Russian Decorative Trays

The exhibition Russian Decorative Trays presents, for the first time ever, more than 150 objects dating from the 17th to the 21st century, showcasing the full diversity of materials, decorative techniques, the names of outstanding craftsmen, and renowned artistic centres. Trays were created and used across various social classes and historical periods. For centuries, these trays adorned festive tables and interiors in royal palaces and noble estates, as well as in taverns and peasant houses. The Russian Museum presents a five-century history of one of the key objects of Russian decorative art.

The tradition of welcoming honoured guests with gifts and treats on a tray took root in Russia as early as the 16th–17th centuries. In the 18th century, the growing production and popularity of samovars in everyday life led to increased demand for durable metal trays. Amusing miniature scenes of treating guests can be seen on enamel trays produced in Veliky Ustyug in the 1760s and 1770s. In the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, presentation or so-called “bread and salt” dishes became an integral feature of social life and could be found in almost every household.

In the early 19th century, Nikolai Lukutin’s factory, located near Moscow, began producing lacquered papier-mâché trays. At the same time, in the Urals, the Moscow Region, and St Petersburg, craftsmen began making hand-forged iron trays decorated with painted designs incorporating metallic powders and gold leaf.

The 20th century introduced new approaches to tray decoration. In the 1920s and 1930s, porcelain services produced at the State Porcelain Factory and the Decorative Art Institute in Petrograd combined political slogans, Soviet emblems and Suprematist motifs. Trays became a vivid expression of various Avant-Garde movements that had emerged in the early 20th century through theoretical manifestos and paintings.

The trays produced by the renowned Zhostovo Factory of Decorative Painting, located near Moscow, captivate with their variety of shapes and sizes, their shimmering shades of mother-of-pearl and gold leaf, against which vibrant flowers appear to glow.

The tray brings people together – both literally, by gathering them around it, and through the engaging scenes and beautiful compositions depicted on its surface. Whether functioning as a household item, a work of art, an experimental piece, or a mass-produced object, the tray reflects the tastes and needs of society, its lifestyle and interests.