A Set of Four Russian Porcelain Plates from the Cabinet Service, Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, St. Petersburg, Periods of Catherine II (1762-1796) and Paul I (1796-1801)

of circular, scalloped shape, the center of the plates with views of Italian architectural and historical monuments within a gilded reserve, the border with a chain of purple and blue field flowers against a gilded ground.

Sotheby's London, December 15, 1995, lot 404, illustrated

some rubbing to gilding throughout, one plate with an old repair at the outer edge, another with a small star-shaped crack to the glaze
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

While many of the Italian scenes on the pieces from the Cabinet Service were copied from Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1788) and Giuseppe Vasi (1710-1782), the service was a veritable catalogue of the monuments and sights Russian noblemen and women might see while on their Grand Tour, as well as the richly-illustrated volumes of "Voyage Pittoresque" acquired by the most discerning collectors and bibliophiles of the day. The plate with the mark of Catherine II, for example, is illustrated with a partial view after Claude Louis Chatelet's (1753-1795) engraving entitled "Vue de diverses Ruines et Monuments Antiques, dessinée dans les Environs de l'Ancienne Agrigente," which originally appeared in Jean-Claude Richard de Saint-Nons' (1727-1791) multivolume Voyage pittoresque, ou Description des Royaumes de Naples et de Sicile (Paris, 1788). The Vue de monte San Giuliano, le mont Erix des Anciens et d'une partie des Montagnes is taken from the same source. As Boris N. Emme, a distinguished curator of the decorative arts at the State Russian Museum, described it, "the depictions on the service of specific historical monuments provided themes for the directions of table conversation, during which the level of knowledge of the guests being tested was made clear." On the Cabinet Service, see N.B. von Wolf (ed. T.N. Nosovich), Imperatorskii farforovyi zavod, 1744-1904, St. Petersburg, 2003, pp. 83-84 and 88-89; T. Kudriavtseva, Russian Imperial Porcelain, St. Petersburg, 2003, pp. 65-67; and, Pod tsarskim venzelem, St. Petersburg, 2007, pp. 86-91.