Collections of porcelain and crystal to be transferred from factories to museums

ZHYTOMYR OBLAST — Samples of unique decorative pieces of porcelain of the Polissian school may soon be lost to posterity. Some porcelain factories in Zhytomyr region were no longer operating even before their privatization, and no one showed much interest in the precious collections of chinaware, figurines, and decorative and household items that had been amassed over the decades. Plans were even afoot to sell them off.

A similar fate awaited a collection of glass and crystal dinnerware produced by a local factory. But then word came that the oblast authorities had decided to take care of the porcelain and glass artifacts. The decision was prompted by the Cabinet of Ministers and the Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art. Now exhibition halls and museums must carry out an inventory of the collections housed in a number of local enterprises that were privatized, including the Baranivsky Porcelain Factory, Korosten Porcelain, Horodnytsia Porcelain Factory, Koral, Dovbysh Porcelain Factory, Kamiany Brid Delftware, and the Romanivsky Glass Factory.

Yurii Zabela, head of the Zhytomyr Regional State Administration, signed a directive last Wednesday. Special inventory commissions will be set up, which will include experts from the oblast regional history museum, who will inventory and evaluate all the pieces and collections in the next few months. Then they will decide whether all the porcelain and crystal will be transferred to museums or just the finest pieces. There are many individuals who would be eager to enrich their private collections or sell them at a profit. Without a doubt, many of these items will soon become rarities.