Lomonosov porcelain factory

The history of the Lomonosov Porcelain Plant (LFZ).

The famous Russian porcelain factory was founded in 1744 of the 18th century by Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great.And the Russian scientist Dmitry Vinogradov, after many years of research, revealed the secret to the manufacture of porcelain and developed the technology of its production.I must say that at that time the secret of porcelain was known only to Chinese artisans.Only the Saxon alchemist J. Bottger discovered a way of producing "European" solid porcelain.Peter the Great, who visited European countries and interested in all modern inventions, was very interested in the secrets of porcelain manufacturing.He ordered him to import him to Russia with the help of foreign artisans, but to no avail.The idea of Peter I about creating his own production of porcelain was successful after his death.His daughter Empress Elizabeth (1741-1761) hired a scientist Dmitry Vinogradov, who used local raw materials - clay from Gzhel and the Olonets quartz with Alabastr.He also led the idea of Vinogradov by creating the first Russian workshops for the production of porcelain products for training.

Initially, the plant belonged to the Romanov dynasties and produced dishes and other objects of porcelain exclusively for the Russian king.Later, in the middle of the 19th century, he was renamed the Emperor Porcelain Plant.The plant provided the needs of the court of His Majesty Tsar and, in comparison with private porcelain factories, practiced small -scale production.The products were extremely expensive and very rarely put up for sale.

On the occasion of the century from the day the plant was founded, the porcelain product was opened, the exposition of which now contain 20,000 exhibits reflecting the evolution of the artistic production of porcelain.Items made in the period from 1750 to 1820, with the participation of outstanding masters from the Academy of Arts, are involved in the design and design of porcelain, are of particular interest.Later, the connections between the factory and the Academy of Arts were sharply reduced by the artistic quality of products and technology for their production worsened.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the plant was reconstructed and the production of complex and large -sized porcelain products was launched.
In 1915, in connection with the First World War, the nature of the plant’s products changed rapidly and the plant moved to the production of laboratory vessels, heat -resistant porcelain tubes, spark plugs, etc.
After 1917, when the Bolsheviks came to power, the plant was nationalized and renamed the State Porcelain Plant.

In the 20s, the plant’s efforts were focused on the development of technology and industrial production of the most complex products intended for technical purposes, and the development and production of porcelain with campaign symbols, which was compared with this period in the life of the Soviet state.The production of the first post-revolutionary years was exhibited abroad.The exhibits produced at the factory won in 1925 a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris and some individual artists were awarded silver medals for their works.

In 1925, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the plant was again renamed and it was given the name of the founder of the Academy, Mikhail Lomonosov.And the plant began to be called the "Leningrad Porcelain Plant named after M.V. Lomonosov" (LFZ abbreviation comes from the name of the factory in the Russian - Leningrad Porcelain Plant, or unofficially, - the Lomonosov porcelain factory).

The factory produces a diverse assortment of porcelain dishes - tea, coffee sets of various shapes and decor, glasses, cups, saucers and presentation sets, flower vases, sculptures (mainly representing animals), chocrains for wine and all kinds of souvenirs.Up to 500 lines simultaneously in production.All complex drawings are carried out on porcelain with free manual painting, and simple graphic models are transferred to objects using multi -colored fabrics, and then painted by artists.

The Lomonosov plant is the first in the country that introduced the technology and the production of thin -walled porcelain products that differ in increased white, subtlety and transparency compared to traditional hard porcelain.

Porcelain products with the LFZ brand are well known in 30 countries.They are exported to Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Japan, Italy, USA and other countries.