Rare porcelain figurines of the USSR (photo)

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Probably, every house has one or another thing reminiscent of the Soviet era. These kind of artifacts were once part of the lives of our grandparents, our parents and, in general, all those who still had time to live under Soviet rule. Among the most common gizmos are Soviet rubles and coins, badges and medals, posters, toys, cutlery, porcelain figurines of the USSR and much more.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has not existed for almost a quarter of a century, so it is not surprising that the interest of collectors in things from this period is increasing. Porcelain figurines from the times of the USSR are especially popular among connoisseurs of antiques.

The appearance of porcelain in Russia

The art of creating sculptures from porcelain appeared in China, and later spread to Europe. In Russia, fashion for porcelain was introduced by Peter I, but during his reign, porcelain products were brought only from abroad and were fabulously expensive. The first Russian porcelain was learned to be made in the middle of the 18th century, but products from it still remained an objectluxury and an indicator of status.

With the advent of Soviet power, porcelain products were at first branded "petty bourgeois". But over time, they changed the storyline, set up mass production - and porcelain products became available to all Soviet citizens.

Motifs and plots of porcelain artifacts

Porcelain figurines from the times of the USSR reflect the ideals of that era. Sports figurines were very popular, because sports and a he althy lifestyle were actively promoted in Soviet society.

On the shelves of Soviet apartments one could meet figurines of children, for example, a pioneer with a bouquet. This figurine speaks for itself.

Delicate porcelain figurines of the USSR, reflecting admiration for art and love for it, are sculptural compositions of ballerinas. Broadcasts of ballet performances of that time gathered enthusiastic spectators at the screens, and the ballet itself was considered the pride of the state. That is why Soviet ladies wanted to have a piece of great art at home.

A special place in the fine arts played folk motifs, stories from fairy tales. Animals and birds were also depicted in porcelain.

Manufacturers

The history of the development of porcelain in Russia is inextricably linked with the history of the existence of manufacturing plants, many of which were created long before the advent of Soviet power. The history of these enterprises is unique, because they survived wars, coups, change of power, but to this day they continue their work.

Gzhela porcelain factory founded not far from Moscow in 1818 still functions today. His calling card is a special painting technique that uses shades of blue.

The porcelain factory in Verbilki, Moscow Region, was founded at the end of the 18th century. In Soviet times, it produced mainly porcelain figurines of the USSR with a propaganda character.

The leader in the era of the Soviets was the Dulevo Porcelain Factory, founded in 1832, with its unique “agashki” style, which absorbed folk traditions and national motifs.

The very first porcelain factory that appeared in Russia back in 1744, whose products are still in great demand today, is the Leningrad Porcelain Factory. Lomonosov.

Porcelain products from Ukrainian factories in Baranovka, Gorodnitsa, Korosten, Poltava and others enjoyed prestige and popularity.

Famous masters

Before the figurine is sent to mass production, the master works for long hours on its creation. History has preserved the names of sculptors who over the years created famous and recognizable porcelain figurines of the USSR.

Asta Davydovna Brzhezitskaya worked at the Dulevo Porcelain Factory. The master created her figurines, which she called "Porcelain Folk", in the post-war period. The hands of this amazing woman created more than five hundred sculptures, including children, animals, heroes of fairy tales, historical figures, heroes of literary works. All the works of the author are very dynamic,positive, full of joy. Among the most famous masterpieces of Asta Davydovna are the sculptures “Winter Bathing”, “Indian Woman with a Jug”, “Three Musketeers”, “Tartuffe” and others. The Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Vrubel Museum in Omsk and other major museums of the world can boast of the works of the famous artist, many of her works are kept in private collections.

Another outstanding sculptor of that time - Boris Yakovlevich Vorobyov - worked at the Leningrad Porcelain Factory. His favorite theme in his work has always been animalistic, which is clearly visible in the figurines created based on Krylov's fables. During his activity, Boris Yakovlevich also created a series of sculptures based on the works of N. V. Gogol. The author's works are kept in major museums around the world.

Rare porcelain figurines of the USSR

Porcelain figurines of the USSR (photo can be seen below), created in the pre-war period, are of particular value to collectors. It was at this time that art came to the masses, it was addressed to the people, and not to individual connoisseurs.

Porcelain products of that period are grouped under the name "Propaganda Porcelain", because they were designed to perform certain tasks. Firstly, to decorate the life of Soviet citizens, and secondly, to strengthen the new Soviet ideology in the minds of people. Propaganda figurines depicted participants in the revolution: “Red Guard”, “Partisan on a campaign”, “Sailor with a flower”, “Sailor with a banner”, “Worker embroidering a banner”, etc.

Currently porcelain figurines ofperiod are of great value. Their cost starts from $1,500, while post-war figurines can be purchased from 5,000 rubles.

Fakes

Like any other valuable antiques, porcelain figurines of the USSR are often faked. For a beginner in this field, it is quite difficult to distinguish the original from the copy.

Each plant has its own brand, which, it would seem, should serve as a guarantee of quality. But not everything is so simple, because in the process of production, the original figurines did not always receive the stigma in the proper form. The stamp could not fit snugly to the surface, be subject to wear, paint flooding could occur - the technologies of that time were far from perfect. The hallmarks of some factories underwent numerous changes, for example, the hallmark of the LFZ was changed 70 times! You should also not forget that over time the stigma could simply be erased, so figurines without it should not be immediately classified as fakes.

The clearly poor quality of the product, low price, small size of the figure should alert. When buying such products, the best option is to consult a specialist, because in order to correctly evaluate a porcelain product, you need to know the style features, the combination of colors characteristic of a particular factory or even a particular craftsman.