This remarkable polychrome decorated dessert service comprises 22 plates and four comports that are early reproductions of The Kremlin Service. The incredibly detailed suite mimics the original Kremlin Service which was made by The Imperial Porcelain Factory for Tsar Nicholas I (1796-1855) and was destined for The Great Kremlin Palace in Moscow. The original suite was designed by Fedor Grigorievich Solntsev (1801-92) and executed in 1837 and 1838. Pieces of The Kremlin Service are held in museums and galleries around the world, with both The British Museum and The Hermitage Museum holding original examples. In the centre of each piece is the double headed eagle, a sign of Imperial Russia, with a band of text surrounding it which translates from Cyrillic to English as 'NICHOLAS EMPEROR AND AUTOCRAT OF ALL RUSSIA'. The style that the service was decorated in by Solnstev could perhaps best be referred to as Russo-Byzantine, with him also taking inspiration from the tableware used by the Tsars of the 17th century.
Reproductions of The Kremlin Service are highly sought after and usually date to the first part of the 20th century. This particular suite of 26 pieces are unmarked for the factory they were made in, but are likely to have originated in Russia. The pieces are in very good order for their age with no chips or cracks present and only minor surface wear to the gilded and ornately decorated porcelain. This incredible dessert service could be an incredible statement at a lavish dinner party, or the plates could be hung in formation on a wall as seen in palaces and museums around the world.
Dimensions - 22 plates & 4 comports