Antique Facon in Russian Imperial Porcelain of the 2nd Half of the 18th Century:
From the Christmas Present Series
21 December 2012 - 31 March 2013
Antechamber (192), Winter Palace

An exhibition entitled Antique Facon in Russian Imperial Porcelain of the 2nd Half of the 18th Century from the traditional Christmas Present Series opened in the State Hermitage Museum on 21 December 2012. Since the 18th century every Christmas season the Winter Palace has showcased the best pieces made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St. Petersburg. This year the eleventh instalment of the event explores the topic of ancient motifs in Russian Imperial Porcelain in the second half of the 18th century, the Golden Era of Catherine the Great.

In the 18th century all European nations developed a taste for the heritage of Ancient Greece and Rome. Ancient art was considered an etalon of perfection, and the new Classicism style in Russian architecture, sculpture and art developed in accordance with the principles of ancient art. Classical motifs appeared in decorative and applied arts.

The collection of the State Hermitage Museum allows you to trace in detail the evolution of the classicism of Catherine's era as it is revealed in Russian porcelain of the second half of the 18th century. This was the period of the so-called Antique Facon in art. During the reign of Catherine the Great the work of the Imperial Porcelain Factory was in many ways driven by the personal tastes, likes and dislikes of the Empress.

French sculptor Jacques-Dominique Rachette was the leader of the Classicism school of Russian porcelain who promoted the triumph of the Russian Minerva. His workshop copied ancient pieces of art and produced scale copies of famous pieces by European sculptors, such as E. Bouchardon, Claudion (Claude Michel), A. Canova, I.G. Dannecker, and Russian sculptor F.I. Shubin, copied antique originals from printed materials, created associative plastic allegories and antiquated portraits of Catherine the Great and members of the imperial family. Some of the pieces and compositions (Erato, Eros and Psyche, Free Love) were mostly made of white matte biscuit paste, which corresponded closely to the persistent myth of white marble of ancient statues.

Some of Rachette's projects were especially original and outstanding. One such piece is the sculptural group Treaty of Jassy, also known as Signing a Peace Treaty and Apotheosis of Russia. This piece celebrates the peaceful conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791, which ended with signing a bilateral agreement in the city of Jassy. The main character of the piece is Catherine herself, represented as an ancient goddess sailing in a boat. In the 18th century such figures were used as surtout de tables decorations during official dinners.

Ancient forms and ornamental motifs can be often seen in Russian porcelain service sets of the last quarter of the 18th century. The Arabesque service set and the Yacht service set have been decorated with cameos, and the Cabinet service set and the Yusupov service set featured architectural miniatures (including depictions of ancient ruins) copied from engravings by G.B. Piranesi, G. Vasi de Corleone, G. Paolo Panini and other masters of European Neoclassicism whose work was influenced by the art of Ancient Greece and Rome.

Russian porcelain decor reflected various kinds of ancient art - glyptics, sculpture, ceramics, architecture, art, coloured stone, and mosaics. The ancient artworks helped develop new directions in applied art, including the new Pompeian and Etruscan styles. A cup and saucer set with Etruscan decor is a unique piece on display at the State Hermitage Museum. The cup shows a young man with a discus and a goddess with a torch, and the saucer - a popular scene of the capture of Pan by three bacchae. The beige and pale-yellow imagery on the dark-brown background colour are reminiscent of ancient Greek red figure vases.

The Imperial Porcelain Factory was especially renowned for its technologically advanced products, the Greek Facon vases, stylized after ancient originals: amphorae, craters, lecythi, etc. Ancient clay forms and the virtuoso decor had become artistic etalons for the art of subsequent centuries.

One of the masterpieces of Russian antiquated porcelain is the cobalt vase made in celebration of the name day of Catherine the Great. The vase is topped with a triumphal helmet and sword as attributes of Athena (Minerva) goddess of war, with whom Catherine the Great had been often compared. The vase is shaped like an ancient crater, almost disappearing under the multiple decorative elements, such as snake-shaped handles, entrelacs, palm leaves, laurel wreaths, etc.

The ornamental decor of Russian porcelain of the second half of the 18th century is usually a reflection of creative rearrangement of Greco-Roman and Renaissance motifs - meanders, acanthi, palms, ivy, floral garlands, grotesques, etc. Sculptural mascarons, reminiscent of ancient theatrical masks, form a separate group of artistic motifs in these articles. Decorative handles of porcelain vases were often made as plastic Pan masks (or satyr masks), male and female faces, sheep, goat and lion heads.

During the reign of Paul I the St. Petersburg Porcelain Factory continued to follow the artistic traditions of the Catherine era. Pavline era porcelain is characterised by an evolution in the Russian Classical style, with more austere shapes and decor. The silhouettes of the articles became more streamlined: tea and coffee dishes and service sets became smoother, and cylindrical cups similar to European litrons appeared.

The marvelous pieces of Russian porcelain on the exhibition are complemented by authentic ancient articles (sculpture, ceramics, carved stone) and European Neo-Classical items (drawings, porcelain). These articles in their time had served as inspiration for Russian antiquated porcelain.

Ancient motifs can be seen in the original work of present-day porcelain artists. New projects, entitled Antique Facon in Porcelain have been specially chosen for this exposition. According to a long-standing tradition, on the opening day of the exhibition the Imperial Porcelain Factory will present a gift to the State Hermitage Museum. This year Galina Shulyak, Distinguished Artist of the Russian Federation, will present her vase appropriately titled Antique Facon.

An illustrated research catalogue has been specially prepared for the event by the State Hermitage Museum Publishing House. Irina Bagdasarova, senior researcher of the State Hermitage Museum Department of History of Russian Culture is curator of the event.