[NICHOLAS II]: (1868-1918) Emperor of Russia 1894-1917.

A fine white glazed china plate with the blue Kuznetsov Porcelain factory mark (c.1908), originating from a service used by Tsar Nicholas II and the Imperial Russian Romanov family on board the Russian Imperial yacht Standart. The plate (diameter 9") is decorated with two gilt bands at the rims and a double-headed eagle featuring the Russian Imperial arms of the Tsar, hand decorated in black, gold, blue and red. With some minor age wear to the outer gilt rim and some very minor paint loss to the centre of the eagle crest, about VGMatvey Kuznetsov, owned almost all of the porcelain factories in Russia, including those at Verbilki, Gzhel Disctrict, Dulyovo, the village of Pesochnoye and Yaroslavl Province. The present china was made for the Imperial family at the time of the coronation in 1896 and replacements were manufactured until 1914. Although a considerable quantity was produced over the years a survey after World War I found only about 1000 pieces had survived.The Standart was launched in 1895 and was in her time the largest Imperial Yacht afloat. Standart was fitted out with ornate fixtures, including mahogany paneling, crystal chandeliers, and other amenities that made the vessel a suitable floating palace for the Russian Imperial Romanov Family. Tsar Nicholas II and his family were vacationing on the Standart during the summer of 1914, when they received the news of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.The reign of Tsar Nicholas II saw the fall of the Russian Empire from being one of the foremost great powers of the world to economic and military collapse. Two revolutions occurred in Russia in 1917, the first known as the February Revolution, the immediate result of which was the abdication of the Tsar and the end of the Romanov dynasty. The Russian Imperial Romanov and all those who chose to accompany them into exile were executed by a firing squad at Yekaterinburg on 17th July 1918.