A SET OF EIGHT 19TH CENTURY RUSSIAN KUZNETSOV PORCELAIN CUPS AND SAUCERS painted with floral sprays on a blue ground. 11 cm diameter. (16) Note: The factory was established by a merchant Terenty Kuznetsov in 1832. First six kilns were built near Moscow in Dulevo. Kuznetsov products were known for distinctive porcelain whiteness. Female workers painting porcelain were called Agafya and their products agashkas. Russian porcelain industry developed especially fast in the second half of 19th century after serfdom was abolished in the empire. New capitalist fastly growing elite needs were best satisfied by Kuznetsov factories. Kuznetsov company overtook in 1891 Gardner Verbilki factory (nowadays Dmitrovsky Porcelain Factory). In 1889 the new name of the company was - M.S. Kuznetsov Company for the Manufacture of Porcelain and Pottery Goods. The Kuznetsov porcelain empire swiftly mechanized production when cheap foreign competition entered Russian market.