How the Imperial Porcelain Factory works. Museum Porcelain Workshop Porcelain Workshop

State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land- state budgetary institution of culture and art in Veliky Novgorod.

The museum is located on the territory of the Desyatinny Monastery, an architectural monument of the XIV-XIX centuries, and is one of the cultural centers of Veliky Novgorod. Until 1994, creative workshops were located in the northern building of the Tithes Monastery, where icon painters, wood carvers, painters, and ceramic artists worked. In January 1994, the Regional Training and Production Center for Artistic Creativity was opened here, which in 2002 received the status of the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land.

Story

The initiator of the opening and the first director of the Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land (1994-2008) was Gavrilova Galina Viktorovna, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation. Like-minded people who promoted the artistic creativity of the Novgorod land were the Honored Worker of Culture Zarakovskaya Inessa Leonidovna and the Honored Artist of Russia Varentsov Alexander Alekseevich.

In January 1994, the Regional Training and Production Center for Artistic Creativity was established, which opened to the public on April 12, 1994. The main idea of creating the Center with exhibition halls was the idea of combining professional creative forces and promoting the artistic creativity of the Novgorod land.

From the first day of the existence of the Center for Artistic Creativity, it was planned to create a Museum. This was already discussed at the opening of the Center. Subject and documentary materials were collected, the fund of the future museum was collected. The first works of art were donated by the professional leading artists of the city to the Center for Artistic Creation on April 8, 1994, thus laying the foundation for the future museum. It has become a good tradition for solo and group exhibitions. Already on April 12, 1994, the first exhibition of fine and decorative arts opened, where the works of 27 professional Novgorod artists were presented.

During the work of the Center for Artistic Creativity, about 200 exhibitions of works of fine and decorative art by artists of Veliky Novgorod, the region, other cities of Russia and foreign countries were organized. Thanks to creative cooperation with the artists exhibiting at the Center, the funds of the future museum were constantly replenished with works of fine, documentary and subject material. So gradually, in the period from 1994 to 2002, a collection of art by Novgorod artists of the second half of the 20th century was formed, numbering 2000 items.

In April 2002, the Regional Training and Production Center for Artistic Creativity received the status of the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land.

The State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land presents works of art by Novgorod artists of the late 20th - early 21st centuries. The museum's funds contain more than 6,500 items, including sculpture, graphics, painting, glass, porcelain, medal art, personal archives of artists.

In 2007 the museum was elected a collective member of the Petrovsky Academy of Sciences and Arts.

In 2011, a new exposition "Museum Porcelain Workshop" was opened at the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land.

In 2012, a new exposition "Cultural heritage of the Novgorod monasteries" was opened at the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land.

In 2016, the Territory of Equals art platform was opened at the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land.

Collections

The State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land is engaged in collecting, storing, studying and positioning contemporary art of the Novgorod Land. According to the established tradition, artists and heirs of deceased artists donate works of art to the museum.

The chronology of works in the museum's collection begins in the second half of the 19th century. The exposition of the museum presents works of art by Novgorod artists and masters of arts and crafts of the late 19th - early 21st centuries.

Picturesque and graphic works are made in different techniques - watercolor, pastel, etching, pencil drawing, linocut, oil painting, tempera, etc. Decorative and applied art is represented by works of glass and porcelain, in which artists continue the traditions of the largest in the northwest factories of the Kuznetsov family - "Kuznetsov factories" of the beginning of the 20th century, textiles - batik and tapestry. Sculptural works - busts, figurines, sculptural compositions. These are works of different artistic merit, but they adequately reflect the processes that took place in the domestic art of the last century.

Exhibition projects

The State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land is painting, graphics, sculpture, modern arts and crafts - all facets of fine art in one place. From 2 to 5 expositions and projects work simultaneously in the exhibition halls.

Permanent exhibitions

Cultural heritage of the Novgorod monasteries

Exhibition "Cultural heritage of the Novgorod monasteries"

The project "Cultural heritage of the Novgorod monasteries" was implemented by the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land in 2012 as part of the Program of JSC "Severstal" to support the activities of museums of fine arts "Museums of the Russian North". Organizational partner of CAF Russia.

February 16, 2012 in the halls of the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land was the opening of a new exposition "Cultural heritage of the Novgorod monasteries."

The exposition "Cultural heritage of the Novgorod monasteries" for the first time united in one exhibition space the cultural heritage of 25 Novgorod monasteries with preserved and reconstructed buildings. The exposition acquaints visitors with the history and culture of the Novgorod Land, allowing them to take a virtual journey. The artistic part of the exposition includes modern paintings, drawings from the museum's funds, complementing the section of modern art of the north of the period of the 1970s - 2000s. An interactive guide for each architectural monument is presented in photographs, documents from the archive, text materials and on electronic media. The exposition is supplemented with video materials. The exposition is based on the monograph by L. A. Sekretar "Monasteries of Veliky Novgorod and its environs."

Museum Workshop of Porcelain

Introduction

Porcelain is the main representative of fine ceramics. The characteristic features of porcelain are white with a bluish tint, low porosity and high strength, thermal and chemical resistance and natural decorative effect. Its features are determined by the chemical composition and structure of the crock, which depend on the purpose of the product, the conditions of their operation and the requirements for them.

Porcelain has high mechanical strength, chemical and thermal resistance, electrical insulating properties and is used for the manufacture of high-quality tableware, artistic, decorative and sanitary ware, electrical and radio engineering parts, corrosion-resistant chemical technology devices, low-frequency insulators, etc.

Porcelain is usually obtained by high-temperature firing of a fine mixture of kaolin, feldspar, quartz and plastic clay (such porcelain is called feldspar). The term "porcelain" in the English literature is often applied to technical ceramics: zircon, alumina, lithium, calcium boron and other porcelain, which reflects the high density of the corresponding special ceramic material.

Porcelain is also distinguished depending on the composition of the porcelain mass into soft and hard. Soft porcelain differs from hard porcelain not in hardness, but in the fact that when firing soft porcelain, more liquid phase is formed than when firing hard porcelain, and therefore the risk of deformation of the workpiece during firing is higher.

Hard porcelain is richer in alumina and poorer in fluxes. To obtain the necessary translucency and density, it requires a higher firing temperature (up to 1450 °C). Soft porcelain is more diverse in chemical composition. The firing temperature reaches 1300 °C. Soft porcelain is used mainly for the manufacture of art products, and hard porcelain is usually used in technology (electrical insulators) and in everyday life (dishes).

One of the types of soft porcelain is bone china, which includes up to 50% bone ash, as well as quartz, kaolin, etc., and which is distinguished by its special whiteness, thinness and translucency.

Porcelain is usually glazed. White, matte, unglazed porcelain is called biscuit. In the era of Classicism, biscuits were used as inserts in furniture products.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

Preparation of raw materials

The composition of the ceramic mass and the method of its preparation are determined based on the purpose of the product, its shape and type of raw material. The purpose of the preparation of raw materials is the destruction of the natural structure of materials to the smallest particles in order to obtain a homogeneous mass and accelerate the interaction of particles in the process of porcelain formation. It is carried out mainly by a plastic method, which provides a uniform composition of the mass.

Plastic materials (clay, kaolin) are dissolved in water in paddle mixers. The resulting mass in the form of a suspension is passed through a sieve (3600 - 4900 holes per 1 cm2) and an electromagnet to remove large inclusions and ferruginous impurities.

Weakening materials and fluxes are sorted, freed from foreign and harmful impurities. Quartz, feldspar, pegmatite and other components are fired at a temperature of 900-1000°C. In this case, quartz undergoes polyform changes, as a result of which it cracks. This, firstly, makes it easier to grind, and secondly, it makes it possible to remove pieces contaminated with ferruginous impurities, since during firing, quartz with impurities of ferruginous compounds acquires a yellow-brown color.

Stony materials, including porcelain batt, are washed, subjected to crushing and coarse grinding on runners, and then sieved. Fine grinding is carried out in ball mills with porcelain or uralite balls. To intensify grinding, a surface-active additive is introduced into the mill - sulfite-alcohol stillage (from 0.5 to 1%), which, filling microcracks, has a kind of wedging effect. Grinding is carried out to a residue of 1-2% on a sieve with 10,000 holes per 1 cm2.

Plastic and emaciated materials, fluxes and porcelain batt are thoroughly mixed in a propeller-type mixer. A homogeneous mass is passed through a sieve and an electromagnet and dehydrated in special filter presses or vacuum filters. The resulting plastic mass with a moisture content of 23-25% is sent for two weeks for aging in a room with high humidity. During aging, oxidative and microbiological processes, hydrolysis of feldspar and the formation of silicic acid occur, which contributes to the loosening of the mass, further destruction of the natural structure of materials and an increase in the plastic properties of the mass. After aging, the mass is processed on mass grinders and vacuum presses to remove air inclusions, as well as plasticity and other physical and mechanical properties necessary for the formation of products.

Types of porcelain

Depending on the composition of the porcelain mass and glaze, hard and soft porcelain are distinguished. Some intermediate type is represented by the so-called bone china.

hard porcelain contains mainly two starting materials: kaolin and feldspar (most often in combination with white mica; melts relatively easily). Quartz or sand is added to these basic substances. The properties of porcelain depend on the proportion of two main substances: the more kaolin its mass contains, the more difficult it is to melt and the harder it is. This mixture is ground, kneaded, milled and then dried to the extent of a pasty state capable of taking shape. A plastic mass appears, which can either be cast in molds or turned on a potter's wheel. Finished objects are fired twice: first without glaze at a temperature of 600-800 degrees C, then with glaze - at 1500 0 C. Feldspar or pegmatite are used as fluxes. Cover hard porcelain with hard glaze. Thin varieties are covered with lime-free spar glaze, so the products are matte, milky-cream in color. But simpler varieties are covered with a completely transparent lime glaze. Glaze and porcelain mass consist of the same substances, only in different proportions. Thanks to this, they are connected and the glaze can no longer be beaten off or peeled off.

Hard porcelain is characterized by strength, strong resistance to heat and acids, impermeability, transparency, conchoidal fracture and, finally, a clear bell sound. Invented in Europe, in 1708 in Meissen by Johann Friedrich Bötger.

soft porcelain , also called art or frit, consists mainly of mixtures of vitreous substances, the so-called frits, containing sand or flint, saltpeter, sea salt, soda, alum and crushed alabaster. After a certain melting time, marl containing gypsum and clay is added to this mass. In principle, this means that we are talking about a fused vitreous substance with an addition of clay. All this mass is ground and filtered, bringing to a plastic state. The molded object is fired at 1100-1500°C, becoming dry and non-porous. The glaze is predominantly made of glass, that is, of a fusible substance rich in lead oxide and containing, in addition, sand, soda, potash and lime. Already glazed products are subjected to secondary firing at 1050-1100°C, when the glaze is combined with the shard. Compared to hard, soft porcelain is more transparent, the white color is even more delicate, sometimes almost creamy, but the heat resistance of this porcelain is lower. The fracture is straight, and the unglazed part is granular in the fracture. The initial European porcelain was mostly soft, which is exemplified by the fine and highly valued products of the Sevres. It was invented in the XVl century in Florence (Medici porcelain).

Bone china represents a well-known compromise between hard and soft porcelain. Its composition was discovered in England and its production began there around 1750. In addition to kaolin and feldspar, it contains lime phosphate from burnt bone, which makes smelting easier. Bone china is fired at 1100-1500°C. So, we are talking essentially about hard porcelain, but one that is made softer by mixing burnt bone.

Its glaze is basically the same as on soft porcelain, but contains, in addition to lead oxide, a certain amount of borax for better connection with the shard. With appropriate incandescent heat, this glaze melts and is firmly connected to the shard. According to its properties, bone china occupies an intermediate position between hard and soft porcelain. It is harder and harder than soft porcelain and less permeable, but it has a rather soft glaze in common. Its color is not as white as that of hard porcelain, but whiter than that of soft porcelain. Bone china was first used in 1748 at Bow by Thomas Fry.

From the above, we can conclude; that the main ones for the manufacture of porcelain, there are three types that differ in composition, firing temperature and are used for different types of products. Also, for each type, its own glaze is made.

PORCELAIN PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

. Porcelain production

The production process for the manufacture of ceramic products consists of several stages:

preparation of raw materials;

mass preparation;

product formation, firing;

glazing and decor.

The preparation of raw materials consists in cleaning the raw materials from impurities, thorough grinding, sifting, drying, etc. The preparation of the mass consists of mixing the raw materials in certain proportions and mixing the mixture with water until a homogeneous liquid porcelain mass is obtained. The mass is passed through a sieve, cleaned (with an electromagnet) from iron impurities and dehydrated (on filter presses or vacuum presses) to obtain a forming dough.

free molding on a potter's wheel;

plastic molding by hand imprint in the mold;

plastic molding in a rotating plaster mold using a molding template or roller;

· Formation of the vessel by the method of circular molding. Molding by slip casting in plaster molds;

production of ceramic products by a combination of several molding methods.

The method of free molding of ceramic products on the potter's wheel consists in the mechanical action of the potter's hands on the clay blank in the form of plastic dough. First, the master prepares the potter's wheel for work. The first stage is the primary processing of the workpiece. Then the internal cavity of the product, the edges of the workpiece, and again the internal cavity are formed. After that, the master pulls the workpiece to the desired height. During all these operations, he rotates the potter's wheel with his foot or with a drive mechanism. The process ends with finishing the outer surfaces, trimming the bottom, and drying. During drying, the product can be decorated with stucco details, seals, stamped moldings.

Plastic molding by hand imprint is carried out using plaster molds. Forms can be open and detachable; open ones are used for molding flat products; detachable - in the development of products on three-dimensional models of complex shapes.

Plastic molding in a rotating plaster mold using a template or roller is as follows. The form, which opens into two halves, is installed in the assembled form in the rotating bowl of the machine. A lump of clay is fed into the inner cavity of the mold, calculated on the volume of the manufactured product. A forming template is lowered into the mold cavity, which evenly distributes the clay mass in the inner side of the mold, after which it is lifted and removed from the mold. Then the form with the product is removed from the setting machine, dried, opened, the product is removed and further processing is continued (attachment of parts - spouts, handles, covers and other additional mounts).

Molding by the method of slip casting into plaster molds is based on the property of gypsum to absorb moisture, and the ability of clay to transfer from a liquid slip to a plastic dough state when the humidity decreases. Products are formed as follows. The slurry is poured into the inner cavity of the gypsum mold, as a result of which moisture is redistributed between the slurry, which releases moisture, and the gypsum mold, which absorbs this moisture. After redistribution of moisture on the inner working surface of the gypsum mold, a layer of clay mass is formed from the slip, turning into a state of plastic dough. When the form has "gained" the specified thickness of the layer of clay, the slip is poured out of the inner cavity of the mold, and the layer of clay on the inner surface of the mold remains. This layer of thickened slurry is a molded hollow pottery raw material. As it dries, the raw material in the form, decreasing, separates from its walls.

The manufacture of ceramic products by a combination of several molding methods makes it possible to obtain products of complex shape. The combination of plastic molding in a rotating plaster mold with a metal template or roller with slip casting and mounting of attachments is widespread in the production of teapots, sugar bowls, cups, decanters, bowls and other porcelain and earthenware products consisting of a body and individual parts. After molding, the products are dried in air and fired.

As part of the project, it is unlikely that I will ever find myself in the production of the Imperial Porcelain Factory. But it's so cool to watch how porcelain is made.

Once I was already in a small private workshop and thought that the atmosphere at such a large plant would be very different, and that it was all mechanics and a conveyor. But, apparently, porcelain and ceramics are something so warm, magical that a peaceful creative atmosphere always reigns around all this.
Here, oddly enough, a lot of manual labor. Everything that was possible was automated, the rest was only by hand. When you see how much work is invested in each cup, the prices for finished products no longer seem high.
We will get acquainted with 3 professions and 4 IPE employees who agreed to show and tell bloggers about their work.

This is Khvalovskaya Svetlana Viktorovna, a stamping painter. At IPE, people who come up with something new in painting are called artists, and those who copy the pattern on porcelain are called painters. (In my opinion, "I am a painter of the Imperial Porcelain Factory" sounds chic if you want a high-profile position))) All this cobalt mesh, the signature pattern of the IPM, is applied by hand! And the golden elements are just applied by stamping painters with the help of tiny rubber stamps and liquid gold. Each product has several different types of stamps, it is important to apply all this strictly according to the model.

Svetlana Viktorovna has been at the plant for 7 years and, naturally, she does not need to look at any samples. There are a lot of employees at IFZ who have been working here for many years. I liked this workshop the most, they have very comfortable workplaces:

There is no noise here, it smells of lavender oil, which is diluted with gold and you can hear conversations about life) I would also turn on serials from the tablet, but they say they can’t. But music and audiobooks in headphones are possible)

In general, such a calm, not stressful job. And the specialty of "painter-stamper" is not found in any vacancy for the year, not only in St. Petersburg, but, in general, in Russia.
Decals are applied to smooth surfaces. These are ready-made drawings that are transferred to porcelain (the word "dishes" is considered shameful here and is not used in relation to IPE products), like decals.

But let's move on.

This is Postupkina Dina Nikolaevna, a porcelain caster of the highest category. She pours slip into plaster molds, takes out the product and cleans it with brushes. By the way, she takes students :) It takes six months to learn a profession, but this time is also paid.

"The Imperial Porcelain Factory guarantees a potential "porcelain caster" a 5-day work schedule from 7.30 to 16.12. On Friday, a specialist can count on a short working day until 12.15. professions.A specialist will receive a salary from 16,000 to 24,000 rubles by casting products of medium complexity, mandrel, finishing the surface of products in compliance with the specified accuracy and subsequent installation on a shelf of a conveyor dryer.After completing the training, the employee will receive a bonus and an increase in wages ."- such information is given to us by the co-organizer of the project #behind the scenes of rare professions.

Casters do not have such a cozy workplace - they work standing up, although this is definitely a plus for the figure. There is a little more noise than the painters. Dina Nikolaevna, like Svetlana Viktorovna, notes that what pleases her most in her work is a good team and the results of her work. Indeed, few people can boast that every day brings something beautiful into the world.

Mostly women work in production. Men don't want to come here because of the salary level, mostly. Therefore, the IPM is especially in need of casters of large forms (huge vases, sculptures). Essentially the same thing that Dina Nikolaevna does, but with larger objects. This is physically hard work and only men and some women can do it, for example, such as our next heroine, Mikhailova Olga Rudolfovna.

In front of our surprised eyes, she removed the bear from the mold and glued its paw to it. (Complex products are cast from several parts and assembled using a special slip)

And finally, the last heroine, Marshalkina Marina Olegovna, is a porcelain glazer in the bone china workshop. (Bone china is especially thin, so called because crushed tibia of a bull is added to the slip)

I would definitely not choose this workshop for work, it is very noisy here and there is a production smell. But if you like purple, you definitely come here) At first I thought that they had a huge batch of purple dishes, but Marina Olegovna explained to us that all bone china has this color before firing. They add ink to the glaze to see how evenly the products are coated. During firing, the ink burns out and the porcelain becomes white.

Here's another tip from HeadHunter "Those who want to try their hand at the profession of "porcelain glazing" will need to learn how to glaze products manually, clean glaze from glaze and blow compressed air on products. Discipline and responsibility will be important requirements when applying for a job. In return, the Imperial Porcelain Factory is ready to offer applicants a salary of 22,000 to 23,360 rubles, 35 calendar days of vacation, a full social package, medical insurance and compensation for the cost of children's vouchers.

The address:
Tithes Monastery, Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod Region, 173007

Telephone:
+7 911 644 02 91

Working mode:
10:00 – 17:30
Day off: Fri

Open: 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Closed: Fri

Admission:
adult - 120 rubles.
children under 14 years old - 60 rubles.
Special offer at the Porcelain Museum Workshop:
“Come to the Museum with your family on weekends”
every Saturday from 10:00 to 13:00
family visit: adults - 80 rubles, children under 18 years old - free of charge

120 rubles (adults)
60 rubles (students)

Master Class:
adult - 250 rubles,
preferential - 200 rubles,
preschoolers - 150 rubles.

GPS coordinates:
58.51758200, 31.26351100

Special offer at the Porcelain Museum Workshop - "Come to the Museum with your family on weekends"!

Offer valid every Saturday from 10:00 to 13:00. family visit:

adults - 80 rubles.
children under 18 - free of charge

The exposition is an impression where the history of Novgorod porcelain is intertwined with technology, multimedia "miracles" are combined with author's installations, educational programs, master classes, holidays, festivals - all this is the "Museum Porcelain Workshop" in Veliky Novgorod. The museum is the winner of the VII Grant Competition "Changing Museum in a Changing World" The competition is held by the V. Potanin Charitable Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the operational management of the Association of Cultural Managers (AMC).

The exposition "Museum Porcelain Workshop" is located on the territory of the Desyatinny Monastery - an architectural monument of the 14th - 19th centuries in the center of Veliky Novgorod. 300 meters from the Kremlin. The complex is one of the centers of artistic culture of Veliky Novgorod. The Museum Porcelain Workshop is filled with modern multimedia “miracles” and author's installations. The interior is made in the form of a forge and makes it possible to be transported into the atmosphere of a porcelain factory - burnt brick, a feeling of heat and fire, and sparkling porcelain products nearby. The exposition connected the brilliant historical past of "Kuznetsov" porcelain with the Soviet period - the production of products with cobalt coating, which became the hallmark of the masters of the Novgorod land. The uniqueness of the exposition lies in the fact that elements of a technological line for the production of porcelain, elements of museum-supported porcelain production, a collection of Novgorod porcelain, archival materials are presented in a single space.

Attention! The Porcelain Museum Workshop invites you to visit educational programs:

"Artist of the painting workshop» - visitors will make a fascinating journey through the magic forge and will be able to try their hand at various ways of decorating porcelain products.
"Porcelain Technologist"- during an exciting game, guests will be able to get acquainted with all the subtleties of porcelain production, visit modern porcelain production and make their own product.

Attention! October 1 the exposition "Museum Porcelain Workshop" of the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land opens its doors to elderly people. The event is part of the International Day of Older Persons. Starting from 2011, on October 1, elderly people can visit the exposition "Museum Porcelain Workshop" absolutely free of charge.

New! Program "Child's Birthday at the Museum" held in the exposition "Museum Porcelain Workshop". During the holiday, the children will get acquainted with the gifts that were given in the old days for a birthday, make postcards for the birthday man, play, and also paint porcelain products, pack them and take them with them. The duration of the program is 1 hour, after which time is provided for photographing, as well as self-acquaintance with the exposition. The program is designed for children from 7 to 12 years old. Parents can attend the celebration with their children, and can also book an excursion to the Museum during the program. Program cost: 200 rubles. for each visitor, 1 accompanying person free of charge.

For children, adults and family groups organized interactive programs: master classes in porcelain painting, quest "Secrets of Kuznetsov's porcelain"; family holiday "Tea Yard"; for the elderly in the evening meetings "Museum Tea Party".

A master class on painting a souvenir is a unique opportunity to create a wonderful souvenir with your own hands - a decorative porcelain product with an author's painting, to get acquainted with the wonderful "Kuznetsov" porcelain and the manufacture of porcelain. During the master class, visitors will independently paint a porcelain product under the guidance of a specialist, put a brand, pack it and take it with them. The master class "Novgorod souvenir" takes place in the premises of the exhibition "Museum Porcelain Workshop".

Interactive tour "Journey through the Tithes Monastery"- this is an opportunity to get acquainted with the history and architecture of the Tithes Monastery, to "see" (in interactive mode) the lost Orthodox Shrines (the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin of the XIV century, the Church of All Saints of the XIX century), to visit the place where the famous battle of Novgorodians took place in 1170 with the people of Suzdal, in which, according to a widespread legend, the Novgorodians won thanks to the miracle of the “Sign” icon. The tour includes a visit to the halls and exhibitions of the museum.

What to bring from St. Petersburg - crumpets, smelt? Let's say a piece of the curb is still possible (they are sold, so you don't even have to pick it out as a keepsake), but the best thing is the product of the Imperial Porcelain Factory. Perhaps every real Petersburger has a cup with the famous cobalt mesh at home. Or a figurine or something special.
Not so long ago, I was able to visit the Imperial Porcelain Factory and see how famous products are created and, of course, that very recognizable cobalt mesh.

Reference: The plant was founded in 1744 (20 years earlier than the Hermitage!) by decree of Empress Elizabeth.
The works of the Imperial Porcelain Factory are included in the treasury of world porcelain and are represented in the collections of the best museums in the world.

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This is how the Cobalt mesh looks like before firing it is black:

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This year, the plant celebrates the 70th anniversary of its creation and the 65th anniversary of the launch of its brand name - the Cobalt Net service.
And at the world exhibition in Brussels, the service received a gold medal for the pattern and shape “Tulip”.

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The author of the service is the artist Anna Yatskevich, she also came up with the official logo of the Lomonosov Leningrad Porcelain Factory - LFZ. A Petersburger, born in 1904, Anna Yatskevich remained in Leningrad throughout the blockade, worked, and in 1944, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Porcelain Factory, she was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

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Anna Yatskevich decided to try cobalt pencils when painting - they have a cobalt core instead of graphite. At first, cobalt stripes alternated with stripes made in red paint.

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There are many theories about the origin of this traditional decor, but even experts do not know the exact answer.
Perhaps it was inspired by Elizaveta Petrovna's "Own Service" or a Viennese service with a so-called trellis net stored in the factory museum. Or memories of the cross beams of the besieged searchlights bursting into the sky and the cross-sealed windows of the besieged city.

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Then the products are sent to the oven and the mesh turns blue:

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The artist has been working on such a dish for about two weeks:

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Porcelain is usually obtained by high-temperature firing of a coarse mixture of kaolin, quartz, feldspar and plastic clay. But each porcelain is unique and no one discloses its exact recipe.

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Porcelain is divided into soft and hard. Soft porcelain differs from hard porcelain not in hardness, but in the fact that when firing soft porcelain, more liquid phase is formed than when firing hard porcelain, and therefore the risk of deformation of the workpiece during firing is higher.
The hardest porcelain is bone china.
Bone china is particularly refined, thin-walled and translucent.
Porcelain is usually covered with icing, and uncovered is called a biscuit.
They all look different

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This is a biscuit (appetizing such names for porcelain are biscuit, icing)

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Waste production:

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Liquid porcelain mass, slip, is poured into a plaster mold:

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Complex products are made from several parts and fastened with a thicker porcelain mass:

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Like this:

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Details:

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Defective figurines also look cool, and you want to take them away (it’s still a marriage, right?), but employees are forbidden to take something away, then it’s all used as raw materials for new products

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The plaster mold is assembled from two parts, so that later it can be disassembled and the product removed.

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After some time, the figure is removed:

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Figurines based on Shemyakin's sketches:

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And this inscription, as Igor said, must be broadcast in the registry office:

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Part molds:

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A copy from the series "Peoples of the Russian Empire":

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And this is frosting. Before lowering the product into it, it is necessary to mix until a homogeneous state:

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And then the product is dipped there, just like that, without gloves:

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Even containers with paints with the famous decor:

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Porcelain is painted in two ways: underglaze painting and overglaze painting.

When painting underglaze porcelain, paints are applied to unglazed porcelain.
Then the porcelain product is covered with transparent glaze and fired at a high temperature of up to 1350 degrees.
The cobalt mesh is made in this way.

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The palette of colors of overglaze painting is richer, overglaze painting is applied over glazed linen (a professional term for unpainted white porcelain) and then fired in a muffle furnace at a temperature of 780 to 850 degrees.

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During firing, the paint is fused into the glaze, leaving behind a thin layer of glaze. Paints after a good firing shine (except for special matte paints used only for decorative purposes), do not have any roughness

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The red paint will then be removed and the porcelain will remain white in these areas:

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Kilns are used for firing, which reach 30 meters in length.
Maybe that's what I'd like to see. And in general, while we were walking through the territory of the plant, I noticed photographs from the production on the walls, they looked very picturesque and authentic, and I was looking forward to taking something like that now too.
But it turned out that these photos were taken at a "big" production. The territory of the plant is 5 hectares, everything is occupied by workshops, but there is also a small building where all phases of production are collected in a small area, so that it is convenient to show and conduct tours. That's where we were.

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On the ground floor there is a shop of the plant, everyone can come there and buy something.
Riddle: how much do you think such a figurine costs?

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Series with the Hedgehog in the fog:

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And with the Little Prince, sold at Bukvoed, but here the assortment is better:

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Petersburg souvenirs: