In 1744, by order of Empress Elizabeth, the “Porcelain Manufactory” was established, which became the basis of the Russian school of porcelain. The reason for creating this enterprise is fashion. In the 18th century, they knew how to make "white gold" in China and some European countries. In the same year, the Swede Christopher Gunger, hired to organize production, took up duties. To say that he succeeded in this field would be an exaggeration, because in four years of work he managed to make only six small cups, moreover, curved and darkish. But a start has been made.
Baron Cherkasov, overseeing the process, disappointed in foreign specialists, decided to trust the Russian chemist Dmitry Vinogradov, who worked with Lomonosov himself, and was not mistaken. The Imperial Porcelain Factory finally began to produce products not only inferior in quality, but also superior to European ones.
The production functions in those years were more representative than commercial. Diplomatic gifts demonstrating that “we can too”, presentations of the court nobility and other souvenirs accounted for most of the production. The imperial porcelain factory was the property of the royal family, self-sufficiency and profitability did not matter.
Catherine the Great set completely different tasks for this unique enterprise. In modern terms, she demanded a rebranding and a complete reorganization of production. The purpose of these measures is "the pleasure of all of Russia." The sale did not constitute a problem; the fame for the high quality of Russian porcelain spread not only within the empire, but also far beyond its borders. To make a profit, it was only necessary to support it, and the price of buyers, among whom were aristocrats and monarchs, did not care.
The new modelmaster, the famous sculptor Rashet, a Frenchman, invited to the Imperial Porcelain Factory and approved classicism as a corporate identity, greatly benefited.
All Russian autocrats, who owned this unique enterprise for a century and a half, closely watched its activities. Only under Alexander II did a certain decline in production occur. They even wanted to close the imperial porcelain factory, but the next sovereign, Alexander III, prevented this, deciding to make it a model for all private manufacturers of the industry.
The enterprise experienced its heyday in the last years of the Russian Empire. The St. Petersburg Imperial Porcelain Factory was equipped with the most advanced technological equipment, which allowed by 1918, despite the devastation and civil war, to resume production under the tutelage of the People's Commissariat of Education.
The idea of ​​using porcelain dishes for propaganda purposes may seem naive and absurd to a modern person, but such a paradoxical approach gave impetus to the development of a completely new direction of art hitherto unknown in the world. The combination of perfect forms inherited from the tsar’s factory, with futuristic and suprematist paintings, Soviet heraldic symbols, and proletarian slogans created a special style, revolutionary and unique.
However, this trend did not last long. In the 1930s, a different style triumphed, pompously official, caustically called by someone "the Stalinist vampire."
The style has changed, but the highest quality has remained unchanged, the products of the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory (the name of the enterprise in recent Soviet years) are in steady demand.
Today, the Imperial Porcelain Factory OJSC still occupies a leading position in the industry. Dishes made at this enterprise are not only sold domestically and abroad, but also supplied to the Kremlin and other government agencies.