Lomonosov (Imperial factory)porcelain figurine, chef with cat
Height: 7"

(From Wiki):The Imperial Porcelain Factory (Russian: Императорский Фарфоровый Завод, romanized: Imperatorskii Farforovyi Zavod), also known as the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory (abbreviated as IPM), is a producer of hand-painted ceramics in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was established by Dmitry Ivanovich Vinogradov in 1744 and was supported by the Russian tsars since Empress Elizabeth. Many still refer to the factory by its well-known former name, the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory.

Attempts to reveal the secret of hard paste true porcelain-making had expanded to Russia since the visit of Peter the Great to Saxony in 1718; there, he saw Meissen porcelain at the Dresden court. Dmitry Ivanovich Vinogradov, a talented mining engineer who studied metallurgy at Freiberg, Saxony, invented the formula for the first porcelain manufactory in Russia, established in 1744 by order of Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, to "serve native trade and native art."[1]For a long time, the factory produced wares almost exclusively for the ruling Romanov family and the Russian Imperial court, and for political and diplomatic gifts by them. Dinner services, often very large indeed, were a staple, and from the 1780s, figures of Russian peasants and ethnic minorities of the Russian Empire taken from book illustrations. These last continued until the Revolution, and largely replaced the repertoire of pastoral, gallant, and commedia dell'arte figures familiar from factories in the rest of Europe. From the arrival of Neoclassical styles, the factory became known for large and ornate vases with painted scenes. The Russian porcelain by Vinogradov had qualities similar to Meissen porcelain, while its formula (which consisted of only Russian ingredients) took its style from Chinese porcelain. At the beginning of the Vinogradov period, the motifs were monochrome and simplified; by the end of this period, the fine miniatures were completed on porcelain. Gold leaf for gilding porcelain was prepared from golden coins from the Imperial Treasury. The Golden Age of Catherine-- the reign of Catherine II the Great-- was the age of prosperity for the fine Russian porcelain. In 1765, the manufactory was renamed the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory (IPM). From the very beginning of Catherine's reign, IPM was obliged to produce fine porcelain and also to bring profit. The Imperial Court's need for porcelain was large, and the permanent orders from the Court let IPM maintain the highest quality. During the reign of Paul I (1796 to 1801), Russian porcelain continued to develop in style of Neoclassicism, with the increasing influence of Hellenic and Roman motifs.

Good condition overall