- 51
Two Russian Porcelain Platters and Twelve Plates from a Service for Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, St. Petersburg, Period of Nicholas I (1825-1855)
Description
- with blue-black or blue Imperial cypher of Nicholas I
- Porcelain
- diameters 13 3/4 and 9 3/4 in.
- 35 and 24.7 cm
Provenance
Condition
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.
Catalogue Note
This service has long been a puzzle for collectors of Russian porcelain. Although examples of it were often seen in the European and American art markets, it never appeared in the extensive literature on the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, including Baron Nikolai von Wolf's 1906 comprehensive history of the factory from 1744 to 1904. The presence of a number of wild animals and pastoral figures led some authors to speculate that the service had been made for one of the Imperial family's hunting palaces. In 1952, George, Duke of Mecklenburg (1899-1963) sold a large group of porcelains from this service to American collector Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973). In an affidavit he provided, he stated that Emperor Nicholas I had commissioned this service around 1835 as a gift to his great-grandfather, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich (1789-1849). When the Grand Duke's middle daughter, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Mikhailovna (1827-1894) married Georg August, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1824-1876) she took the entire service with her to the Ducal estates at Remplin. Anne Odom has speculated that the service, which seems to have been made over a period of years, was expanded for Ekaterina Mikhailovna and served as her dowry service. The fact that it had been transported out of Russia in its entirety around 1850 explains why examples of it are not currently to be found in Russian state museum collections. On the service, see A. Odom, Russian Porcelain at Hillwood, Washington, D.C., 1999, pp. 8, 72-73.