Esphir’ Y. Alianskaya, a St Petersburg collector, has donated to Tsarskoe Selo a mid-19th century tea set in the Neo-Rococo style.

The cup and saucer, decorated with flowers and birds and a gilded vegetative ornament, have the mark H I on their reverse sides. The mark shows that the set was produced by the St Petersburg Imperial Porcelain Manufactory under Emperor Nicholas I, particularly during his late reign in 1840s–1855.

The set will join our reserves and can be showcased at some future exhibitions.