In Italian Palazzo Madama (Turin), opened the exhibition "Imperial Porcelain from the Hermitage collection. The exhibition includes some 300 objects from the collections of the St. Petersburg Museum: the magnificent porcelain items and a time of flourishing of this kind of artistic creativity in the XVIII century and decorations for the tables of gilded bronze, created in the "golden age" of this art form. The exhibition features three table laid with china set and bronze Sûreté de Table (from Fr. Surtout de table - above all on the table, shaped decorations for the table. - AI .).

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first covered table decorated tableware, performed at the Berlin porcelain factory in 1772 and presented by Catherine II the Prussian King Frederick II. The service items are decorated with scenes of battles and camp life of the Russian-Turkish war. Scenes of murals on the plates are not repeated. Virtuoso painting made with the smallest details are the costumes, weapons, Russian and Turkish Valais and depict the battle, Russian and Turkish soldiers on holiday and during the meal. Subject Russian victory in this war was highlighted and the central Sûreté de table with a depiction of Catherine II on the throne. Groups of chained Turks and spoils of war symbolized the glory of Russian arms.

next table was laid with cameos objects of the service commissioned by Catherine II of Sevres in 1777 and intended to gift Prince Potemkin . Dinner set from the set of objects decorated with stone inlays, copied from the antique originals from the collection of Louis XVI. Thumbnails were applied to porcelain using first used at Sevres method for stencil printing. For bottle gear, ice cream, sugar cameos were made separately from a specially invented mass simulating cameos, and inserted into the slot. Up to 1782 service was in St. Petersburg in the Tauride Palace, which belonged to Prince Potemkin. When the owner died, he took his place in tableware storerooms of the Winter Palace and was used for dinners.

• items from the Berlin dessert service
  1770-1772. Berlin Royal Porcelain Manufactory

occupies a special place dinner service commissioned by Catherine II in 1773 in London. It was created at the factory of Josiah Wedgwood invented a yellowish mass of china and is decorated with 1,222 different species over the UK. The focus is on areas where he lived Wedgwood - Staffordshire. This service - Encyclopedia of gardens and parks in England, a country that admired the Russian regent, and which she is now able to enjoy studying the pictures on the plates, cups and soup tureen. The paintings were made on the basis of engravings. Many of the architectural monuments, painted on the pot, now do not exist, and they can be seen only on plates. Service was ordered for the Chesme Palace (in the suburb of St. Petersburg), named in honor of the victory of the Russian Fleet over the Turks in Chesme Bay. All items are decorated with the service were ridiculous, but understandable emblem - a frog in the Stamp shield. This is the name of the area where the palace was built, which in Finnish means "frog bog". This service was named "Green Frog».

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in the center of the exhibition three gilded bronze Sûreté de -Table, very popular in the early XIX century. Bronze Sûreté, to replace the Serving china, created in the first quarter of the XIX century the famous French bronze Pierre Phillip Thomire. Bronze Sûreté this period consisted of a mirrored tray with an openwork lattice on the edge and set a variety of bronze objects that were placed on it. Selection of such items was not regulated, so the Sûreté always been different in composition. The Hermitage has developed a unique collection of similar bronze ornaments of the table. Of the 12 held today in the Hermitage at the exhibition are three. United with porcelain, they perfectly illustrate the fashion of table appointments in the XIX century.

Thus, draped across three tables with porcelain dinnerware and the bronze Sûreté exposition tells about Russia, its habits, the ruling person and about politics, about how these sets were used in the XVIII and XIX centuries, and most importantly, about the rich collections of the Hermitage.

The exhibition runs until February 14, 2010.

Source: hermitagemuseum.org