POSSIBLY RUSSIAN, CIRCA 1800

The underglaze 'G' mark , which exists in several variants, is generally associated with the Gardner factory of Moscow, which was established by Catherine the Great in the 1770s. In 1777, the Empress commissioned the factory to make services decorated with the badges, ribbons and crosses of the more important Imperial orders, Saints George, Andrew, Alexander Nevskii and Vladimir, for use once a year at the Winter Palace, where knights of each order dined on their respective saint's day. The Gardner factory finally produced these uniquely Russian services, rather than mere copies of European models. The service for the Order of St. George, numbering sixty knights, was completed in November 1778. The Orders of St. Andrew and St. Alexander Nevskii numbered thirty each, and these were completed in 1780. The cost was considered enormous, 15,931 rubies in all, 6,000 rubies for the St. George Service alone. The services so pleased the court that, in 1783, Catherine II issued another ukaz for the service of the Order of Saint Vladimir, numbering 140 knights, which was completed in 1785.