The coffee set from the ‘Merchant’s Drawing Room’ exhibition of the Tomsk History Museum complements the sofa area, which is intended for receiving guests. This set of tableware consists of a coffee pot, several coffee cups with saucers, a tray, and a milk jug. Nothing is known about how these items got to the Tomsk History Museum. The origin of the set is unclear as well. According to one theory, it was produced in Europe no earlier than the mid-19th century. Though the items lack factory prints, they do have inscriptions in a foreign language. However, there is also another theory, according to which the set was made at the Gardner Porcelain Factory. This factory was launched in the second half of the 18th century and gained international renown in a matter of a few decades. Its first owner, the Scottish merchant Francis Gardner, produced tableware for the imperial court and the general public alike.

The set from our collection is decorated in grassy green colors. The images on the items were created using the decal technique, meaning that they were transferred from a masking sheet, rather than painted by hand with a brush. The tableware is decorated with gilding. The gold plating was applied over the glaze. Some of it got erased over time.

The pictures of romantic and mythological scenes adorning the service are framed by round medallions. They are found on the bodies of the coffee pot and the cups, as well as at the bottom of the tray. The mythological scenes feature people in antique clothes, forest spirits, and Cupid with a bow and arrow. Meanwhile, the romantic ones depict sentimental meetings of men and women. Some of them are dressed in city clothes, while others are wearing outfits that were more common in the countryside. It is worth noting that this style was characteristic of foreign also domestic porcelain alike.

The design of the set has an interesting peculiarity: the medallions on almost all of the saucers are decorated with floral rosettes, but two of them feature romantic scenes. This is because in the 19th century, the same as nowadays, there were special “tête-à-tête” tea and coffee sets, which were intended for two people drinking together. This is the most likely reason why the two saucers are different from the rest.