The soap dish was manufactured at the Moscow factory M.S. Kuznetsov’s Partnership for Production of Porcelain, Dutchware, and Maiolica Items in the late 19th century. It was one of the largest porcelain and Dutchware enterprises in the Russian Empire of the late 19th–early 20th centuries and operated until 1917.
The partnership was established in 1887 by the Russian industrialist and businessman from the Kuznetsov family, Matvey Kuznetsov. The Kuznetsov family had long-lasting ties to porcelain manufacturing: in the early 19th century the dynasty opened a porcelain factory near Gzhel. The items made by the Partnership were highly praised for their quality. The factory actively used new technology, for example, steam machines. Products were decorated with stencil patterns and decals—a method for stamping an image from paper onto ceramic.
The factory aimed at making their products more accessible for people with any budget. Farmers could afford cheap and inconspicuous dishes, while townspeople bought mid-priced sets with showier patterns, much like the ones available to the nobility. Workers at the factory used a special method of manufacturing which was guarded as a company secret. For a year they kept clay in a cellar where it became more plastic due to atmospheric pressure.
The soap dish here is made from porcelain decorated with patterns, and the glazing gives it a glossy look. The manufacturer worked especially hard on the picture of the coat-of-arms of the Russian Empire as a symbol of their high status and respect, and the inscription saying “Soap and Cream Malakoderm. Brocard and Co Partnership.” The French perfumer Henri Brocard established a perfume manufacture in Moscow. He made a name for himself as a manufacturer of economic soap for common folk.
The elegant shape of the soap box in our exposition resembles a lily. The classic white and the signature form a single color scheme of the product. It has some features of the modern minimalistic style typical for the late 19th, early 20th centuries.
The partnership was established in 1887 by the Russian industrialist and businessman from the Kuznetsov family, Matvey Kuznetsov. The Kuznetsov family had long-lasting ties to porcelain manufacturing: in the early 19th century the dynasty opened a porcelain factory near Gzhel. The items made by the Partnership were highly praised for their quality. The factory actively used new technology, for example, steam machines. Products were decorated with stencil patterns and decals—a method for stamping an image from paper onto ceramic.
The factory aimed at making their products more accessible for people with any budget. Farmers could afford cheap and inconspicuous dishes, while townspeople bought mid-priced sets with showier patterns, much like the ones available to the nobility. Workers at the factory used a special method of manufacturing which was guarded as a company secret. For a year they kept clay in a cellar where it became more plastic due to atmospheric pressure.
The soap dish here is made from porcelain decorated with patterns, and the glazing gives it a glossy look. The manufacturer worked especially hard on the picture of the coat-of-arms of the Russian Empire as a symbol of their high status and respect, and the inscription saying “Soap and Cream Malakoderm. Brocard and Co Partnership.” The French perfumer Henri Brocard established a perfume manufacture in Moscow. He made a name for himself as a manufacturer of economic soap for common folk.
The elegant shape of the soap box in our exposition resembles a lily. The classic white and the signature form a single color scheme of the product. It has some features of the modern minimalistic style typical for the late 19th, early 20th centuries.
