BY THE IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FACTORY, ST PETERSBURG, PERIOD OF NICHOLAS I (1825-1855)

The Mikhailovsky Service was named for Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich (1798-1849), the fourth son of Emperor Paul I and Empress Maria Feodorovna; for use at his residence, the Mikhailovsky Palace, in St Petersburg. Initially produced during the reign of Emperor Alexander I, additional pieces were further commissioned during the reigns of Nicholas I and Alexander II. Plates from the service produced during the reign of Nicholas I were painted with copies of works by Dutch and Flemish artists.

For a porcelain vase depicting a comparable image described as 'Portrait of an artist', see N.B. von Wolf (ed. V.V. Znamenov), Imperatorskii farforovyi zavod, 1744-1904, St Petersburg, 2008, p. 335.