Russian Imperial Table Services

The exhibition “Russian Imperial Table Services” is dedicated to tableware sets commissioned by the emperor’s family and crafted at the Imperial Porcelain Factory. Traditionally, the needs of the Court were met by state-run enterprises, one of which was the Nevsky Porcelain Factory, founded in 1744 on the outskirts of St Petersburg, at the site of brickworks from the era of Peter the Great. In 1765, it was renamed the Imperial Porcelain Factory, which became synonymous with craftsmanship and exceptional quality, thanks to the involvement of some of the finest sculptors (Jacques Dominique Rachette and Stepan Pimenov), designers (Carlo Rossi, Andrei Voronikhin, Fyodor Solntsev, and Ippolito Monighetti), as well as master artisans of the time.

The ceremonial services on display – around 200 in total – can be grouped into several categories: those created for specific imperial and grand ducal residences, those made for coronations, and those commissioned to mark weddings. In addition, many were made as diplomatic gifts, included in the dowries of Grand Duchesses, or designed for use aboard imperial yachts such as the Derzhava, the Livadia, the Standart and the Tsarevna.

The exhibition opens with the ceremonial Arabesque Service, displayed in the Great Dining Room. This dining and dessert service, designed for 60 place settings and valued at 25,000 rubles, was commissioned in 1784 by Prince Alexander Vyazemsky, the Prosecutor General of the Senate and director of the Imperial Porcelain Factory. Comprising 973 pieces across 50 different types, the service derives its name from the ornamental motifs adorning its items – designs inspired by frescoes unearthed during the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The table centrepiece – an ensemble of nine sculptural compositions – was designed to honour Empress Catherine the Great and her enlightened reign. It was crafted by Jacques Dominique Rachette after a design by Prince Alexander Vyazemsky, and is believed to have involved the participation of Gavrila Derzhavin and the architect Nikolai Lvov.

In the so-called Old Antechamber, the 18th-century services are on display, including the Own Lattice Service (1756–1760) of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, as well as classical sets from the Catherine the Great and Paul I periods, such as the Yacht Service (1784–1787), the Cabinet Service (1793–1796), and the Yusupov Service (1798). 

Also of note is the Tête-à-Tête tea and coffee service of Empress Marie Feodorovna (1798) – a characteristic example of the everyday china sets produced at the Imperial Porcelain Factory for members of the imperial family.

Hubert Robert’s hall brings together the full spectrum of artistic movements in fine china from the 19th to the early 20th century. Particular attention is given here to two services that are inspired by Russian national themes and traditions. The so-called Russian Service, or the Guriev Service (1809–1816), which acquired its second name in 1824 after Count Dmitry Guriev, the director of the Imperial Porcelain Factory, became a symbol of Russia’s triumph following the victorious conclusion of the Patriotic War of 1812. Its original name, The Service with Images of Russian Costumes, or the Russian Service, reflects the design of painted miniatures adorning the pieces, based on engravings by John Augustus Atkinson, Christian Gottfried Heinrich Geißler, Stepan Galaktionov, Christian Gotthelf Schönberg, and other artists. They depict views of St Petersburg and its surroundings, as well as merchants, craftsmen, and the various peoples of Russia. 

A shift toward national roots was also reflected in the dining and dessert service of Grand Duke Constantine Nikolayevich (son of Nicholas I). Known as the Constantine Service, it was created between 1848 and 1852. It commemorated his marriage to Princess Alexandra Friederike Henriette Pauline Marianne Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg (who became Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna upon her conversion to Orthodoxy). This service was crafted in the Russian-Byzantine style, following designs by the renowned artist, archaeologist, and architect Fyodor Solntsev (1801–1890). Its decoration incorporates elements from well-known works of Old Russian art. For instance, the lids of the service pieces are crowned with sculptures of a national treasure, the golden helmet of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich.

In 1917, the era of Russian imperial tableware came to an end. The nationalized services were incorporated into the holdings of the State Museum Fund. In 1918, the Imperial Porcelain Factory was also nationalized and renamed the State Porcelain Factory, and has since partly continued the tradition of creating ceremonial china services.