A Russian Porcelain Sang de Boeuf Easter Egg Imperial Porcelain Factory, St. Petersburg, Period of Alexander III (1881-1894), circa 1890 3-1/4 x 2-3/4 inches (8.3 x 7.0 cm) PROVENANCE: John Atzbach Antiques, Bellevue, Washington; The Kathleen Durdin Collection of Russian Decorative Arts, Tampa, Florida. The Chinese developed the oxblood-colored flambé glaze technique, or niuxiehong, during the Kangxi period (1662-1722), and it quickly became coveted by collectors in the West. Kudriavtseva noted that "In 1888 the laboratory carried out experiments with a view to producing glazes using copper. The next year they succeeded in obtaining a red glaze with characteristic tints (rouge flambe) and put this new color into production" (RGIA, f. 503, op. 2, d. 21,1. 64 ob.). At the turn of the century, the factory produced between six hundred and one thousand eggs decorated in high temperature red glaze for Easter each year. (cf. Kudriavtseva & Whitbeck, Russian Imperial Easter Eggs, Merrell, London, 2001, p. 46-47.) Property from the Kathleen Durdin Collection HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved