Pair Of Porcelain Plates From The Service Of The Order Of Saint Andrew, Meissen Circa 1745

A rare pair of Meissen porcelain soup plates, with a contoured shape, from the prestigious service of the Order of Saint Andrew. The bas-relief decoration features the famous Gotzkowsky erhabene Blumen (Götzkowsky Flowers), enhanced with refined polychromy. The bowl is adorned with an elegant bouquet of flowers, while the rim is decorated with the double-headed imperial eagle facing the Cross of Saint Andrew, framed by floral motifs and highlighted with a scalloped gold frieze.

Germany, Meissen Manufactory, circa 1745.
Mark of two crossed swords in underglaze blue; inventory numbers painted in red from the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg: “G.Ch. 1643” and “G.Ch. 1663”. Former collection label from the Antonia Gianetti Gallery (Italy).

Diameter: 24 cm.

Provenance:
– Service of the Order of Saint Andrew, presented by King Augustus III of Poland to Empress Elizabeth I of Russia.
– Sale organized by the Soviet government, circa 1930.
– Antonia Gianetti Gallery, Milan.
– Private collection.

History:
Commissioned in 1745 by King Augustus III of Poland for the marriage of his nephew, Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich (later Peter III), to Princess Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbst (later Catherine II), this sumptuous service was designed by Johann Friedrich Eberlein (1695–1749). Originally comprising 440 pieces, it constitutes the largest diplomatic gift ever produced by the Meissen manufactory. Emperor Alexander II later added to it, and Nicholas II had it placed in the Hermitage Museum in 1911 (inv. no. 1703). In the 1930s, part of the service was dispersed by the Soviet state agency Antikvariat.
Today, the Hermitage holds 145 pieces – the others, very rare, are found only in private collections.