RUSSIAN LEGENDS

Bradford Exchange

 

Tianex

The 1988 RUSSIAN LEGENDS series of limited edition decorative plates was the first collectors plate series ever produced in Russia. The twelve-plate series depicts famous Russian legends and fairytales. They are patterned after the designs and style found on Russian lacquer boxes from the village of Palekh.

The plates were produced with 16-17 layers of ceramic pigments and in 18kt gold on hard fired porcelain. The firing period was limited to 195 days at the historic Vinogradoff Porcelain factory. Distributed for Tianex by the Bradford Exchange, each plate was assigned an individual Bradex number. The plates are 7 1/2" (19cm) in diameter. The reverse side is written in Russian describing the title, story and serial number. Each plate came in a custom fitted box with a parchment-material single page certificate of authenticity in Russian, a three-sheet foldout in Russian and a two-sheet foldout in English. The last document defines the subject, talks about the artists, gives a history of the legend and talks about the production facility. The handouts are specific to each plate.


The stories are taken from the book, "Russian Lacquer, Legends and Fairy Tales, Vol. 1" by Lucy Maxym. Lucy should be credited with opening the Russian lacquer box trade to the United States. Lucy made many, many trips to Palekh, Fedoskino, Mstera, Kholui  and other tiny villages in Russia during times that were not always stable. She would bring as many boxes as she could carry and then travel the roads of the US trying to place the boxes in high-end jewelry stores. It was a pleasure to see her when she would visit San Diego. Her books on lacquer boxes remain the standard of the industry still decades later. Thanks, Lucy!

The plates, in order of release, are:

        1.    Ruslan and Ludmilla - Bradex 60-V25-1.1   Design by Roman Leonidovich Belousov

        2.    The Princess and the 7 Bogartyrs - Bradex 60-V25-1.2    Design by Aleksandr Ivanovich Kovalev

        3.    The Golden Cockerel - Bradex 60-V25-1.3    Design by Vladimir Vleshko

        4.    Lukomorya - Bradex 60-V25-1.4   Design by Roman Leonidovich Belousov

        5.    The Fisherman and the Magic Fish - Bradex 60-V25-1.5   Design by Nikolai Pavlovich Lopatin

        6.    Tsar Sultan - Bradex 60V25-1.6   Design by Galina Alekseevna Zhirakova

        7.    The Priest and his Servant Balda - Bradex 60-V25-1.7  Design by Oleg Vladimirovich

        8.    The Stone Flower - Bradex 60-V25-1.8   Design by Valeryi Vasililievich Bolshakov

        9.    Sadko - Bradex 60-V25-1.9   Design by Evgeny A Populov

        10.  The Twelve Month Brothers - Bradex 60-V25-1.10   Design by Nicolai Pavlovich Lopatin

        11.  Silver Hoof - Bradex 60-V25-1.11   Design by Sergei Y Adeyanov

        12.  Morozko - Bradex 60-V25-1.12    Design by Nina P Lopatina


These pieces are offered year around and frequently sell at prices substantially less than the original subscription price of $40 each. Pictures are usually available in all of the item listings.

Complete sets in boxes with papers have sold for $133 and $150.01 in the recent past. At the higher price, that's just over $12 each! It pays to check the listings on a regular basis.

If your plate does not have the papers with it, the name can be found by comparing the Bradex number found near the bottom of the plate on the reverse with the information above.

A word of caution:
There are other sets of Russian legends and fairy tale plates that are very similar to these in the same size and with the same general design and appearance. Each set has a different Bradex plate numbering sequence. The letter in the sequence is the most important. Make sure you have the correct sequence to complete your set. 

Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions.

I am not a dealer and I do not sell.

Ralph Vaughan