Live Auction 5961Important Russian Art
A FINE PARCEL-GILT SILVER AND NIELLO BONBONNIÈRE
Lot 376 PROPERTY FROM AN AMERICAN PRIVATE COLLECTION

A FINE PARCEL-GILT SILVER AND NIELLO BONBONNIÈRE

APPARENTLY NO MAKER'S MARK, MOSCOW, 1786

Closed26 November 2012

Price Realised

GBP 30,000

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A FINE PARCEL-GILT SILVER AND NIELLO BONBONNIÈRE
APPARENTLY NO MAKER'S MARK, MOSCOW, 1786
Circular, the detachable cover inset with a silver medal depicting Empress Catherine II in profile on the obverse, signed Timofei Ivanov, the ground nielloed with a sunburst and fish scale pattern, the reverse commemorating the coronation of the Empress in 1762, signed Waechter, the base nielloed with an elaborate military trophy including Ottoman standards with crescent terminals, on a fish scale ground, the interior gilt, marked inside cover and base
4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) diameter
9.4 oz. (266.4 gr.) gross
The Russian inscription on the reverse of the medal reads: 'For the salvation of faith and Fatherland Coronation in Moscow Sept. 22 1762'

With A La Vieille Russie, New York.

Specialist note

The use of a medal commemorating the coronation of Empress Catherine II in 1762 and the assay date of 1786 suggest that the present lot may have been produced to mark the forthcoming twenty-fifth anniversary of the Empress's coronation in 1787. The finely nielloed military trophy on the base, which incorporates Ottoman standards with crescent terminals, reflects the lasting importance of Russia's triumph over the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774).