A Soviet Suprematist porcelain Plate, Kazimir Malevich, State Porcelain Manufactory, circa 1923

painted with a Suprematist design after a lithograph entitled: In Suprematist Space, marked Suprematism and po ris Malevicha in Cyrillic, with black square, green manufactory mark and No. 660/24

The orange paint is slightly discoloured in places and there are minor flecks of paintloss, visible in the catalogue photograph.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The offered lot epitomises an arts policy adopted by the Bolshevik government shortly after the Revolution. From the outset of the new regime, porcelain was regarded as a propaganda tool and played an important role in educating the masses. The State Porcelain Manufactory was the pioneering institution to produce revolutionary wares.The Suprematist period dating to 1923, when this plate was made is considered to be the most experimental and innovative of all the phases of the factory's production.

During this period Sergei Chekhonin, the artistic director of the factory, played a vital role in involving avant-garde artists in the production process. He invited artists including Kazemir Malevich, Nikolai Suetin and Vassily Kandinsky to design plates and cups. The Suprematists' concepts about art centred on abstract geometric forms - the square, the circle and the cross, which were perfectly fitted to porcelain.

Kazimir Malevich is one of the seminal founders of non-objective art in the twentieth century. Between 1915 and 1932, he developed a system of abstract painting called Suprematism, which sought to express an idea of the modern city and modern technology in abstract form. This new formulation developed very quickly and by late 1915-1916 it had already shifted from an aesthetic of static composition into a more dynamic realm, demonstrating Malevich's desire to visually express different states of feeling and n-dimensionality.   

In 1923, Malevich donated an ink and watercolour design called Dynamic Composition to the factory (fig. 1). It is perhaps the best known of his porcelain designs. "Within its oblong contours, blue, black and orange forms float freely on a white ground. Redolent of the aircraft that fascinated Malevich in his attempt to arrive at an audacious new art, the design was transferred wholesale to an unsuspecting porcelain plate. Even the thin lines of his ink-drawn border are retained here, and they waver uncomfortably near the plate's edges" (Richard Cork, People's Porcelain in New Statement, 25 January 2005).