On this festive day, we present exhibits from the museum's collection depicting Russian bogatyrs (knights). The series of three plates is a fine example of the Russian Art Nouveau and the ‘New Russian style’ in ceramics. The plates were created during the trying time of World War I at the M.S. Kuznetsov Porcelain and Faience Manufacturing Partnership factory in Dulyovo (Russia) in 1916.

The series consists of three decorative plates depicting Russian bogatyrs and symbolising the three years of the First World War (1914-1918). These items hold great value as relevant works of their time, capturing historical events in a figurative form.

The plots echo the works of Viktor Vasnetsov, who at that time set the tone for the depiction of the country's national epic. Typically, these are images of Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, and Alyosha Popovich, or a collective portrayal of a knight at the crossroads or on patrol.

These circular plates, featuring two holes in the footring for mounting (hanging), are crafted in the Neo-Russian style. Each plate is decorated with narrative painting depicting a grey-bearded bogatyr (knight) set against a landscape. Clad in armour, a helmet, and chainmail, a bogatyr is mounted on white horse, holding a spear with a standard attached to the shaft, bearing the dates: '1914', '1915', and '1916'."

On the '1914' plate, the bogatyr is depicted on a horse standing square; on the '1915' plate, the rider and horse are shown poised at the edge of a cliff; and on the '1916' plate, the rider uses the shaft of his spear to hold back a mythical serpent.

By 1916, the Dulyovo factory was the flagship of the Kuznetsovs empire. Despite the wartime conditions, the factory continued to produce high-art 'presentation' pieces. 

The underside of the pieces features a blue overglaze mark with a double-headed eagle, followed by the inscription: ' Т-ва / М.С. КУЗНЕЦОВА / Д.Ф.' (for Dulyovo). These three plates were created simultaneously as a single composition and constitute a complete set.

The connection between the 'The Knights’ series (1916) and the work of Viktor Vasnetsov is a classic example of how high art 'migrated' into applied art, adapting to the form and requirements of porcelain. The Dulyovo artisans did not merely copy the paintings but reimagined them in a decorative manner.
The release of the series in 1916, was no coincidence. At the height of the First World War, the appeal to the images of bogatyrs-defenders served to bolster patriotic spirit and celebrate Russian military glory.