A Meissen plate from the 'Empress Elizabeth of Russia' service, circa 1745

Footnotes

This service has been published in detail by Claus Boltz, and more recently, Lydia Liackhova (U. Pietsch (ed.), Meissen for the Czars (2004), pp. 58f, cat. nos. 56-64), but its history remains incomplete. Johann Friedrich Eberlein's work records, published by Claus Boltz, show that work began on the service at the end of April 1741, at which time Russia was ruled by Anna Leopoldovna, Princess of Mecklenburg, on behalf of her two-month old son, Emperor Ivan VI. The regent had a romance with the Saxon envoy, Count zu Lynar, which may lend weight to the hypothesis that the service was ordered for her. According to the Meissen manufactory archives, the service was still in production at the end of November 1741. Peter I's daughter, Elizabeth Petrovna, seized power in a palace coup one week later, so the service could not have been delivered to Anna Leopoldovna, but was presumably delivered to the new Empress.

This suggestion is questioned, however, by a report by the Saxon ambassador to Russia, Nicolaus Williband Baron von Gersdorf, who reported in the summer of 1744 that the Empress Elizabeth had told him that she did not believe that she has a complete service of [Meissen] porcelain (quoted by Liackhova, op.cit., p. 72). This was quickly remedied by the magnificent gift of the St. Andrew Service in 1745, which demonstrates both the high value placed upon Meissen porcelain as a diplomatic gift, and the importance to Saxony of Russian support in their conflict with Prussia.

Another riddle associated with this service is that appears to have been produced in two groups: the first is decorated with indianische Blumen and has mainly harbour scenes around the rims; the second group, to which this plate belongs, appears to date from around 1744-45, is painted with more naturalistic botanical flower studies (woodcut flowers) and has Dutch-style landscapes and gallant scenes around the rim, among other smaller differences.

Of the sixty-nine pieces from this service in the Hermitage in 1910, twenty-seven were apportioned in 1929 to 'Gostorg' - an organisation founded after the revolution to dispose of art works from Russian museums - for sale inside Russia; ten pieces were received by the company 'Antiquariat' in 1932 for sale outside of Russia; and in October 1930, sixteen pieces, including seven plates, appeared at auction in Berlin (Rudolph Lepke's Kunst-Auctions-Haus, 21-22 October 1930, lot 203) in a sale of property from the Hermitage. Another plate from the from the second group painted with European flowers was sold in these Rooms, 26 November 2014, lot 243.