Unique Rare Moscow Russian Porcelain Chess Set (Verbilki) Gardner Factory (Gold)

One of a kind rare collectible chess set.
White & Black-Yellow. Hand painted 24k gold accents. Handmade in the city of Verbilki near Moscow in Russia in the famous Gardner factory.

Condition. Three of the figures are damaged as shown in the picture.

Fantastic piece of Gardner porcelain craftsmanship. PARTIAL HISTORY The Gardner Porcelain Factory is named after the Englishman Francis Gardner who came to Russia in the mid-18th century with a business plan to manufacture porcelain. The place where he opened the factory was a small town of Verbilky in a Moscow suburb. In 1723, the Russian Tsar Peter the Great issued a decree to support porcelain manufacture in Russia. A permit was required to open a factory, and that permit was granted to Gardner in 1766. Gardner did not wait for this approval and began making porcelain before that date. In order not to attract attention, Gardner used the Meissen Porcelain logo. This wasn't entirely wrong since Meissen masters worked for Gardner. When permission was granted, Gardner decided to start advertising. The best thing at that time was that the tsar's court used the manufactured items. So he made a gift to the Russian tsarina - then Catherine II, who loved her so much that she ordered more. That was the beginning of Gardner's success. Gardner continued with Meissen copies. However, over time, Gardner made more genuine Russian porcelain, such as items based on Russian fairy tales. In 1891 the factory was sold to Russian businessman MC Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov's policy was to produce porcelain for the masses, and the factory began making items for everyday use. Kuznetsov continued to use Gardner's logo despite the change of ownership. Today, the finest, handcrafted items made by Verbilki still bear the old Gardner logo. During the October Revolution of 1917, the factory was taken over by the Bolsheviks. After 1991, when Russia became free again, the factory was rebuilt and privatized. Porcelain made in the Gardner factory is considered to be one of the European Royal Porcelains and each item made in the Gardner factory is a rare collector's item... for an overall size of 16" x 15" when assembled. It was produced and sold in very small quantities. This chess game is about 20 years old. 32 porcelain chess pieces are from 2 3/4"H to 3"H.

Three of the figures are damaged as shown in the picture.
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*Decoration is not part of the offer.

*Due to photography and handwork, color variations may occur.

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