Stamp of porcelain factories of the USSR: description, history and types

Soviet porcelain is of high quality and excellent decoration. Nowadays numerous collectors and art critics are after him. In the territory of the former Soviet Union, several dozens of factories for the production of porcelain and faience products operated. Determine on which of the factories was manufactured this or that object, will help stamp.

In this article we will talk about the hallmarks of the porcelain factories of the USSR. How do they look and what is depicted on them? And how did these stamps change over the years?

Stamp and its varieties

The term, most likely, comes from the German word Kleim, which translates into Russian as "glue". A brand is a certain graphic sign that is applied to a product or product in order to identify its manufacturer.

The brand, by and large, is a "product", the invention of the slave-owning era. In ancient times, there was a practice of branding slaves for any misconduct or crime (for example, for trying to escape).

Stamps are applied to the surface in three main ways:

1. Shock (usually on metal products).
2. Burning.
3. With the help of dyes.

The brand performs not only the function of identification of goods. It is very often a kind of sign of the quality of a product. By the way, it is with this feature that a common saying is connected: "You have no place to put a stamp on you!". So they say about people with a lot of vices or flaws.

Porcelain and earthenware industry and its development in Russia

Porcelain - it is quite strong, resistant to thermal and chemical influences, a material widely used in the production of dishes, art objects and some other products. For its production, as a rule, four mineral resources are used: kaolin, quartz, feldspar and plastic clay.

It is believed that the Chinese invented porcelain in the 7th century. And they kept secret the recipe for its manufacture for a very long time. Only in 1708 the Europeans managed to get porcelain. A few decades later, the technology of its production became available in Russia.

The first porcelain manufacture in Russia was opened in St. Petersburg in 1744. The brand of the porcelain factory in Soviet times was laconic and recognizable. It consisted of three curly letters: "LFZ" (Leningrad Porcelain Factory). This factory works today. True, now it is proudly called the Imperial, as in pre-revolutionary times.

Stamps of porcelain factories of the USSR and Russia: types and features

In the Soviet Union, the porcelain and faience industry was very developed. Products from porcelain (dishes, figurines, vases and other interior items) were made in different parts of the country. The greatest concentration of plants was observed in the Ukrainian SSR, as well as in the European part of the Russian SFSR.

According to the old Soviet catalogs, there were 178 porcelain factories in the USSR. Each of them had a stigma! It depicted either letters or simple graphic drawings, most often animals. So, for example, the stamps of Gorodnitsky porcelain factory depict a running deer, Polonsky - a white swan, Sinelnikovsky - a swallow in flight. Perhaps the most interesting brand was at the Zugdidi plant - a horse over a ball.

The hallmarks of porcelain factories are divided into two types: underglaze (performed on a "raw" product) and overglaze (are made after applying a decorative glaze ball). There are three main ways to brand the product:

• Extrusion by wet weight;
• Stamped stamp;
• Drawing stamps on the finished product.

What can tell the stamps of porcelain factories

The brand is, above all, a sign of the quality and authenticity of the goods, which is put by the manufacturer. Most often it can be found on the bottom of a porcelain product - cups, plates, vases or figurines.

Stamps of Soviet porcelain factories can tell a lot about a particular gizmo. That's why it is so important for a collector to learn how to "read" them. The stamps often contain information not only about the manufacturer, but also about the date of release of the product, the quality of porcelain, the personality of the artist who painted it, etc.

It is important to note that one and the same factory may have a whole "arsenal" of such markings, as the brands of porcelain factories have changed very often over the years. Sometimes, beyond recognition. All this creates a lot of problems for the present generation of collectors in the process of identifying certain products.

On the stamps of porcelain items you can often see the following marks: "1-C", "2-C", "3-C". What do they mean? These are the signs by which you can determine the grade of porcelain:

• First grade (1-C);
• Second grade (2-C);
• Third grade (3-C).

The grade of porcelain is sometimes indicated by the color of the stigma: red - for products of the highest quality grade; Blue for first grade, green for second and black (or brown) for third.

Next, we will describe in more detail the most famous porcelain factories in the USSR, paying special attention to their products and stamps.

Leningrad Porcelain Factory

This is the oldest and one of the largest in Russia enterprises for the production of porcelain products. It was founded in 1744. Now the plant is named - Imperial (abbreviated - IFZ).

Porcelain IFZ is exhibited in a number of famous museums in the world (in particular, in London, New York, and in the Hermitage). Today the plant produces the widest range of various products. These are tea sets, cups and saucers, statuettes, various interior items. Great popularity is enjoyed by the series "Moscow and Petersburg in porcelain", depicting the main attractions of the two capitals of the country on cups, plates and souvenir bells.

The brand of the porcelain factory in Soviet times was extremely laconic: three interlaced letters "LFZ". Today, on all the prints of this enterprise flaunts a two-headed eagle with the date of foundation of the plant and the inscription Imperial Porcelain.

Dmitrovsky Porcelain Factory

This enterprise, founded in 1766, is located in the village of Verbilki (Taldomsky district, Moscow region). Today it is called "Porcelain Verbilok."

During the Soviet era, the Dmitrovsky plant was focused on producing low-quality mass products. Nevertheless, during this period the porcelain products of the plant receive a number of prestigious international awards (in particular, a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937). Today, "Porcelain Verbilok" is one of the three porcelain enterprises operating in Russia.

The brand of the porcelain factory in Verbilki can not be recognized. It shows the head of an elk with the letter "B" in the lower right corner.

Dulevo Porcelain Factory

The largest enterprise of porcelain and faience industry in modern Russia is located in the city of Likino-Dulyovo (also in the Moscow Region). Dulevo Plant was founded in 1832. Under the guidance of the talented entrepreneur M. S. Kuznetsov, the factory has gained worldwide fame and popularity.

Products of this plant are easily recognized by a specific art painting. It clearly traces the motives of Russian folk folklore with the predominance of orange and red flowers. The tea set "Golden Deer" is perhaps the most significant work of this plant.

The hallmarks of the Dulyovo Porcelain Factory have changed 30 times in the history of its existence! Since 1962, the graphic design of the falcon remains the brand of the enterprise. And, the bird can "look" in both the left and the right side.

Gorodnitsky porcelain factory

This is one of the oldest enterprises of the Ukrainian porcelain and faience industry. The factory was built in 1799 and belonged to the princes of Czartoryski. To our great regret, in 2012 the enterprise was finally closed. It was located in the village of Gorodnitsa, Zhytomyr region.

In Soviet times, the plant produced dishes, tea sets, as well as porcelain figurines. On the brand of products depicted either a swan, or three letters: GFZ (by the name of the plant).

Polonsky Porcelain Factory

In the second half of the XIX century, the porcelain industry began to thrive in Podolia (the region of Western Ukraine), which contributed to the local raw materials base - rich deposits of kaolin, clay and quartz sand. In 1889, in the ancient town of Polonnoe (now Khmelnitsky region) , a plant was founded, which was destined to become one of the largest enterprises for the production of porcelain in the USSR.

Particularly famous Polonsky plant production of numerous figurines. The famous carafe with glasses in the form of fish, perhaps, stood in every second Soviet family. On the products of the Polonsky Porcelain Factory you can most often see a stamp in the form of a swan. Unfortunately, in 2008 the giant of the Ukrainian porcelain industry ceased to exist.