BY THE STATE PORCELAIN FACTORY, PETROGRAD, LATE 1920S

The present figurine by Danko highlights the importance sport played within the social and cultural life of the Soviet Union. Sporting activities such as football were encouraged by the state, and the emphasis on the promotion of physical culture (fizkultura) was closely connected to the impetus to promote the achievements and success of the Soviet state.

For a comparable model, see Exhibition catalogue, The Voice of the Time Soviet Porcelain: Art and Propaganda, St Petersburg, 2017, p. 147, no. 66. For another comparable model from Dmitrovskii Porcelain Factory, see V. Levshenkov, Tvorchestvo Sester Danko, St Petersburg, 2012, p. 214.