The Imperial Russian Dinner Service

Embossed depiction of Josiah Wedgewood on the cover of Wedgewood's Imperial Russian Dinner Service
Adoption Amount: $950
Category: Preserve for the Future
Location: American Art and Portrait Gallery Library

The imperial Russian dinner service; a story of a famous work by Josiah Wedgwood

By George Charles Williamson. London: G. Bell and sons, 1909.

From a limited edition of 300 copies (1909), this substantial volume tells the story of the 952-piece dinner service created by legendary potter Josiah Wedgwood for Empress Catherine II of Russia. Known as the "The Frog Service," it was the most ambitious commission Wedgwood had undertaken, and required more than 1,200 illustrations of English manor houses.

The text is interspersed with monochrome plates showing individual pieces, remarkable not only for their craftsmanship and notoriety but also for their detailed depictions of many 18th century English buildings and scenes now absent from the modern landscape. The original Downton Abbey is not featured, but almost every other notable castle of the era is illustrated.

Condition and Treatment: 

This is an early 20th century binding quarter vellum and bookcloth with an embossed portrait of Josiah Wedgwood on the front cover. Conservators will remove the textblock from the original case and reline it. The pages will be dry cleaned, using eraser crumbs, to reduce staining. The plate depicting plates facing page 30 will be re-attached. The case will be repaired and the textblock re-cased in the repaired case.

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