Dish dining room from the wardroom of the cruiser "Admiral Kornilov"

The most important of the problems which faced the Emperor Alexander III in the accession to the throne, began the weakness of the Navy of Russia and a small number of industrial capacities for its improvement. The only option was ordering ships abroad, allowing in a very short time to make the Baltic fleet meets the requirements of time and to recreate the black sea fleet, which Russia after 1856 actually had.

In the framework of the shipbuilding program of the 1880s in the French shipyard in Saint-Nazaire October 31, 1885, was laid armored cruiser of the 1st rank "Admiral Kornilov", which had a lot in common with the French cruisers Cecille. A ship with a displacement 5880 tons was high for those times speed and solid weaponry. The crew staff consisted of 481 sailors and officers. The cruiser was supplied fully complete (except for the personal weapons of the crew), so that all the crockery and cooking utensils were also of French origin. Was no exception and the plate.

Judging by the shape and decoration, it was a service mess. Dish released a very well-known French firm of Charles Millevoi (Charles so easy), founded in 1854 and in 1860 – 1878 repeatedly rewarded with gold medals at the Paris exhibition. Dishes under this trademark are produced up to the present time and is positioned as "the porcelain for kings and Queens"; as for the ancient ware of the company, it is very highly prized on the antique market. The fate of the service after the withdrawal of the cruiser in 1911 from the combat composition of the fleet is unknown. One can only assume that he existed at the time the practice was sold as junk property. The cooking utensils from the cabins-the companies of ships of the Russian Imperial Navy in our days almost never occur, and this plate is a particularly rare by reason of foreign origin and the small number of the crew of the cruiser. The guarantee of authenticity.