The exhibition showcases the work of the artist Rudolph Wilde, to whose designs pieces were made at the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory and the Imperial Glassworks (after 1917 the State Porcelain Factory) in the first three decades of the 20th century. The stylistic preferences of the two periods before and after 1917 are reflected in Wilde’s numerous sketches for imperial crystal and porcelain vases in the modernist and neo-Russian styles, and in the Soviet period – for various forms of propaganda porcelain items and vases with fantastic landscapes to be made with the use of the underglaze painting technique which gravitated towards art deco. The exhibition comprises around a hundred exhibits, including the artist’s graphic designs and porcelain and glass objects made to his sketches. The display also features pieces made by current artists at the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory who have been inspired by Rudolph Wilde’s creative legacy.

The exhibition is organised by the State Hermitage Museum, with contributions by the Elagin Island Palace-Museum, the ‘Tsarskoe Selo’ State Museum-Reserve and the JSC Imperial Porcelain Manufactory