BY THE STATE PORCELAIN FACTORY, PETROGRAD, PAINTED BY A. A. SKVORTSOV, 1923

From 1904, Alexei Alexandrovich Skvortsov (1891-1977) studied at the Art School of the Imperial Porcelain Factory and at the Central Institute for Technical Drawing of Baron A.L. Stieglitz, in St Petersburg. In 1909, he transferred to the painting workshop of the Imperial Porcelain Factory, where he specialised in figure painting. Skvortsov was also involved in decorating military plates after watercolours by V. V. Mazursky, copied certain well-known paintings onto porcelain and was known for his original works in the style of the Pompeian frescos, on black backgrounds.

Between 1921 and 1972, Skvortsov worked at the State [later Lomonosov] Porcelain Factory and was considered one of the finest porcelain painters, not only of the Factory, but in the entire Soviet Union. He also taught painting on porcelain at the Leningrad Artistic and Industrial Insitute and exhibited at numerous national exhibitions.

For other models of the same figure see: N. Lobanov-Rostovsky, Revolutionary Ceramics Soviet Porcelain 1917-1927, New York, 1990, p. 103, no. 110 and pp. 154-155 for mark; and L. Andreeva, Exhibition catalogue, Soviet ceramics, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento & Revereto, 2005, p. 169, illustration 367.

For further references and other figures of Chaliapin in the role of Boris Godunov see: T. N. Nosovich, I. P. Popov, The State Porcelain Factory, St Petersburg/Moscow, 2005, illustrated pp. 377-381.