In the early 20th century, sculptor Pavel Kamensky made more than 140 porcelain figurines about 30 cm high. All of them were hand-painted with glaze and dressed in the national costumes of the peoples living on the territory of the Russian Empire. Some were paired, featuring both male and female of the same ethnicity.
The ‘Peoples of Russia’ was the largest series of the Imperial Porcelain Factory and it was initiated by Nicholas II on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov House. For 10 years, from 1907 to 1917, the emperor was given 3-4 sculptures every year on Christmas Eve.
A little more than 70 statuettes have survived and, today, most of them have been included in the collections of the Hermitage, the Russian Museum and the Kunstkamera in St. Petersburg.
Take a look at some of them below.
Dear readers,
Our website and social media accounts are under threat of being restricted or banned, due to the current circumstances. So, to keep up with our latest content, simply do the following:
If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.
Subscribe
to our newsletter!
Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox