A SQUARE PORCELAIN DISH FROM THE CABINET SERVICE, IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FACTORY, ST PETERSBURG, CIRCA 1800the border decorated with field flowers on gilt grounds, the centre painted with a view of an Italian palace, the reverse inscribed ‘La fontaine de la celebre eau Lancisiane’ in black, unmarked30 by 30.5cm; 11⅞ by 12in. The Cabinet service was one of the largest and most important services produced for the Russian Imperial Court in Saint Petersburg. Originally called the Bezborodko service, it was commissioned by Empress Catherine II in 1793 for her cabinet secretary, Count Alexander Bezborodko (1747-1799). For a time, the most powerful member of the monarch’s personal office, the count was one of the few people allowed to own such a splendorous set, comparable to those in the Imperial collection itself. After impressing the court, this service became the model for many further designs, including the dowry services for the Imperial princesses and Emperor Paul I commissioned it to be repeated between 1800-1803. Illustrated with historical European sights and monuments after compositions by Giuseppe Vasi and Giambatista Piranesi, it provided a great opportunity to impress other guest with knowledge acquired on a traditional Grand Tour.