A RUSSIAN PORCELAIN FIGURE OF A MALOROSS WITH A PIPE, FROM THE "PEOPLE OF RUSSIA" SERIES, GARDNER PORCELAIN FACTORY, MOSCOW, LATE 19TH CENTURY realistically modelled, wearing traditional attire man, including blue wide pants and a white shirt with red rim, with a grey hat and with a pipe in his left hand, standing in front of a tree stump, on a circular green base, red overglazed Gardner factory mark, impressed factory mark and numeral 168 under base; overall height: 25.5 cm (10 in.) LOT NOTESLots 276-328 in this auction come from the estate of a prominent New York collector of European heritage. After purchasing his first Gardner figurine more than 20 years ago, he developed an interest in Russian porcelain figures, and amassed a formidable collection over the next two decades, paying particular attention to quality of craftsmanship and authenticity.