Pair of Russian plates

Pair of Russian gilded porcelain shallow bowls, 9 1/2" in diameter.

These plates were part of the large service originally made for Emperor Nicholas I which was offered for sale through Christies London, by the Soviet government to help raise funds for museum expansion in Russia, in March 1967. The Russian Ambassador and museum officials from Russia were present at the sale.

The service was among those used for the Imperial banquets held on such occasions as the Coronation, for ecclesiastical and diplomatic functions, and at the commissioning by the Tsar, who alone could confer a commission, of as many as two hundred officer cadets.

Asking price 1287 United States Dollars