Teapot by Gardner

Russian Teapot by Gardner
See: www.noteaccess.com/APPROACHES/DecorativeAA/PRussian.htm ( www.noteaccess.com/APPROACHES/DecorativeAA/PRussian.htm )
Bought in the early 1920s in North West India, possibly it was made for the Afghanistan market. Porcelain made in Russia by F. Gardner, who arrived in 1746 to set up a porcelain factory.

He chose Verbilky near Moscow. In 1723 Peter the Great, had issued a decree to support porcelain manufacture in Russia. But permission was required to commence manufacturing. It was issued to Gardner only in 1766. But Gardner had begun to produce porcelain before permission was granted. He used the Meissen logo initially. Meissen artisans were in fact working for him.

In an astute move he presented the Czarina Katherine II, with a gift of some of his porcelain. This led to substantial orders for the Imperial Court.

Business began to tail off, and in 1891 the factory was sold to a Russian, M.C. Kuznetzov.