Lot 0136
Russian Faience Figurine of a Sbiten Seller, from the Series “Traders and Craftsmen”, Late 19th Century
Estimate: 350-450€
A RUSSIAN FIGURINE OF SBITEN SELLER
from the series Traders and Craftsmen
Faience, polychrome painting.
Russia, private porcelain factory, late 19th century.
Height: 21.3 cm.
A polychrome faience figure of a sbiten seller, shown standing in a long pale blue caftan, black boots, and a dark cap, with a white towel tied at the waist. Slung across his shoulder is a strap supporting a rounded vessel for the hot honey drink, while in his hands he holds a small cup and ladle-like spout, ready to serve. The bearded face, slightly inclined forward, lends the figure an air of quiet concentration, while the compact stance and carefully observed costume preserve the vivid character of a familiar type from old urban life.
The iconography belongs to the long-lived Russian tradition of representing street vendors and artisans, a theme rooted in popular printed imagery of the early 19th century, including widely circulated city lithographs of itinerant sellers. The figure of the sbiten vendor was especially resonant in this visual culture, perceived as an instantly recognizable emblem of everyday life in old Moscow and St Petersburg.
The subject ultimately relates to the celebrated series Traders and Craftsmen, first modeled at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in the late 18th century after designs by Jacques-Dominique Rachette. That series, created during the reign of Catherine II, marked one of the earliest and most influential Russian attempts to translate popular graphic representations of common people and their occupations into three-dimensional porcelain form. By the 19th century the theme had become enormously popular and was widely adopted by private factories, which continued to reinterpret these familiar urban and folk types for a broader market.
The present figure preserves that tradition in a late 19th-century faience version, combining lively genre observation with decorative appeal. As Vladimir Gilyarovsky later recalled, sbiten sellers dispensed, for a kopeck a cup, the hot honey drink that warmed coachmen and shop assistants freezing in unheated stalls. This small sculpture thus evokes not only a picturesque occupational type, but also a distinctly Russian world of street trade, winter cold, and everyday sustenance.
Starting price: 300€
Estimate: 350-450€
Hammer Price: €
Related Lots
-
Lot 0134
Russian Imperial Porcelain Factory Plate from the Gatchina Palace Service, St Petersburg, 1909
Estimate: 300-400€
Lot 0134
Russian Imperial Porcelain Factory Plate from the Gatchina Palace Service, St Petersburg, 1909
Estimate: 300-400€A Russian Imperial Porcelain Factory Plate from the Gatchina Palace Service
St Petersburg, Imperial Porcelain Factory, reign of Nicholas II, dated 1909.
Porcelain; overglaze painting, gilding.
Diameter: 23.8 cm.
Mark: green of Emperor Nicholas II beneath the Imperial crown, dated 1909.
A porcelain dinner plate from the Ordinary Service of the Gatchina Palace, known as the service “with the coat of arms and gilt rim” or the “Service with Large Eagles.” The plate is of circular form, with a broad white border and a gilt line to the rim and well. The upper part of the border is decorated with the Russian Imperial double-headed eagle, finely painted in black, red, green and gold.
The Imperial eagle forms the principal decorative motif of the Gatchina service. In its talons it holds a flaming torch, wreath and thunderbolts, emblems traditionally associated with sovereign authority, victory and dynastic power.
The mark on the reverse, the green cipher of Nicholas II with the date 1909, identifies the plate as a product of the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg during the last reign of the Romanov dynasty. The service was connected with the table appointments of the Great Gatchina Palace, one of the principal suburban residences of the Imperial family. Built in 1766-1781 to the design of Antonio Rinaldi for Count Grigory Orlov, the palace later became closely associated with the Romanovs and was among the favoured residences of the court.
Condition: small chip to the rim.Starting price: 240€
Estimate: 300-400€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0135
Russian Imperial Porcelain Factory Plate from the Gatchina Palace Service, St Petersburg, 1909
Estimate: 250-300€
Lot 0135
Russian Imperial Porcelain Factory Plate from the Gatchina Palace Service, St Petersburg, 1909
Estimate: 250-300€A Russian Imperial Porcelain Factory Plate from the Gatchina Palace Service
St Petersburg, Imperial Porcelain Factory, reign of Nicholas II, dated 1909.
Porcelain; overglaze painting, gilding.
Diameter: 18,5 cm.
Mark: green cipher of Emperor Nicholas II beneath the Imperial crown, dated 1909.
A porcelain dinner plate from the Ordinary Service of the Gatchina Palace, known as the service “with the coat of arms and gilt rim” or the “Service with Large Eagles.” The plate is of circular form, with a broad white border and a gilt line to the rim and well. The upper part of the border is decorated with the Russian Imperial double-headed eagle, finely painted in black, red, green and gold.
The Imperial eagle forms the principal decorative motif of the Gatchina service. In its talons it holds a flaming torch, wreath and thunderbolts, emblems traditionally associated with sovereign authority, victory and dynastic power. The restrained composition, with the heraldic device set against the white porcelain ground and framed by narrow gilt bands, reflects the formal character of palace table services made for official use at the Russian Imperial residences.
The mark on the reverse, the green cipher of Nicholas II with the date 1909, identifies the plate as a product of the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg during the last reign of the Romanov dynasty. The service was connected with the table appointments of the Great Gatchina Palace, one of the principal suburban residences of the Imperial family. Built in 1766-1781 to the design of Antonio Rinaldi for Count Grigory Orlov, the palace later became closely associated with the Romanovs and was among the favoured residences of the court.Starting price: 220€
Estimate: 250-300€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0138
Rosenthal Porcelain Figure of a Seated Dachshund, Germany, Hand-Painted
Estimate: 150-200€
Lot 0138
Rosenthal Porcelain Figure of a Seated Dachshund, Germany, Hand-Painted
Estimate: 150-200€Rosenthal porcelain figure of a lying dachshund, from the Classic Rose Collection, Germany. Modelled with naturalistic detail and finished in a rich brown glaze.
Dimensions: 10 × 17.6 × 11.2 cm
Starting price: 100€
Estimate: 150-200€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0137
Gardner Figurine “Seated Pointer”, Porcelain, Moscow, 19th Century
Estimate: 1000-1200€
Lot 0137
Gardner Figurine “Seated Pointer”, Porcelain, Moscow, 19th Century
Estimate: 1000-1200€Gardner Figurine “Seated Pointer”
Porcelain
Maker’s mark of Fabrika Gardner in Moscow with Imperial warrant
Height: 10.7 cmA finely modeled porcelain figure of a pointer dog, naturalistically painted with brown and white markings. Produced at the renowned Gardner Factory, founded in the 18th century and celebrated for its lifelike animal figures, which were highly prized in 19th-century Russia.
Condition: small chip on the ear.
Starting price: 700€
Estimate: 1000-1200€
Hammer Price: €