Museum porcelain workshop. How the Imperial Porcelain Factory works Making porcelain products

Introduction

Porcelain is the main representative of fine ceramics. The characteristic features of porcelain are white color with a bluish tint, low porosity and high strength, thermal and chemical resistance and natural decorativeness. Its features are determined by the chemical composition and structure of the shard, which depend on the purpose of the product, the conditions of their operation and the requirements placed on 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 products, electrical and radio engineering parts, corrosion-resistant chemical technology devices, low-frequency insulators, etc.

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

Porcelain is also differentiated 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 there is a higher risk of deformation of the workpiece during firing.

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

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

Porcelain is usually glazed. White, matte, unglazed porcelain is called bisque. 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 materials. The purpose of preparing raw materials is to destroy the natural structure of materials to the smallest particles to obtain a homogeneous mass and accelerate the interaction of particles in the process of porcelain formation. It is carried out mainly using a plastic method, which ensures that the mass is uniform in composition.

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 ferrous impurities.

Waste materials and fluxes are sorted and 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 grinding easier, and secondly, it allows you to remove pieces contaminated with ferrous impurities, since when fired, quartz with impurities of ferrous compounds acquires a yellow-brown color.

Rocky materials, including broken porcelain, are washed, crushed and coarsely ground on runners, and then sifted. Fine grinding is done 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 lean materials, fluxes and porcelain waste are thoroughly mixed in a propeller-type mixer. The homogeneous mass is passed through a sieve and an electromagnet and dewatered in special filter presses or vacuum filters. The resulting plastic mass with a humidity of 23-25% is sent to a room with high humidity for two weeks to age. During aging, oxidative and microbiological processes occur, hydrolysis of feldspar and the formation of silicic acid, which contributes to loosening the mass, further destruction of the natural structure of the materials and increasing 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. A certain intermediate type is represented by the so-called bone china.

Hard porcelain contains mainly two starting materials: kaolin and feldspar (most often combined 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, crushed and then dried to a dough-like 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 is used as fluxes. “Sometimes dolomite and lime spar are additionally introduced to enhance translucency. Cover hard porcelain with a hard glaze. Thin varieties are coated with spar glaze without lime, 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 distinguished by its strength, strong resistance to heat and acids, impenetrability, transparency, conchoidal fracture and, finally, a clear bell sound. Invented in Europe, in 1708 in Meissen by Johann Friedrich Böttger.

Soft porcelain , also called artistic or frit, consists primarily of mixtures of glassy 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 glassy substance with an addition of clay. This entire mass is ground and filtered, bringing it to a plastic state. The molded object is fired at 1100-1500°C, becoming dry and non-porous. The glaze is mainly made of glass, that is, from a fusible substance rich in lead oxide and also containing sand, soda, potash and lime. Already glazed products are subjected to a second firing at 1050-1100°C, when the glaze is combined with the shard. Compared to hard porcelain, 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 in the fracture is grainy. The majority of early European porcelain was soft, as exemplified by the beautiful and highly valued products of Sevres. It was invented in the 15th 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 the burnt bone, which makes smelting easier. Bone china is fired at 1100-1500°C. So, we are essentially talking about hard porcelain, but one that is made softer by mixing the 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 firmly bonds to the shard. In its properties, bone china occupies an intermediate position between hard and soft porcelain. It is more durable and harder than soft porcelain and less permeable, but it has in common a rather soft glaze. 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 in Bow by Thomas Fry.

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

PORCELAIN PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

. Porcelain production

The production process for making ceramic products consists of several stages:

preparation of raw materials;

preparing the mass;

product formation, firing;

glazing and decoration.

Preparation of raw materials consists of cleaning the starting materials from impurities, thoroughly grinding, sifting, drying, etc. Preparation of the mass consists of mixing raw materials in certain proportions and stirring 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 dewatered (on filter presses or vacuum presses) to obtain molding dough.

· free forming on a potter's wheel;

· plastic molding by hand imprinting in a mold;

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

· Molding of the vessel using the circular molding method. Molding by slip casting into plaster molds;

· production of ceramic products using a combination of several molding methods.

The method of free-forming ceramic products on a potter's wheel involves the mechanical action of the potter's hands on a clay preparation 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 this, the master pulls the workpiece to the desired height. During all these operations, he rotates the potter's wheel with his foot or drive mechanism. The process ends with finishing the outer surfaces, trimming the bottom, and drying. During drying, the product can be decorated with molded parts, signets, stamped moldings.

Plastic molding by hand is carried out using plaster molds. Forms can be open or detachable; open ones are used for molding flat products; detachable - when producing products using three-dimensional models of complex shapes.

Plastic molding in a rotating plaster mold using a template or roller occurs as follows. The assembled mold, which opens into two halves, is installed in the rotating bowl of the machine. A lump of clay calculated for the volume of the product being manufactured is fed into the internal cavity of the mold. A molding template is lowered into the mold cavity, which evenly distributes the clay mass in the inside of the mold, after which it is lifted and removed from the mold. Then the mold with the product is removed from the installation machine, dried, opened, the product is removed and further processing continues (attachment of parts - spouts, handles, lids and other additional mounting).

Molding by slip casting into gypsum molds is based on the property of gypsum to absorb moisture, and the ability of clay to transform from a liquid slip into a plastic dough state when the humidity decreases. The products are formed as follows. The slip is poured into the internal cavity of the gypsum mold, resulting in a redistribution of moisture between the slip, which gives off moisture, and the gypsum mold, which absorbs this moisture. After the redistribution of moisture on the inner working surface of the gypsum mold, a layer of clay mass is formed from the slip, which turns into a plastic dough state. When the mold has “gained” the specified thickness of the clay layer, the slip is poured out of the internal cavity of the mold, and the clay layer remains on the inner surface of the mold. This layer of thickened slip is a molded hollow ceramic product - raw. As it dries, the raw material in the mold shrinks and separates from its walls.

The production of ceramic products using a combination of several molding methods makes it possible to obtain products of complex shapes. The combination of the plastic molding method in a rotating plaster mold with a metal template or roller with slip casting and mounting of attached parts 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 air dried and fired.

Address:
Desyatinny Monastery, Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod region, 173007

Telephone:
+7 911 644 02 91

Operating mode:
10:00 – 17:30
Closed: Fri

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

Admission:
adult – 120 rub.
children under 14 years old – 60 rub.
Special offer in the “Museum Porcelain Workshop”:
“On your days off, come to the Museum with your family”
every Saturday from 10:00 to 13:00
family visit: adults - 80 rubles, children under 18 years old - free

120 rubles (adults)
60 rubles (students)

Master class:
adult – 250 rub.,
preferential – 200 rub.,
preschoolers – 150 rub.

GPS coordinates:
58.51758200, 31.26351100

Special offer at the “Museum Porcelain Workshop” - “On your day off, come to the Museum with your family”!

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

adults - 80 rub.
children under 18 years old - free

The exhibition 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 “A 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 (AMK).

The exhibition “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's porcelain workshop is filled with modern multimedia “miracles” and original installations. The interior is made in the shape 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 exhibition connected the brilliant historical past of Kuznetsov porcelain with the Soviet period - the production of products with cobalt coating, which became business card masters of the Novgorod land. The uniqueness of the exhibition is that in a single space there are presented elements of the porcelain production line, elements of museumized porcelain production, a collection of Novgorod porcelain, and archival materials.

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

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

Attention! October 1 exposition “Museum porcelain workshop” State Museum artistic culture of the Novgorod land opens its doors to elderly people. The event takes place within International Day older people. Since 2011, on October 1, older people can visit the exhibition “Museum Porcelain Workshop” absolutely free of charge.

New! Program “Children's Birthday at the Museum” held in the exhibition “Museum Porcelain Workshop”. During the holiday, the children will get acquainted with the gifts that were given in the old days for birthdays, make cards for the birthday boy, play, and also paint porcelain items, pack them and take them with them. The duration of the program is 1 hour, after which time is provided for photography, as well as independent exploration of the exhibition. 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 rub. for each visitor, 1 accompanying person free of charge.

Organized for children, adults and family groups interactive programs : porcelain painting master classes, quest “Secrets of Kuznetsov porcelain”; family holiday "Tea yard"; for older people, evening meetings “Museum Tea Party”.

A master class on souvenir painting 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 porcelain making. During the master class, visitors will independently paint a porcelain product under the guidance of a specialist, stamp it, pack it and take it with them. The master class “Novgorod Souvenir” takes place in the premises of the exhibition “Museum Porcelain Workshop”.

Interactive excursion “Journey through the Desyatinny Monastery”- this is an opportunity to get acquainted with the history and architecture of the Desyatinny Monastery, to “see” (in an interactive mode) the lost Orthodox Shrines (the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of the 14th century, the Church of All Saints of the 19th century), to visit the place where the famous battle of the Novgorodians took place in 1170 with the Suzdalians, 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.

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 14th-19th centuries, and is one of the cultural centers of Veliky Novgorod. Until 1994, in the northern building of the Desyatinny Monastery there were creative workshops where icon painters, woodcarvers, painters, and ceramic artists worked. In January 1994, the Regional Training and Production Center was opened here artistic creativity, which received the status of the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land in 2002.

Story

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

In January 1994, the Regional Training and Production Center for Artistic Creativity was created, which opened to the public on April 12, 1994. The main idea of creating a Center with exhibition halls was the idea of uniting 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. The collection of subject and documentary materials was carried out, and the fund of the future museum was collected. The first works of art were donated by professional leading artists of the city to the Center for Artistic Creativity on April 8, 1994, thus laying the foundation for the future museum. This has become a good tradition when holding personal and group exhibitions. Already on April 12, 1994, the first exhibition of fine and decorative arts opened, where 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 from Veliky Novgorod, the region, other cities of Russia and foreign countries. Thanks to creative collaboration with artists exhibiting at the Center, the funds of the future museum were constantly replenished with works of visual, documentary and subject material. Thus, gradually, from 1994 to 2002, a collection of art by Novgorod artists of the second half of the 20th century was formed, numbering 2,000 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 displays works of art by Novgorod artists of the late 20th - beginning of the XXI centuries The museum's holdings contain more than 6,500 items, including sculpture, graphics, painting, glass, porcelain, medal art, and 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 exhibition “Museum Porcelain Workshop” was opened at the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land.

In 2012, a new exhibition “Cultural Heritage of 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 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 with the second half of the 19th century century. The museum's exposition presents works of art by Novgorod artists and masters of decorative and applied arts. late XIX- beginning of the 21st century.

Paintings 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 factories of the Kuznetsov family in the north-west - “Kuznetsov factories” beginning of the 20th century, textiles - batik and tapestry. Sculptural works - busts, figurines, sculptural compositions. These are works of varying artistic merit, but they sufficiently reflect the processes that took place in Russian art of the last century.

Exhibition projects

The State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land is painting, graphics, sculpture, modern decorative and applied art - all facets of fine art in one place. In the exhibition halls there are from 2 to 5 expositions and projects running simultaneously.

Permanent exhibitions

Cultural heritage of Novgorod monasteries

Exposition “Cultural Heritage of Novgorod Monasteries”

The project “Cultural Heritage of Novgorod Monasteries” was implemented by the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land in 2012 as part of the Severstal OJSC Program to support the activities of fine art museums “Museums of the Russian North”. Organizational partner CAF Russia.

On February 16, 2012, the opening of a new exhibition “Cultural Heritage of Novgorod Monasteries” took place in the halls of the State Museum of Artistic Culture of the Novgorod Land.

The exhibition “Cultural Heritage of Novgorod Monasteries” for the first time united in one exhibition space the cultural heritage of 25 Novgorod monasteries with preserved and reconstructed buildings. The exhibition introduces visitors to the history and culture of the Novgorod Land, allowing them to take a virtual trip. The artistic part of the exhibition includes modern paintings and graphics from the museum’s collections, complementing the section of contemporary art of the north from the 1970s to the 2000s. An interactive guide to each architectural monument presented in photographs, documents from the archive, text materials and on electronic media. The exhibition is supplemented with video materials. The exhibition is based on the monograph by L. A. Secretary “Monasteries of Veliky Novgorod and the surrounding area.”

Museum porcelain workshop

What should I bring from St. Petersburg - crumpet, smelt? Let’s say you can still get a piece of the curb (they are on sale, so you don’t even have to pick it out as a souvenir), but the best thing is a product from the Imperial Porcelain Factory. Perhaps every true Petersburger has a cup with the famous cobalt mesh at home. Or a figurine or something else special.
Not 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 created 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 what the Cobalt mesh looks like before firing, it is black:

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

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The author of the service is the artist Anna Yatskevich, she also came up with the official logo of the Leningrad Porcelain Factory named after Lomonosov - LFZ. A St. Petersburg resident, 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, 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 rod instead of graphite. At first, cobalt stripes alternated with stripes made of red paint.

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There are many theories about the origin of this, which has become 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 the so-called trellis mesh stored in the factory museum. Or memories of the cross rays of blockade searchlights bursting into the sky and the criss-cross taped 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 works on this dish for about two weeks:

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Porcelain is usually produced by high-temperature firing of a coarse mixture of kaolin, quartz, feldspar and plastic clay. But each porcelain is unique and no one discloses their 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 there is a higher risk of deformation of the workpiece during firing.
The hardest porcelain is bone china.
Bone china is particularly refined, thin-walled and translucent.
Porcelain is usually coated with a glaze, and uncoated is called sponge cake.
They all look different

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This is a sponge cake (porcelain has such appetizing names - sponge cake, glaze)

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Production waste:

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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 held together 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, you just want to take them away (it’s still a defect, right?), but employees are forbidden to take anything 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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Figures based on Shemyakin’s sketches:

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

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Parts forms:

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A copy from the series “Peoples of the Russian Empire”:

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And this is the icing. Before putting the product into it, you need to mix until smooth:

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And then they dip the product into it, 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.

In underglaze painting of porcelain, paints are applied to unglazed porcelain.
The porcelain piece is then covered with a transparent glaze and fired at high temperature up to 1350 degrees.
Cobalt mesh is made in exactly this way.

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The palette of colors for overglaze painting is richer; overglaze painting is applied over glazed linen (the 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 fuses into the glaze, leaving behind a thin layer of glaze. After a good firing, the paints shine (except for special matte paints used only for decorative purposes) and do not have any roughness.

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

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Furnaces that reach 30 meters in length are used for firing.
Perhaps these are the ones I would like to see. And in general, while we were walking through the territory of the plant, I noticed photographs from production on the walls, they looked very picturesque and authentic, and I was looking forward to the fact that now I was also photographing something like that.
But it turned out that these photos were taken at a “big” production facility. 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 excursions. That's where we were.

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On the ground floor there is a factory store, anyone can come there and buy something.
Riddle: how much do you think such a figurine costs?

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Episode with Hedgehog in the Fog:

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

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St. Petersburg souvenirs:

As part of the project, it is unlikely that I would 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 was so large plant will be very different, and that there is solid mechanics and a conveyor. But, apparently, porcelain and ceramics are something so warm and magical that a peaceful, creative atmosphere always reigns around it all.
Here, oddly enough, there is a lot of manual labor. Everything that was possible was automated, the rest was done manually. When you see how much work is put into each cup, the prices finished products no longer seem tall.
We will get acquainted with 3 professions and 4 employees of the IPP who agreed to show and tell bloggers about their work.

This is Svetlana Viktorovna Khvalovskaya, a painter and stamper. At IPE, people who come up with something new in painting are called artists, and those who copy a pattern on porcelain are called painters. (In my opinion, “I am a painter at the Imperial Porcelain Factory” sounds great if you want a high-profile position))) All this cobalt mesh, the signature IFZ pattern, is applied by hand! And the gold elements are applied by stamp painters using 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 sample.

Svetlana Viktorovna has been at the plant for 7 years and, naturally, she doesn’t need to look at any samples. There are generally many employees at IPP who have been working here for many years. I liked this workshop the most; they have very cozy workplaces:

There is no noise here, it smells like lavender oil, which is used to dilute gold, and you can hear conversations about life) I would also turn on TV series from the tablet, but they tell me they can’t. But you can listen to music and audiobooks on headphones)

In general, it’s a calm, non-stressful job. And the specialty “painter-stamper” is not found in a single vacancy for the year, not only in St. Petersburg, but also in Russia as a whole.
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 IFZ products), like transfers.

But let's move on.

This is Dina Nikolaevna Postupkina - porcelain caster 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 15.12. It is noteworthy that the work experience of applicants is not so important for the enterprise. Training is provided for the majority rare professions. A specialist will receive a salary from 16,000 to 24,000 rubles by performing casting of products of medium complexity, mandrel, surface finishing of products in compliance with the specified accuracy and subsequent installation on a shelf of a conveyor dryer. Moreover, after completing the training, the employee will receive a bonus and a salary increase." - this is the certificate given to us by the co-organizer of the project #behind the scenes of rare professions.

The casters do not have such a cozy workplace; they work standing, although this is definitely a plus for their figure. There is a slightly higher noise level than that of painters. Dina Nikolaevna, like Svetlana Viktorovna, notes that what pleases her most about her work is the good team and the results of their 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, mainly. Therefore, the IPP especially now needs casters of large forms (huge vases, sculptures). Essentially the same thing that Dina Nikolaevna does, but with large objects. This is physically difficult work and only men and some women can do it, for example, like our next heroine, Olga Rudolfovna Mikhailova.

Before our surprised eyes, she took this bear out of its mold and glued its paw. (Complex products are cast from several parts and assembled using a special slip)

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

I would definitely not choose this workshop to work in; it is very noisy and there is a production smell. But if you love the color purple, this is definitely the place for you) 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 pieces are coated. During firing, the ink fades and the porcelain turns white.

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