A Soviet porcelain tea pot from The Sheaves Service, Lomonosov State Porcelain Manufactory, Leningrad, 1931

painted panels depicting a maiden astride a unicorn in a fantastic setting, the shoulder and waist with painted floral decoration, the handle moulded as a sheaf of corn and the lid with flower finial, with green factory mark dated 1926, signed 'A.Vorobyevsky' (or Vorobevsky) in Cyrillic and dated 1931

The paintwork in excellent condition, with one small area of later white paint to the shoulder. The rim of the pot with two areas of loss, one 3cm long and the other 2cm, now refilled and repainted. The flower finial with a previous break, now repaired and repainted. The lid also with previous break, visible from the underside, covering under a third of the lid's area. Now strengthened and retouched.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Designed by S.V. Chekhonin for the 1926 Soviet Envoy to Berlin, the 'Sheaves' service was never mass produced.  In that same year, the twenty year old Aleksei Viktorovich Vorobyevsky began his employment at the Lomonosov State Porcelain Manufactory, where he would remain for the rest of his life.  In 1932, the year after the present lot was painted, he participated in the 15 Years of RSFSR Artists anniversary exhibition in Leningrad and would later exhibit both domestically and internationally, in New York, Brussels, Montreal and Prague, until his death in 1992.

For an illustration of the entire five piece 'Sheaves' service painted with a different design, please see T.N. Nosovich & I.P. Popova, Gosudarstvennii Farforovii Zavod 1904-1944, St Petersburg, 2005, p. 668.