The Imperial Porcelain Manufactory provided almost all St. Petersburg palaces with its dinner sets during the reign of Alexander I and Nicholas I (1825-1855). Porcelain ware enjoyed the extensive diversity of styles. Among others, so-called Russian trend took the root. Fedor Solntsev, a Russian archaeologist and virtuoso, designed dinner sets for the Great Kremlin Palace in Moscow and Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia.
In the time of Nicholas I, porcelain stood out for its artful painting. The vases displayed the old masters’ chef d’oeuvres (Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Correggio, Murillo, etc.) mostly from the Hermitage collection. The replicas are notable for their striking accuracy and refinement. The palette of pure and brilliant colours is in perfect accord with the originals. At the same time, portrait, icon and miniature painting on vases and panels also gained momentum. The awards of world fairs in London, Paris and Vienna proved the leadership of IPM in porcelain painting.
The Imperial Porcelain Manufactory celebrated its 100th anniversary by establishing its own museum in 1844. It included a fine display of exhibits from the Winter Palace collections (decision to make porcelain ware in two copies, one for the Palace and one for the museum, was not made until Alexander III).