers, and Joseph Antoine Crozat, baron de Tugny (see Catalogue of the painting gallery. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. [Katalog kartinnoi galerei. Gosudarstvenniy Muzey Izobrazitelnikh Iskusstv imeni A.S. Pushkina.], Moscow, 1986, p. 145). Together with other works, this painting would form the foundation of the Imperial Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, which was founded by Emperor Nicholas I in 1852. From 1928, part of the Hermitage collection was distributed among other museums or sold by the Soviet government, which was in urgent need of foreign currency. As a result, the Smell was transferred to the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in 1928, where it is currently located.
VASILY MESHCHERIAKOV AND THE IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FACTORY
Vasily Meshcheriakov was recorded as an apprentice at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in 1820. During the reign of Nicholas I he was promoted to a master and oversaw the painting process at the factory. Meshcheriakov is regarded as one of the best painters of the period. In his 1906 history of the Imperial Porcelain Factory, Baron N.B. von Wolff illustrates two of Meshcheriakov's vases (nos. 232 and 251).
The present vase, dated 1838, was produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory during the reign of Nicholas I (1825-1855) and retains many of the neo-classical influences found in works produced during of the reign of his predecessor, Alexander I (1800-1825). The form and decoration is closely related to the single vase in the collection of Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Washington D.C. (see M. Korablev, M. Sokolenko, Antologiia Russkogo Farfora XVIII-nachala XX veka, vol. 3, part 2, Moscow, 2013, p. 167)