A Russian Porcelain Etruscan-Style Cup and Saucer Imperial Porcelain Factory, St. Petersburg, Period of Nicholas I (1825-1855), circa 1850 4-3/8 x 6-3/8 x 5-3/8 inches (11.1 x 16.2 x 13.7 cm) (cup) 7-3/4 inches (19.6 cm) (saucer) PROVENANCE: With John Atzbach Antiques, Bellevue, Washington; The Kathleen Durdin Collection of Russian Decorative Arts, Tampa, Florida. The offered lot may be unique, and was possibly a prototype for or earlier iteration of the justly famous "Etruscan" Service commissioned by Nicholas I. Though the decoration is near-identical, the color and form are not consistent with the final service, which is distinctive due to its terracotta red and black color scheme, and sculpted porcelain mold forms. Khmelnitskaya notes in her essay on the "Etruscan" Service (cf. Bagdarasova, I.R., Iz Serviznykh Kladovykh (etc)., State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2016, p. 342.) that though it was commissioned in the 1850s, the factory had produced pieces in the Etruscan taste since the 1840s. The earliest examples of Etruscan style porcelain came out of the Naples Royal porcelain factory in the form of a service presented to King George III in 1787 and now at Windsor (RCIN 5000032), and it served as inspiration for all the works from the Imperial Porcelain Factory. Property from the Kathleen Durdin Collection HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved