The Dulevo porcelain factory was founded in 1832 by a native of Gzhel, Terenty Kuznetsov, who planned to establish mass production of porcelain. And after 20 years, he made the plant the leading enterprise in Russia. The factory′s porcelain was distinguished by noble simplicity - dazzling whiteness was combined with magnificent gilding and a uniform, rich shine of the glaze. But to successfully sell the dishes, a different painting was required - brighter, more catchy. Therefore, the emphasis was placed on originality, folk art, national characteristics and traditions, as a result of which the unique Dulevo style was born - “agashki”. From these ingenuous agashkas and rosans, from folk writing on ceramics, all the Dulevo drawings came, in them is the soul of the Dulevo porcelain factory. The plant received its greatest development under the management of Matvey Kuznetsov, who created the Partnership for the Production of Porcelain and Earthenware. The plant′s workshops were equipped with new equipment from France.In 1902 M.S. Kuznetsov was included in the honorary list of suppliers of the imperial court. To realize his plans, he invited famous artists to work, including the famous Russian artist M.A. Vrubel.In 1918 the plant was nationalized.
The hallmarks of the largest Kuznetsov production are quite varied in design and reflect the longest stage of work. Stamp No. 12 (pressed in the dough) was attributed by A. B. Saltykov to the years 1853-1863, that is, to the period of activity of Sidor Terentyevich Kuznetsov, however, the teapot we discovered with such a stamp gravitates stylistically to the 30-40s of the 19th century. Stamps Nos. 13, 14 are cobalt, also from the period of activity of Sidor Terentyevich (1853-1863). Seals Nos. 15-21 belong to the early period of activity of Matvey Sidorovich Kuznetsov (1864-1889). The most common are overglaze blue ones (the color of overglaze factory marks - red, blue, green - indicates the grade of products); No. 19 - made with gold paint. Stamps No. 19-22 are reproduced for the first time. The inscriptions on stamps No. 21-22 are typical for eastern goods. Seal No. 22 is from the period of the Partnership (1889-1917).