Famous Russian artist mostly known for his paintings, Somov designed 3 figural pieces for the Imperial Porcelain Factory. Elegant and coquettish they are among the best works produced by the factory in early 20th century.
Like many of his contemporaries, Somov greeted the Russian Revolution of 1917 with great enthusiasm. But living conditions gradually deteriorated: at first, his apartment was nationalized, and at the end the artist was completely evicted from it. In December 1923, Somov traveled to the US as an official representative of the Russian Exhibition. He never returned to his homeland, forever remaining in France. Somov found Soviet Russia “absolutely alien to his art”. Ironically, his figurines “Lady removing the mask” and “Lovers” (originally created c.1905) were reproduced by the Soviet State Porcelain Factory in 1920s & 1930s.
As leading experts on both antique Russian and Soviet porcelain, we provide FREE online appraisals and help with selling figures and figural groups made by Imperial Porcelain Factory. If you happen to own one of the following figurines and would like to find out its current market value, CONTACT US. We’ll be glad to assist.