November 24, 2015 – April 2, 2016

State Historical, Architectural, Art and Landscape Historical Site “Tsaritsyno”, Moscow

The Moscow Kremlin Museums take part in the exhibition ‘Imaginary East: China “in Russian”, 18th–early 20th century, organized in the Grand Palace of the “Tsaritsyno” Historical Site.

More than 600 rare pieces of both Chinese and Russian and Western European art in Chinese style from the leading museums of Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Russian State Library are displayed in seven halls of the Grand Palace. In addition to antique Museum exhibits, modern "fantasy artworks on Chinese theme" are presented at the exhibition.

The display is dedicated to the mysterious Chinese culture and its reflection in Russian art. The visitors of the exhibition are invited to immerse themselves into the space of imagination and to trace the development of Russia’s interest in the Chinese culture - from Chinoiserie to Avant-garde.

The Moscow Kremlin Museums present a unique exhibit - a vase from the Armoury collection, made in the 1750s at the Imperial Porcelain Factory. It is one of the earliest survived examples of domestic porcelain production and one of the first Russian porcelain pieces in the Chinoiserie style. It was an art movement in the Rococo style, which was imitating and transforming Chinese forms and ornaments in European manner.

The shape of the vase refers to the “Miller type” named after Johann Christian Gottfried Miller, who worked at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in 1750-60s as a maker of porcelain compositions. He was inspired by vases of Chinese Ming Dynasty (15th -16th centuries), those discreet in shape and decorated with an elegant pattern with underglaze blue cobalt on a white background. Decorative handles with lion mascarons and fancy curved stylized leaves are tribute to the Rococo style.