The sour cream bowl with a lid was produced by the Franz Gardner Factory. It is standing on a plate and has vertical curved belts and two handles. In the middle of the 19th century, the factory put engraved stamps depicting the Moscow coat-of-arms on its products, as can be seen here.
The Gardner Factory has a long and rich history that still continues to this day. The factory was founded in 1766, in the small village of VerbIlki in the DmItrovsky District of the Moscow Governorate. It was presumably founded by Franz (Francis) Gardner, who passed it on to his son Franz Frantsevich Gardner in the late 18th century. For 126 years since its opening, the factory was controlled by the descendants of Franz Yakovlevich. At some point it belonged to his grandchildren Aleksandr, Pyotr, and Nikolai. Then the reins were taken by the sons of Pyotr Gardner Nikolai and Vladimir.
Elizaveta Nikolaevna, the widow of Pavel Gardner (another one of Pyotr Gardner’s sons), sold the factory to the industrialist Matvey Kuznetsov in 1892, which marked the end of the “Gardner” era and the beginning of the “Kuznetsov” era.
By the time of his death in 1796, Franz Gardner had turned the factory into the best private-owned porcelain enterprise in Russia, although he started out with just a small batch of experimental porcelain.
However, the factory has seen both good and bad times during the reign of the three generations of Gardner’s heirs. After the death of Franz Frantsevich Gardner, the founder’s son, his wife inherited the factory and let it fall into decay. However, her sons later re-launched the production of famous porcelain. But for various reasons, the factory was not in the best condition at the time of its sale.
The factory started making faience goods since the second half of the 19th century, but did not profit much from it. It manufactured solely houseware for everyday use, mostly tableware. The enterprise gradually lost its significance in the last three decades of the 19th century. It stopped being the technological leader in its industry, and the artistic value of its products decreased. It could no longer compete with Kuznetsov’s factories.
The Gardner Factory has a long and rich history that still continues to this day. The factory was founded in 1766, in the small village of VerbIlki in the DmItrovsky District of the Moscow Governorate. It was presumably founded by Franz (Francis) Gardner, who passed it on to his son Franz Frantsevich Gardner in the late 18th century. For 126 years since its opening, the factory was controlled by the descendants of Franz Yakovlevich. At some point it belonged to his grandchildren Aleksandr, Pyotr, and Nikolai. Then the reins were taken by the sons of Pyotr Gardner Nikolai and Vladimir.
Elizaveta Nikolaevna, the widow of Pavel Gardner (another one of Pyotr Gardner’s sons), sold the factory to the industrialist Matvey Kuznetsov in 1892, which marked the end of the “Gardner” era and the beginning of the “Kuznetsov” era.
By the time of his death in 1796, Franz Gardner had turned the factory into the best private-owned porcelain enterprise in Russia, although he started out with just a small batch of experimental porcelain.
However, the factory has seen both good and bad times during the reign of the three generations of Gardner’s heirs. After the death of Franz Frantsevich Gardner, the founder’s son, his wife inherited the factory and let it fall into decay. However, her sons later re-launched the production of famous porcelain. But for various reasons, the factory was not in the best condition at the time of its sale.
The factory started making faience goods since the second half of the 19th century, but did not profit much from it. It manufactured solely houseware for everyday use, mostly tableware. The enterprise gradually lost its significance in the last three decades of the 19th century. It stopped being the technological leader in its industry, and the artistic value of its products decreased. It could no longer compete with Kuznetsov’s factories.
