Porcelain sculpture from the Don Foundation collection – from factory figures to artists' models.
Make an inquirySmall-scale porcelain sculpture: figures and compositions in porcelain with painting, gilding or left in biscuit. The selection includes both pieces produced after factory sculptors' models and works by individual artists. Marks, period and condition are given in each item's description.
392 works in the collection. Prices: from 380 to 200 000 ₽
Showing 96 of 392 – the rest is in the Decorative and Applied Art section.
Porcelain figures are the largest part of the collection: 392 works. This is small-scale sculpture produced by Soviet factories from models by staff and invited sculptors – genre scenes, characters from folk tales and literature, athletes, children, national types.
Most of the significant Soviet producers are represented: the Lomonosov factory in Leningrad, Dulyovo, Dmitrov at Verbilki, the Polonne art ceramics works, the Kyiv experimental works, alongside Sysert, Korosten, Gzhel, Gorodnytsia, Baranivka, Bronnitsy and Konakovo. The factory of a given piece is stated in its description.
Factory and period are identified by the mark on the base. In Soviet porcelain the colour of the mark generally indicated grade: red for first, blue for second, green for third. Grade referred to the precision of the painting and the absence of manufacturing faults, not to the artistic merit of the model.
Price depends on factory and period, edition size, the sculptor of the model and condition. The range in this section is from 380 to 200 000 ₽.
The range in the collection is from 380 to 200 000 ₽. Mass-produced figures of the 1960s–1980s sit at the lower end; pre-war, short-run and artist pieces at the upper.
By the mark on the base. Each factory had its own mark and changed it over time, which allows dating to within a few years. Each description states which mark is present.
In Soviet porcelain it generally indicated grade: red for first, blue for second, green for third – a measure of painting precision, not of artistic value.
For pieces 50–90 years old, rubbed gilding and traces of use are usual, and sometimes restoration. We state condition plainly, including chips and restored details.
392 works, from mass factory series to rare short-run models and artist porcelain.