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These plates were part of the large service originally made for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.
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