Four Berlin Plates with Ecclesiastical Images from the Wolkonsky Service. Kaiserliches Porzellan Manufaktur, Berlin, circa... (Total: 4 Items)

Description

Four Berlin Plates with Ecclesiastical Images from the Wolkonsky Service
Kaiserliches Porzellan Manufaktur, Berlin, circa 1900
9-1/2 inches (24.1 cm) (each)

PROVENANCE:
A La Vieille Russie, New York.


This group of four porcelain plates come from the Wolkonsky Dinner Service which was executed at the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (KPM), Berlin, and richly ornamented with a stylized neo-Russian border, and cavetti depicting Russian types, buildings and scenes. The central medallion bears the Russian monogram "АВ" for Prince Alexander Nikititch Wolkonsky (1811-1878), beneath a Russian princely crown.

Prince Alexander Wolkonsky, nephew of the Decembrist Sergei Grigorievich Wolkonsky, pursued a distinguished career in the Russian diplomatic service, serving in Saxony (1858), Spain, and Italy (1860-1870). Elevated to the rank of Privy Counsellor in 1865, he was also a man of letters and a discerning collector of paintings and sculpture. His cultivated interest in European art and design is reflected in this service, which harmonizes Western porcelain technique with Russian ornamental and heraldic idioms.

This group of four plates depict rare ecclesiastical images, including paintings of the Saint Nicholas Church on Ilynka Street, Moscow, The Church of the Intercession at Fili, The Great Bell Tower and Cathedral Square in the Moscow Kremlin, and The Church of the Annunciation of the Horse Guards Regiment in St. Petersburg. These images are likely drawn from prints published in the west by artists such as Arnoult.




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