Soviet porcelain is of high quality and excellent decoration. Nowadays, many collectors and art historians hunt for him. In the territory of the former Soviet Union , several dozen factories for the production of porcelain and faience goods functioned. To determine which factory a particular item was made in, the brand will help.
This article will focus on the hallmarks of the porcelain factories of the USSR. How do they look and what is depicted on them? And how have these brands changed over the years?
Brand and its varieties
The term most likely comes from the German word Kleim, which translates into Russian as “glue”. A brand is a kind of graphic sign that is applied to a product or product in order to identify its manufacturer.
The stigma, by and large, is a "product", the invention of the slave era. In ancient times, there was a practice of stigmatizing slaves for any misconduct or crime (for example, for attempting to escape).
Brands are applied to the surface in three main ways:
- Percussion (usually on metal products).
- By burning.
- Using dyes.
The stigma performs not only the function of identification of goods. It is often a kind of quality mark of a product. By the way, it is with this feature that a common saying is connected: "Yes, there is nowhere to put stigmas on you!" So they say about people with a lot of defects or shortcomings.
Porcelain and faience industry and its development in Russia
Porcelain is a sufficiently durable material, resistant to thermal and chemical influences, widely used in the manufacture of dishes, art objects and some other products. As a rule, four mineral resources are used for its production: kaolin, quartz, feldspar and plastic clay.
It is believed that the Chinese were “invented” by the Chinese back in the 7th century. And they kept a secret for a very long time the recipe for its manufacture. Only in 1708, Europeans managed to get porcelain. After several decades, the technology of its production became available in Russia.
The first Russian porcelain manufactory was opened in St. Petersburg in 1744. The stigma of a porcelain factory in Soviet times was concise and recognizable. It consisted of three figuratively interwoven letters: “LFZ” (Leningrad Porcelain Factory). This factory works today. True, now he is proudly called the Imperial, as in pre-revolutionary times.
The hallmarks of the porcelain factories of the USSR and Russia: types and features
In the Soviet Union, the porcelain and faience industry was very developed. Porcelain products (dishes, figurines, vases and other interior items) were made in different parts of the country. The highest concentration of plants was observed in the Ukrainian SSR, as well as in the European part of the Russian SFSR.
According to old Soviet catalogs, in the USSR there were 178 porcelain factories. Each of them had a stigma! It depicted either letters or simple graphic drawings, most often animals. For example, on the hallmarks of the Gorodnitsky Porcelain Factory a running deer is depicted, Polonsky is a white swan, Sinelnikovsky is a swallow in flight. Perhaps the most interesting stigma was at the Zugdidi factory - a horse on top of a ball.
The hallmarks of porcelain factories are divided into two types: underglaze (performed on a “raw” product) and overglaze (thinned out after applying a decorative ball of glaze). There are three main ways to brand a product:
- extrusion by wet weight;
- stamp imprint;
- marking on the finished product.
What can the hallmarks of porcelain factories tell?
The stigma is, first of all, a mark of quality and authenticity of the goods, which is put by the manufacturer. Most often, it can be found on the bottom of a porcelain product - cups, plates, vases or figures.
The hallmarks of Soviet porcelain factories can tell a lot about a particular thing. That is why it is so important for a real collector to learn to “read” them. The stamps often contain information not only about the manufacturer, but also about the date of release of the product, the quality of porcelain, the personality of the artist who painted it, etc.
It is important to note that one and the same factory may have a whole "arsenal" of such markings, because by the years the stigmas of porcelain factories have changed very often. Sometimes, beyond recognition. All this creates a lot of problems for the current generation of collectors in the process of identifying certain products.
The following marks can often be seen on the hallmarks of porcelain: “1-C”, “2-C”, “3-C”. What do they mean? These are the signs by which you can determine the grade of porcelain:
- first grade (1-C);
- second grade (2-C);
- third grade (3-C).
The porcelain variety is sometimes indicated with the help of the color of the mark: red - for products of the highest quality grade; blue for the first grade, green for the second and black (or brown) for the third.
Next, we will talk more about the most famous porcelain factories in the USSR, paying special attention to their products and brands.
Leningrad Porcelain Factory
This is the oldest and one of the largest enterprises for the production of porcelain in Russia. It was founded in 1744. Now the plant bears the name - Imperial (in abbreviated form - IFZ).
IFZ porcelain is exhibited in a number of world famous museums (in particular, in London, New York, and also in the Hermitage). Today, the plant produces a wide range of diverse products. These are tea sets, cups and saucers, figurines, various home decoration. The series “Moscow and St. Petersburg in China”, which depicts the main attractions of the two capitals of the country on cups, plates and souvenir bells, is very popular.
The stigma of the porcelain factory in Soviet times was extremely concise: three intertwined letters "LFZ". Today, on all prints of this enterprise there is a double-headed eagle with the date of the founding of the plant and the inscription Imperial Porcelain.
Dmitrov Porcelain Factory
This company, founded in 1766, is located in the village of Verbilki (Taldomsky district of the Moscow region). Today, it is called "Porcelain Verbilok."
In Soviet times, the Dmitrov Plant was focused on the production of low-quality mass products. Nevertheless, during this period, the porcelain factory received a number of prestigious international awards (in particular, a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937). Today, Porcelain Verbilok is one of three porcelain enterprises operating in Russia.
The stigma of a porcelain factory in Verbilki is impossible to recognize. It depicts the head of an elk with the letter "B" in the lower right corner.
Dulevo Porcelain Factory
The largest enterprise in the world of porcelain and faience industry in modern Russia is located in the city of Likino-Dulyovo (also in the Moscow Region). Dulevo plant was founded in 1832. Under the leadership of a talented entrepreneur M.S. Kuznetsov, the factory gained worldwide fame and popularity.
The products of this plant are easily recognized by the specific art painting. It clearly shows the motives of Russian folklore with a predominance of orange and red colors. Tea set "Golden Deer" is perhaps the most iconic work of this plant.
The hallmarks of the Dulevo Porcelain Factory have changed 30 times in the history of its existence! Since 1962, the graphic image of the falcon remains the brand of the enterprise. Moreover, the bird can "look" both to the left and to the right.
Gorodnitsky porcelain factory
This is one of the oldest enterprises in the Ukrainian porcelain and faience industry. The plant was built in 1799 and belonged to the princely family of the Czartoryski. Unfortunately, in 2012 the enterprise was finally closed. It was located in the village of Gorodnitsa, Zhytomyr region.
In Soviet times, the plant produced dishes, tea sets, as well as porcelain figurines. The stamp of the product depicted either a swan or three letters: GFZ (by the name of the plant).
Polonsky Porcelain Factory
In the second half of the XIX century, the porcelain industry began to develop rapidly in Podolia (a region of Western Ukraine), which was facilitated by the local raw material base - rich deposits of kaolin, clay and quartz sand. In 1889, a factory was founded in the ancient town of Polonnoye (now Khmelnitsky region) , which was destined to become one of the largest enterprises for the production of porcelain in the USSR.
Polonsky Plant was especially famous for the release of numerous figurines. The famous decanter with glasses in the form of fish, perhaps, stood in every second Soviet family. On the products of Polonsky Porcelain Factory most often you can see the stigma in the form of a swan. Unfortunately, in 2008, the giant of the Ukrainian porcelain industry ceased to exist.