soviet-porcelain-collecting-guide

Soviet Porcelain Figurines: Images of the New Citizen

After the 1917 revolution, porcelain became an experimental medium for propaganda promoting sport and shaping the image of the new Soviet person.

A vivid example is a footballer figurine by Natalia Danko, dating from the late 1920s, which sold for £100,000 at the 'Russian Art' auction on 26 November 2018. Sculptural depictions of players from new clubs such as Moscow's Dynamo and Spartak inspired the youth. Natalia Danko, the leading sculptor at the State Porcelain Factory, was one of the main creators of such images.

A porcelain figure 'Marochka', State Porcelain Factory, Petrograd, 1922. Model by Natalia Danko. Height 9.8 cm. Sold for £118,750 on 4 June 2018 at Christie's in London.

An exceptionally rare animated porcelain figure of a bureaucrat, State Porcelain Factory, Petrograd, circa 1933. Model by Natalia Danko. Height 6¼ in (15.9 cm). Sold for £137,500 on 27 November 2017 at Christie's in London.

At a Christie's London auction on 27 November 2017, a rare porcelain figurine of a bureaucrat sold for £137,500. This animated sculpture, 6¼ inches (15.9 cm) high, was created around 1933 at the State Porcelain Factory in Petrograd after a model by sculptor Natalia Danko.

Heading the factory's sculpture workshop from 1919, Danko created a whole gallery of porcelain images representing new citizens of Soviet society: athletes, workers, bureaucrats, and Red Army soldiers.

Many of Natalia Danko's sculptures were painted by her younger sister, Elena, who also worked at the State Porcelain Factory. Her fine artistic painting complemented her sister's virtuoso modeling. Today, Natalia Danko's name is highly valued among connoisseurs and serious collectors of Soviet porcelain.

Propaganda Themes and Markings on Soviet Porcelain

With the establishment of Bolshevik power in 1917, the Imperial Porcelain Factory came under the control of the new government. The enterprise held a significant stock of unpainted wares, which were later decorated with revolutionary imagery and slogans.

A Soviet propaganda porcelain plate, Imperial Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg (later State Porcelain Factory, Petrograd), 1921. Painted after a design by Sergei Chekhonin. Diameter 9½ in (24.2 cm). Sold for £27,500 at Christie's, London, 3 June 2013.

A Soviet porcelain plate 'commissioner' of propaganda purpose, created at the State Porcelain Factory in Petrograd in 1921. Design by Alexandra Shchekotikhina-Pototskaya. Diameter 8⅝ in (21.8 cm). Sold for £22,500 at Christie's, London, 5 June 2017.

On the underside of imperial porcelain plates, the monogram of the reigning monarch was usually stamped. After the revolution, the Bolsheviks painted over this mark with a green or black patch. On these same plates, artists then created new images reflecting Soviet ideology.

A Soviet porcelain plate, Imperial Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg, period of Nicholas II, and State Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg, 1921. Probably after a design by Rudolf Wilde. Diameter 9⅜ in (23.8 cm). Sold for £23,750 on 8 June 2010 at Christie's in London.

Common themes for decoration were significant holidays: May Day, dedicated to workers; anniversaries of the October Revolution of 1917; or congresses of Soviets.

A Soviet porcelain plate, State Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg. After a design by V. Belkin. Diameter 9¼ in (23.8 cm). Sold for £17,500 on 8 June 2010 at Christie's in London.

A Soviet porcelain plate 'Accordionist', Imperial Porcelain Factory, 1896, and State Porcelain Factory, Petrograd, 1923-1924. After a design by Alexandra Shchekotikhina-Pototskaya. Diameter 11 in (28 cm). Sold for £53,750 on 28 November 2016 at Christie's in London.

A Soviet propaganda porcelain plate, Imperial Porcelain Factory, period of Nicholas II, 1897, with later overglaze blue jubilee mark of the State Porcelain Factory: gear wheel, V, hammer and sickle, dated 1922, number 215/15. After a design by Mikhail Adamovich. Diameter 9½ in (24.3 cm). Sold for £50,400 on 30 November 2005 at Christie's in London.

At that time, a significant number of plates were produced decorated with the emblem of Soviet power—the hammer and sickle—often supplemented by propaganda slogans. Among the most notable artists working on such pieces were Rudolf Wilde, Mikhail Adamovich, and Alexandra Shchekotikhina-Pototskaya.

In Shchekotikhina-Pototskaya's work, themes of Russian folklore and icon painting held a special place. Her brightly painted plates often depict Soviet heroes—commissars and sailors—as well as scenes from folk life, such as playing the accordion or fishing.

Soviet Porcelain for Everyday Use

The State Porcelain Factory also produced utilitarian tea and coffee services, which were often sent to newly opened Soviet embassies abroad.

A number of porcelain sets were painted by Sergei Chekhonin, a graphic artist who began working at the factory in 1918. His paintings and calligraphic inscriptions are considered among the most refined works created at the factory.

A partial porcelain tea service from the 'Cornucopia' service, Imperial Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg, period of Nicholas II and Alexander III, and State Porcelain Factory, Petrograd, 1921-1922. After a design by Sergei Chekhonin. Width of teapot 9¾ in (24.8 cm). Sold for £40,000 on 1 June 2015 at Christie's in London.

Chekhonin's work represents a vivid synthesis of traditional neoclassical forms and his personal enthusiasm for the coming changes. This is evident in the 'Cornucopia' porcelain service, shown above and sold at Christie's London in 2015 for £40,000. The golden sickle, symbolizing the new power, is artfully combined with delicate wildflowers and ears of wheat, motifs borrowed from Russian folk art.

A propaganda porcelain plate of the Soviet period, Imperial Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg, era of Nicholas II, and State Porcelain Factory, Petrograd, 1921. Diameter 9⅜ in (23.7 cm). Estimate: £10,000-15,000. Offered in Russian Art on 23 November 2020 at Christie's in London.

Sergei Chekhonin (1878-1936), Frontispiece with a bouquet of flowers. 2¾ x 8½ in (7 x 22 cm). Sold for £30,000 on 26 November 2012 at Christie's in London.

Chekhonin's interest in folk art is also evident in a series of his drawings, shown above and sold at Christie's in 2012, depicting stylized birds, animals, and plant ornaments.

A rare Soviet propaganda porcelain platter, Imperial Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg, period of Alexander III, 1893, and State Porcelain Factory, Petrograd, 1921. Diameter 14⅛ in (35.8 cm). Estimate: £20,000-30,000. Offered in Russian Art on 23 November 2020 at Christie's in London.

Global Interest in Soviet Propaganda

After the Soviet government established foreign trade relations, porcelain with revolutionary slogans and propaganda subjects was actively exported and displayed at exhibitions in European capitals, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Tallinn, Stockholm, Lyon, and Paris.

A Soviet porcelain plate 'The accordion player', Imperial Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg, 1896, and State Porcelain Factory, Petrograd, 1923. Diameter 11⅛ in (28.3 cm). Sold for £150,000 on 26 November 2018 at Christie's in London.

A large and rare propaganda porcelain plate, the blank of which was created at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg during the reign of Nicholas II (1906), and painted at the State Porcelain Factory in Petrograd in 1923 after a design by Anton Komashka. Diameter 14⅛ in (36 cm). Sold for £106,250 on 4 June 2018 at Christie's in London.

The aforementioned plate by Anton Komashka retains a display label from the Soviet pavilion at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, held in Paris in 1925.

A Soviet propaganda porcelain plate, State Porcelain Factory, Petrograd, 1919. Diameter 9¾ in (24.9 cm). Sold for £45,000 on 26 November 2018 at Christie's in London.

This object is a characteristic example of products intended by the Soviet state for foreign audiences: it depicts a worker with a hammer, striding forward with an expression of optimism and confidence.

This propaganda porcelain plate of the Soviet era was made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg under Nicholas II, and later, in 1921, received new decoration at the State Porcelain Factory in Petrograd. Its diameter is 9⅜ in (23.7 cm). At the 'Russian Art' auction on 23 November 2020 at Christie's (London), the lot was estimated at £10,000-15,000.

A large and rare Soviet porcelain vase, State Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg, 1930. Height 18 in (45.8 cm). Sold for £422,500 on 25 November 2013 at Christie's in London.

This rare propaganda plate of porcelain was created in 1893 at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg during the reign of Alexander III, and in 1921 it was re-decorated at the State Porcelain Factory in Petrograd. The diameter is 14⅛ in (35.8 cm). At the 'Russian Art' auction on 23 November 2020 at Christie's (London), it was estimated at £20,000-30,000.

The Soviet porcelain plate 'Accordionist' has a complex history: its blank was made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg in 1896, and it was decorated at the State Porcelain Factory in Petrograd in 1923. Diameter 11⅛ in (28.3 cm). It was sold for £150,000 on 26 November 2018 at Christie's in London.