Probably, every house has this or that thing reminiscent of the Soviet era. These kind of artifacts were once part of the lives of our grandparents, our parents, and generally all those who still managed to live under the Soviet regime. Among the most common gizmos are Soviet rubles and coins, badges and medals, posters, toys, cutlery, porcelain figurines of the USSR and much more.
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has not existed for almost a quarter of a century, so it is not surprising that collectors' interest in things of this period is growing. Porcelain figurines of the times of the USSR are especially popular with connoisseurs of antiques.
The appearance of porcelain in Russia
The art of creating porcelain sculptures appeared in China, and later spread to Europe. In Russia, Peter I introduced fashion to china, but during his reign porcelain was brought only from abroad and was fabulously expensive. The first Russian porcelain was learned to make in the middle of the 18th century, but products from it still remained a luxury item and an indicator of status.
With the advent of Soviet power , porcelain products were initially branded "philistinism." But over time, they changed the storyline, established mass production - and porcelain products became available to all Soviet citizens.
Motives and subjects of porcelain artifacts
Porcelain figurines from the time of the USSR reflect the ideals of that era. Sports figurines were very popular, because sport and a healthy lifestyle were actively promoted in Soviet society.
On the shelves of Soviet apartments it was possible to meet figures of children, for example, a pioneer with a bouquet. Such a figurine speaks for itself.
Delicate porcelain figurines of the USSR, reflecting admiration for art and love for it, are sculptural compositions of ballerinas. Broadcasts of ballet performances of that time were collected from the screens of enthusiastic spectators, and the ballet itself was considered state pride. That is why Soviet ladies wanted to have a piece of great art at home.
A special place in the visual arts was played by folk motifs, plots from fairy tales. Animals and birds were also captured by craftsmen in china.
Manufacturing plants
The history of the development of porcelain in Russia is inextricably linked with the history of the existence of manufacturers, many of which were created long before the advent of Soviet power. The history of these enterprises is unique, because they survived wars, coups, a change of power, but to this day continue their work.
The Gzhel Porcelain Factory, founded near Moscow in 1818, still functions today. His business card is a special technique of painting products, which uses shades of blue.
A porcelain factory in Verbilki, Moscow Region, was founded at the end of the 18th century. In Soviet times, it produced mainly porcelain figurines of the USSR with an agitational character.
The leader in the era of the Soviets was the Dulevo Porcelain Factory, founded in 1832, with its own unique “agashka” style, which absorbed folk traditions and national motifs.
The very first porcelain factory, which appeared in Russia in 1744, whose products are still in great demand - Leningrad Porcelain Factory named after Lomonosov.
Porcelain products of Ukrainian factories in Baranivka, Gorodnitsa, Korosten, Poltava and others enjoyed authority and popularity.
Famous masters
Before the figurine goes into mass production, the master works for many hours to create it. History has preserved the names of sculptors who for many years created the famous and recognizable porcelain figurines of the USSR.
Asta Davydovna Brzezitskaya worked at the Dulevo Porcelain Factory. The master created her figures, which she called "Porcelain folk," in the post-war period. The hands of this amazing woman created more than five hundred sculptures, including children, animals, heroes of fairy tales, historical figures, heroes of literary works. All the works of the author are very dynamic, positive, filled with joy. Among the most famous masterpieces of Asta Davydovna are the sculptures “Winter Bathing”, “Indian Woman with a Jug”, “Three Musketeers”, “Tartuffe” and others. The works of the famous artist include the Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Vrubel Museum in Omsk and other major museums of the world, many of the works are kept in private collections.
Another outstanding sculptor of that time - Boris Yakovlevich Vorobyov - worked at the Leningrad Porcelain Factory. His favorite theme in creativity has always been animalistics, which is clearly visible in figures created based on Krylov's fables. During his career, Boris Yakovlevich also created a series of sculptures based on the works of N.V. Gogol. The author’s works are kept in major museums around the world.
Rare porcelain figurines of the USSR
Of special value to collectors are porcelain figurines of the USSR (photo can be seen below), created in the pre-war period. It was at this time that art came to the masses, it was addressed to the people, and not to individual connoisseurs.
Products from porcelain of that period are united in a group called "Agitation porcelain", because they were called upon to perform certain tasks. Firstly, to adorn the life of Soviet citizens, and secondly, to strengthen the new Soviet ideology in the minds of people. Campaign figurines depicted the participants of the revolution: “Red Guard”, “Partisan on a campaign”, “Sailor with a flower”, “Sailor with a banner”, “Worker embroidering a banner”, etc.
Currently, porcelain figurines of that period are of great value. Their cost starts at $ 1,500, while post-war figures can be purchased from 5 thousand rubles.
Fakes
Like any other valuable antiques, porcelain figurines of the USSR are often faked. It is rather difficult for a beginner in this field to distinguish an original from a copy.
Each plant has its own brand, which, it would seem, should serve as a guarantor of quality. But not everything is so simple, because in the process of production the original figures did not always receive the mark in the proper form. The stamp could not fit snugly to the surface, be subject to wear and tear, paint could fill - the technology of that time was far from perfect. The stigma samples of some factories underwent numerous changes, for example, the LFZ stigma was modified 70 times! Do not forget that over time, the stigma could simply be erased, so figurines without it do not need to be immediately classified as fakes.
A warning should be clearly the poor quality of the product, the reduced price, the small size of the figure. The best option when buying such products is to consult a specialist, because for a proper evaluation of a porcelain product you need to know the style features, the combination of colors characteristic of a particular factory or even a particular master.