When I saw this Porthos in a lot of five very grimy and underrated miniatures, I recognized it from a 2009 auction catalogue. The catalogue has a marked example made by the Imperial Porcelain Factory (IPF) from the period of Nicholas I (1825 – 1855).
The IPF was founded in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1744. It was owned by the state and made work primarily for the Romanov family up to the time of the Revolution. It has survived to this day as the Lomonosov Factory.
This figure stands 6.5 cm tall. It is unmarked.
The other four miniatures from the lot will be shown at later dates. Some of them may also be from the IPF based on shared characteristics but identification is a game of patience. Have to wait for those marked examples or book illustrations to present themselves.
Speaking of books, the catalogue cites another example of this figure in a book written in 1907 by N. B. von Wolf. I looked into getting a copy. I have to laugh. Copies of the book go for more than $10,000 at auction. So probably not coming to my library. There is a copy that can be seen by appointment at one of the New York libraries. So someday I might flip through it with white gloves on and see what else is there.
When I began to clean up the figures in the lot, the grease and grime of many decades disappeared without too much trouble. I used small brushes, cotton swabs and degreaser to get the surfaces looking the way they did back in the 19th century. I enjoy making them sparkle again.
These are not toys made for children as some miniatures are. These are properly scaled, fully detailed sculptures in miniature. There was much labour needed to produce this. This was an expensive object in its day. I especially like the dark red on the base and the royal purple on the cloak. These colours are made from dissolved gold.
The Imperial Factory was not the only one to make high quality miniatures. Examples from other factories will appear in the posting stream as well.
