The museum has a large collection of porcelain and faience items in its holdings. In the 1900s, there were two factories in Riga producing faience dishes and porcelain products, namely, M.S. Kuznetsov porcelain and faience factory (founded in 1841) and J.K. Jessen porcelain factory. The faience and porcelain products manufactured by M.S. Kuznetsov factory had the characteristic features of the Art Nouveau style in their shapes as well as in ornaments. Iris is one of the most typical Art Nouveau dinner sets the production of which started around 1900 by Villeroy & Boch and which was soon included in the assortment of the Kuznetsov factory as well. The factory produced exquisite porcelain items: coffee and tea sets, plates, vases, etc. Hand-painted refined décors elegantly matched their nuanced colours. The company’s assortment of products gained recognition and received awards at different industrial exhibitions in the Russian Empire and in Europe, which allowed the company to obtain the right to put the national coat of arms on its products. Particularly noteworthy are the dishes that were produced in the factory and hand-painted by ceramist Pēteris Šteinbergs who used Latvian national ornaments. Šteinbergs had even created his own signature mark to hide the factory mark. Porcelain of high value was also manufactured in J.K. Jessen porcelain factory which often copied and imitated ceramic ware produced in Western Europe. To promote product sales, Jessen’s factory sometimes did not mark its products, so it is impossible to know which items are theirs. Very popular at that time was a porcelain painting workshop J. Jaksch & Co of the trade company, which mostly worked with imported goods and made high-quality hand-painted products. Local craftsmen (unfortunately their names are unknown) made sophisticated paintings and high-quality design of the products. The museum collection boasts a representative set of delicate identically shaped mocha cups, each with an elegant hand-painted motif of a different flower. The industry of ceramics flourished at the beginning of the 20th century. The company Zelm & Boehm in Riga produced ceramic tiles, cachepots, bases and vases. Its products were very popular in Russia. There is also a fireplace built in this factory in the museum. It is made of dark-green tiles and its corners are accentuated with decorative chestnut leaves and flowers. A vase with an Art Nouveau floral décor was also produced in this company. It was made around 1901 and belonged to architect Max Scherwinsky, and it may have been displayed at the exhibition celebrating the 700th anniversary of Riga. Clay products were also manufactured in M.S. Kuznetsov porcelain and faience factory. The museum collection includes a cachepot with a sophisticated Art Nouveau ornament of iris flowers.
In the early 20th century, pottery became one of the leading branches of applied arts. Potters drew their inspiration from ancient clay processing traditions, searching for new dish shapes and means of expression. The museum holdings include a vase made by ceramist Sirotin the silhouette of which is accentuated with geometric handles and Latvian ethnographic patterns which stand out against the glazed grey background.
