Porcelain

Any house of a Russian nobleman would have porcelain among kitchenware without fail. The most famous porcelain manufactory in Russia is the Imperial Porcelain Factory founded in St. Petersburg in 1744. Chemist and inventor Dmitry Vinogradov developed the right porcelain composition and became one of the first manufacturers of Russian porcelain. One of the factory's major works was the ceremonial dinner set for Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, Peter the Great's youngest daughter. Francis Gardner, an Englishman, founded the Gardner Porcelain Factory in the village of Verbilki near Moscow. For over two centuries, it has been producing porcelain masterpieces with magnificent table and tea sets shipped to the palaces in Russia and Europe. Known as the Dmitrov Porcelain Factory today, it continues the traditions established by Gadner to make superior ceramics. Porcelain is now produced in several Russian regions from the village of Dulyov outside of Moscow to Krasnodar Territory to Bashkortostan. Some keep with Soviet traditions, others follow new trends for a minimalist approach.