Rare Set of Twelve Russian Imperial Porcelain Dinner Plates, from the Raphael Service, periods of Alexander III and Nicholas II, 1884-1903
with central red ground hexagonal panels painted en grisaille with classical subjects, the cavettos with gilt Greek key and cream ground borders painted with winged animals, the rims with three interjections, six grey ground panels of grotesqueries and three red ground medallions with figures, all within gilt surrounds on a foliate bordered celadon green ground, the edges and basal rims all gilt, contained in their original brass-bound mahogany case
diameter 9.5" — 24.2 cm.
December 09, 2014
Estimate $120,000-$150,000
Realised: $163,500
Price Realised: $163,500
Heralded as one of the greatest achievements of the Imperial Porcelain Factory, the Raphael Service was commissioned for the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo in 1883. The design for the service was developed under the supervision of Leonard Schaufelberger, head of the Imperial Art Workshops, with Emperor Alexander III personally overseeing the process.
Production took 20 years to complete and would culminate in the most expensive porcelain service ever produced by the factory. In 1904, the service for 50 was completed and delivered to the court of Alexander’s wife, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna.
Decorative Arts & Design
Decorative Arts & Design at Waddington’s encompasses a broad and diverse variety of objects. We are specialists in bronzes, items of Canadian historical interest, ceramics, devotional works of art, glass, lighting, militaria, mirrors, objets de vertu, porcelain, silver, scientific instruments, travel and exploration maps, and fine rugs and carpets.
Meet the Specialist
Bill Kime
Senior Specialist, Ceramics, Glass and Silver