Russian porcelain. Art Nouveau
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At the turn of the 20th century, the forms and décor of Russian porcelain articles did not escape the influence of Art Nouveau (New Art).
The decorativeness typical of Art Nouveau, refusal from straight lines and angles in favor of curving and flowing lines, motifs of vining flowers, two-dimensional compositions based on color areas are skillfully used in products manufactured at the ceramic factories of the Partnership for the Manufacture of Porcelain and Faience Products, which was founded in 1889 by the Russian manufacturer Matvey Sidorovich Kuznetsov who combined several large private ceramic factories. The flagship enterprise of the Partnership was the porcelain factory located in the village of Dulevo, the Vladimir Province (at present the Moscow Region). Another major enterprise of the Partnership was the Gardner factory acquired by Kuznetsov in the early 1890s.
The fashion trends manifested in the masterworks of the Kuznetsov factories are illustrated by the coffee cup and the saucer from the museum collection and by the decorative vase with the handles designed in the form of fanciful tendrils and stems of plants, featuring the compliance with one of the main principles of Art Nouveau – imitation of the externals of the natural world.
By the end of the 19th century, the M.S. Kuznetsov Partnership had grown into the largest ceramic company operating in Russia. As the output was steadily increasing, the decoration process was gradually mechanized through adoption of advanced techniques: stencil patterns – application of spray paint through the cut-out holes in stencils; the decal – the paper bearing the design, which is to be transferred to the surface. This technique, for example, was used to decorate the set featuring pastoral scenes.
After the October Socialist Revolution, the factories of the Partnership, except for the factory in Riga, were nationalized. Some enterprises formerly owned by Kuznetsov – the Dulevo Porcelain factory, the Gardner Factory in the settlement of Verbilky – are still operating today.
The decorativeness typical of Art Nouveau, refusal from straight lines and angles in favor of curving and flowing lines, motifs of vining flowers, two-dimensional compositions based on color areas are skillfully used in products manufactured at the ceramic factories of the Partnership for the Manufacture of Porcelain and Faience Products, which was founded in 1889 by the Russian manufacturer Matvey Sidorovich Kuznetsov who combined several large private ceramic factories. The flagship enterprise of the Partnership was the porcelain factory located in the village of Dulevo, the Vladimir Province (at present the Moscow Region). Another major enterprise of the Partnership was the Gardner factory acquired by Kuznetsov in the early 1890s.
The fashion trends manifested in the masterworks of the Kuznetsov factories are illustrated by the coffee cup and the saucer from the museum collection and by the decorative vase with the handles designed in the form of fanciful tendrils and stems of plants, featuring the compliance with one of the main principles of Art Nouveau – imitation of the externals of the natural world.
By the end of the 19th century, the M.S. Kuznetsov Partnership had grown into the largest ceramic company operating in Russia. As the output was steadily increasing, the decoration process was gradually mechanized through adoption of advanced techniques: stencil patterns – application of spray paint through the cut-out holes in stencils; the decal – the paper bearing the design, which is to be transferred to the surface. This technique, for example, was used to decorate the set featuring pastoral scenes.
After the October Socialist Revolution, the factories of the Partnership, except for the factory in Riga, were nationalized. Some enterprises formerly owned by Kuznetsov – the Dulevo Porcelain factory, the Gardner Factory in the settlement of Verbilky – are still operating today.
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