ETRUSCAN SERVICE FOR EMPRESS ALEXANDRA FEODOROVNA OF RUSSIA (1798-1860).
Soup plate, porcelain, with a central decoration of a mythological scene painted in black on a terracotta-coloured background, representing a young man posing seated on a chair and holding an object in each of his hands, lined with two stylized black framed friezes black nets. Slight wear, but overall good condition. Mark on the reverse in the paste with the cipher of Emperor Nicolas I (HI) under the imperial crown, in black letters. Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, St. Petersburg, Nicholas I period (1825-1855).
H.: 4,5cm - Diam. : 23cm
Reference: see two other models of plates of this service in the book: "Russian Decorative Arts", by Cynthia Coleman Sparke, page 191. As well as in
the book: “Imperatorskii farforovyi zavod, 1744-1904”, by Baron NB von Wolf (TT Nosovitch), Saint-Petersburg 2003, page 204.
History: the Etruscan service, including a dinner service and a tea service for 48 people, was commissioned by Tsar Nicolas I in 1844, for his wife
Empress Alexandra Féodorovna (1798-1860), in order to be used for the pavilion of the Tsarina at the Peterhof Palace, it was so named in reference to the frescoes
comprising black figures on a red background discovered on walls during contemporary archaeological excavations in Italy, and in particular towards the region of
ancient Etruria.
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