Porcelain figurine of a peasant drinking from a ladle, Kuznetsov factory, late 19th century

Porcelain figure of a Russian peasant drinking from a ladle, Kuznetsov Porcelain Factory, Tver, late 19th century. The realistically depicted peasant sits on a chest next to a barrel of water, holding a ladle with both hands, dressed in a white shirt with red trim, a blue jacket, and bast shoes. He sits on an oval base, bearing the mark of the M.S. Kuznetsov factory, numbers 1276 and 12, and the inscription "Baron de Baye" under the base; total height: 18 cm (7 1/8 inches). Lot notes: The inscription likely refers to Baron Joseph de Baye (1853-1931), who initially was an amateur archaeologist from the Champagne region of France, but in the early 20th century was commissioned by the French government to collect ceramics in the Russian Empire. Upon his return, he acquired a significant number of Russian folk art objects and gave public lectures on Russia’s ethnographic treasures in Paris. The Baron and his daughters donated his extensive collection to many French museums, including the Musée Cernuschi, the Natural History Museum, the Guimet Museum, the Louvre, the National Museum of Antiquities in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and the Sèvres Museum.