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

A porcelain figure of a Russian peasant drinking from a ladle, Kuznetsov porcelain factory, Tver, late 19th century, realistically depicting a peasant sitting 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, seated on an oval base, bearing the factory mark of M.S. Kuznetsov, 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 originally 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 about Russia's ethnographic treasures in Paris. The Baron and his daughters donated his extensive collection to many French museums, including the Musée Cernuschi, the Museum of Natural History, the Guimet Museum, the Louvre, the Museum of National Antiquities in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and the Musée de Sèvres.