4: History of the Museum. "The Cabinet of Exemplary Products" I

This room is devoted to the story behind the appearance of the unique museum collection. From 1744 the factory began to accumulate an assortment of "exemplary products", items that served as models and references for the sculptors and artists. A century later, to provide stocks for the museum founded by Nicholas I's decree in 1844, many porcelain items were selected from the storerooms of the Winter Palace and other imperial residences. The museum's stocks were added to regularly even before the late 19th century, when it became a rule to transfer to the museum the original examples of new products from the Imperial Porcelain Factory and Imperial Glassworks, which were merged in 1890.