Lot Essay
This plate originally belonged to a set of plates produced in the Guanchzhou porcelain workshops for the Russian Imperial court. This was the second porcelain service featuring Russian heraldic symbols to be produced in China, the first being a set of apothecary vessels commissioned by Peter the Great around 1720 to furnish the chemists he had recently established.
Trade relations between Russia and China developed steadily after 1727, when a trade agreement between the two nations facilitated the movement of goods across their borders. Expeditions to discover the 'secret' of Chinese porcelain were common at this time, and it is possible that this plate was one of the items brought to Russia for analysis by experts keen to unlock the secrets of Chinese porcelain production.
Pieces produced in the Far East featuring Russian heraldic symbols are extremely rare. Apart from the apothecary vessels mentioned above and the set to which this plate belonged, only one other object of this kind is known: a cup with a portrait of Anna Ioannovna, located in a private collection.
Trade relations between Russia and China developed steadily after 1727, when a trade agreement between the two nations facilitated the movement of goods across their borders. Expeditions to discover the 'secret' of Chinese porcelain were common at this time, and it is possible that this plate was one of the items brought to Russia for analysis by experts keen to unlock the secrets of Chinese porcelain production.
Pieces produced in the Far East featuring Russian heraldic symbols are extremely rare. Apart from the apothecary vessels mentioned above and the set to which this plate belonged, only one other object of this kind is known: a cup with a portrait of Anna Ioannovna, located in a private collection.