vase form 'Amfornaia' designed by Aleksandr Strekavin, the portrait painted by Elena Kubarskaia, inscribed in Russian 'From the Labour Reserves of the City of Leningrad/ 10th Anniversary of the Labour Reserves', the portrait signed l.r. 'E. Kubarskaia' in Cyrillic

Hillwood Museum, no. 56; Pushkin Museum, no. 610

Oda k Radosti/Ode to Joy, p. 410, cat. no. 337; for comparison, see Petrova 2007, p.472.

Presentation vases produced during the Soviet regime have marked similarities and subtle differences to those produced by the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory in the tradition popularised by Emperor Nicholas I. Those offered here allow for a rare comprehensive survey as it was revived under Soviet sponsorship in the 20^thcentury.

The most marked difference, aside from the prevalence of Soviet political slogans, is the patronage of smaller porcelain factories. It was not only the Lomonosov State Porcelain Manufactory which received commissions, but also factories as far distant as the Ukraine (lot 607) and Tashkent (lot 590). Stylistically, examples produced under the Soviet regime are varied and generally less ostentatious. Pre-war forms are often simpler, the kitaiskaya form recurring frequently, although later examples are of the amphora and krater shap🍎es which have more expressive outlines that echo the forms of the Imperial factories.

Similarly these vases often served political and diplomatic ends, with Imperial vases being exchanged with the European aristocracy and Soviet vases produced for state visits, such as that of Chairman Mao (lot 607). In line with a more egalitarian ideology, Soviet vases were mostly intended for ꦅvery public presentation and display, as opposed to being exclusively for palaces. Furthermore, the range of events and characters 🏅celebrated on these vases extends considerably from the political figures only occasionally featured on Imperial examples, to include anniversaries of city foundations, cosmonauts, aviators, soldiers and industrialists.