Two Russian Imperial Porcelain Manufactory Plates from the Coronation or Winter Palace Service Russian Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, St. Petersburg, marks effaced, 1881 and later 10 inches (25.4 cm) (each) PROVENANCE: Prince and Princess Nikita Nikitich Romanoff; Private Collection, New York, a gift from the above. This service, called the Coronation or Winter Palace service was originally commissioned on December 10, 1882 by Alexander III (1881-1894) for use at his coronation, with enough china for 2,000 people. While many sumptuous services had been commissioned in the past for this purpose, the scale of the coronation of Alexander III was unprecedented, and required an enormous banquet service with matching serving pieces. The simple design may have been chosen for expedient production, but it is in keeping with the plain taste of the emperor. After the coronation, the service was sent to St. Petersburg where it was used for large functions at the Winter Palace, and the service was repeatedly expanded between 1883 and 1910. Examples of this service may be seen in the exhibition catalog Iz Serviznykh Kladovykh: Ubranstvo russkogo imperatorskogo stola XVIII – Nachala XX Veka, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2016, p. 382. Estate of Princess Maria Romanoff HID03101062020 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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