I recently visited the National Museum in Krakow, Poland. This museum houses a wonderfully diverse collection of fine porcelain teacups that are, in a word, stunning. Collectively they speak to another era – an era of aristocratic elegance and refinement of Imperial Russia.
I’m reproducing a sampling here from the Museum’s display cases. The first 3 photos are porcelain cups from the Baranówka and Tomaszow Lubelski porcelain factories. Baranówka Porcelain was founded by Michel Mezer in 1801 in south-central Poland (and once part of the Russan empire). Baranówka porcelain was deemed equal to that of the Imperial factory of St. Petersburg, and as an acknowledgement of this quality the firm was allowed to use the imperial eagle as their mark.
The following images are of porcelain cups from the Korzec Porcelain manufacturing firm, established by Prince Józef Klemens Czartoryski in 1783 and initially run by Franciszek Mezer (brother of Michael Mezer, who also worked here before founding the Baranówka factory). The factory closed in 1831, but wares continued to be sold from its warehouse until 1847.
And finally here are two cups from the 1920s and 1930s Ćmielów Porcelain Works, one of the oldest porcelain manufacturers in Poland.
JTW Ceramics 