Exhibitions: Special exposition of Easter eggs from the collections of the State Historical Museum to hold in Tula

In May, the Tula branch of the State Historical Museum will present 30 porcelain Easter eggs. The decoration plots are diverse and full of spring spirit. There are flower bouquets and plants, landscapes (including recognizable urban views) and biblical stories.

The most ancient egg at display dates back to the 1830s.

These items allow tracing the development of porcelain production in the Russian Empire in the XIX - early XX centuries. They also reveal fashion trends in the design of souvenir products, significant to manufacturers.

Tula residents will see pendant porcelain eggs made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory, enterprises of the Mikhail Kuznetsov Partnership in Moscow, the Batenin Factory, the Kornilov Brothers Plant, the Gzhel factories and private porcelain companies.

One of the Easter eggs, the work of the Imperial Porcelain Factory, is made of multicolour biscuit china - a special kind of matte porcelain. One side is decorated with white relief images of the Sistine Madonna with Christ by Raphael. The other side comprises a cross with rays and the inscription "Christ is Resurrected".

Products of the official suppliers of the Imperial Court - the Imperial Porcelain Factory and enterprises of the Mikhail Kuznetsov Partnership in Moscow - were rather expensive. The tableware of the Batenin Plant was designed for middle-class consumers: it was cheaper due to less labour-intensive technology, although the enterprise produced more high-priced goods. For example, the exhibition features Batenin's Easter egg with the image of the Last Supper. It was made using the technique of overglaze painting with gilding and matte gold painting on a smooth gilded surface.

The Kornilov Brothers Factory in Saint-Petersburg was the first Russian company, which used decals for its products. A porcelain egg with floral motifs in the overglaze decal technique is showcased at the museum.

Besides Easter eggs, the exposition presents the unique faience icon "Resurrection of Christ", made at the Kiev-Mezhigorsk State Faience Factory in the 1840s.