Armenian Attire in Porcelain: Figurines as Cultural Narratives

The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, located in New York City, serves as the United States’ national museum of design. It operates under the Smithsonian Institution and is housed in the Andrew Carnegie Mansion on Fifth Avenue. Founded in 1897 by Sarah Cooper Hewitt, Eleanor Garnier Hewitt, and Amy Hewitt—granddaughters of industrialist Peter Cooper—the museum was established to educate the public on design and its influence on daily life.
The Cooper Hewitt collection comprises over 210,000 objects spanning 30 centuries of design history. Among these is an 18 cm Armenian figurine produced by the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory, dated circa 1925 and acquired by the museum in 1989. The figurine is crafted from porcelain with enamel and gilding. The underside features a circular medallion impressed with a hammer, sickle, and cog, accompanied by the phrase “Made in Russia” stamped in red overglaze.
The figurine depicts an Armenian woman standing frontally, dressed in traditional attire. The costume combines white, beige, and light blue hues, with an imitation of an embroidered apron divided into two equal sections draped over the dress. The headgear includes a lace veil that extends over the figurine’s neck and chest. The visual qualities of the figurine, particularly the use of white, cream, and blue, as well as the formal traits of the apron, reflect the aesthetic of early 20th-century postcards depicting Armenian women, likely from Tiflis (modern-day Tbilisi), which was home to a vibrant Armenian community with distinct attire and accessories. The gown, apron, and overall design align closely with the Eastern Armenian national costume tradition.
The Lomonosov Porcelain Factory, established in 1744 in St. Petersburg by decree of Empress Elizabeth, was the first porcelain factory in Russia and the third in Europe, following Meissen and Vienna. Initially named the Imperial Porcelain Factory, it was renamed in 1925 after Mikhail Vasil’evich Lomonosov, a Russian scientist. Early production was reserved exclusively for the Imperial court, creating items for royal use and diplomatic gifts. The factory was established to reduce Russia’s reliance on imported European porcelain and to develop domestic production capabilities, reflecting the broader 18th-century view of porcelain as a symbol of technological and cultural advancement.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the factory produced a series of figurines representing ethnic groups within the Russian Empire. These included depictions of Armenians showcasing traditional clothing, cultural practices, and physical traits. The Armenian figurines, portraying men and women in regional attire such as embroidered robes and headwear, were crafted using the factory’s hard-paste porcelain technique, known for its durability and precision.
These figurines documented the ethnic diversity of the Russian Empire, which encompassed over 100 distinct groups by the early 20th century. They were part of a broader initiative to visually represent the empire’s multi-ethnic composition and promote unity under tsarist rule. The Lomonosov Porcelain Factory continues to operate today, and its historical productions, including the Armenian figurines, are studied for their role in representing the ethnic and cultural policies of the Russian Empire during the late imperial period.
It is noteworthy that the Yerevan Faience Factory in Armenia also produced figurines in ethnic attire. Established in 1947 in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, the factory initially used German forms and raw materials sourced from Ukraine and Russia. Two artist sculptors, R. Simonyan and V. Teruni, played a key role in shaping the factory’s artistic style. During the 1960s and 1970s, porcelain figurines based on Armenian folk traditions were designed by D. Babayan and A. Chakmakchan. From 1948 to 1949, Armenian female artist Hripsime Simonyan (1916–1998) served as the chief artist and sculptor of the factory, creating a series of figurines and tableware for mass production inspired by Armenian folklore.