Tea steamer, I.E. Kuznetsov factory No. 1

Porcelain, decal, gilding. Scuffed gilding on the rim. The brand is underglaze. Guarantee of authenticity. Rare.

In 1878, Ivan Yemelyanovich Kuznetsov opened three porcelain factories in the Novgorod province: near the Volkhov station, in the village of Bronnitsy (founded in 1884 by P.K. Reichel, since 1892 – owner I.E. Kuznetsov), near the village of Gruzino (founded in 1898 by I.E. Kuznetsov). In the last third of the 19th century, almost all enterprises of the Novgorod province ended up in the hands of Kuznetsov, who became the owner of the Chudovsky Glass Factory and three porcelain factories. In 1913, the Ministry of Trade and Industry granted the petition for the establishment of the Ivan Yemelyanovich Kuznetsov Joint-Stock Partnership. He focuses his main attention on the production of porcelain, the high quality of which made it possible to compete with leading Russian enterprises, including the factories of his cousin M.S. Kuznetsov, who monopolized porcelain products in central Russia.

The I.E. Kuznetsov Partnership conducted extensive trade in glass and porcelain on the domestic Russian market and had warehouses in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Riga, Kharkov, Kazan, Astrakhan, Samara, Rybinsk, Omsk, Rzhev, as well as at fairs in Nizhny Novgorod, Irbit, Omsk, Tyumen, Menzelinskaya, Ufa, Vologda, Yaroslavl and Rybinsk. I.E. Kuznetsov's porcelain was awarded a bronze medal in ceramics at the World Exhibition in Paris.

Kuznetsov's products were famous for their quality and purity of finish: the finest porcelain cups were not inferior to the best examples of Chinese and Western European porcelain. Not many ceramic enterprises in Russia could, and still can, boast of such an unsurpassed whiteness of porcelain and "cream-colored" earthenware that distinguish Kuznetsov's products. In addition, the entrepreneur was famous for his ability to satisfy the most demanding tastes, instantly reacting to changes in market demand. The Kuznetsov factories simultaneously produced cheap and expensive, highly artistic products to satisfy customers with different financial capabilities. To expand the circle of customers, the factories produced dishes with simple paintings in the form of flowers and twigs , made in bright and juicy colors.

After the revolution, the factory in Chudovo was nationalized. The traditions of Kuznetsov porcelain were lost during the years of Soviet rule. The factory produced ordinary consumer goods. However, the concept of "Kuznetsov porcelain" still lives in Russia as a legend, like a certain Kitezh-grad. It is not easy to raise this legend from the monster swamps. But we believe that the famous name of the "Kuznetsov Porcelain Factory on Volkhov" will be heard in the 21st and in the following centuries.