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Lot Essay
This magnificent casket decorated with stylised animal figures and ornaments was created in response to the Pan-Slavic movement in the fine and decorative arts, which saw artists and craftsmen seeking to revive traditional Russian art forms.
Khlebnikov’s workshop, one of the largest and most prominent firms of the late 19th to early 20th century, produced a number of works in the neo-Russian style. Khlebnikov explored the great technical and material potential of its time by experimenting with various enamel techniques, the use of semi-precious stones, high relief and unusual varieties of wood.
On this important example, enamelled roundels depicting various animals, possibly inspired by Russian fairy tales and mythology, are reminiscent of the animal figures from the Abramtsevo workshop and Talashkino school. The figures are particularly similar in style to Elena Polenova's characters from her fairy tale illustrations, which were based on folk objects she has collected in isolated villages. The casket is also decorated with a glorious variety of cabochon gems and bird's-eye maple wood, indicative of the artist’s intent to celebrate Russia’s rich tradition of folklore by showcasing the country’s tremendous wealth and range of materials.
For a comparable casket presented by the city of Moscow to the city of Paris from the collection of the Conservation des Œuvres d’Art Religieuses et Civiles (CoARC), Paris, see Exhibition catalogue, Neptunia. Cadeaux des Tsars. La Diplomatie Navale dans l’Alliance Franco-Russe 1891-1914, National Maritime Museum, Paris, 2010, p. 32. For another similar casket presented by the Moscow Imperial Society to S.K.G. Billings, see Exhibition catalogue, Time to Gather: Russian Art from Foreign Private Collections, State Russian Museum, St Petersburg, 2007, p. 268, no. 195.
Khlebnikov’s workshop, one of the largest and most prominent firms of the late 19th to early 20th century, produced a number of works in the neo-Russian style. Khlebnikov explored the great technical and material potential of its time by experimenting with various enamel techniques, the use of semi-precious stones, high relief and unusual varieties of wood.
On this important example, enamelled roundels depicting various animals, possibly inspired by Russian fairy tales and mythology, are reminiscent of the animal figures from the Abramtsevo workshop and Talashkino school. The figures are particularly similar in style to Elena Polenova's characters from her fairy tale illustrations, which were based on folk objects she has collected in isolated villages. The casket is also decorated with a glorious variety of cabochon gems and bird's-eye maple wood, indicative of the artist’s intent to celebrate Russia’s rich tradition of folklore by showcasing the country’s tremendous wealth and range of materials.
For a comparable casket presented by the city of Moscow to the city of Paris from the collection of the Conservation des Œuvres d’Art Religieuses et Civiles (CoARC), Paris, see Exhibition catalogue, Neptunia. Cadeaux des Tsars. La Diplomatie Navale dans l’Alliance Franco-Russe 1891-1914, National Maritime Museum, Paris, 2010, p. 32. For another similar casket presented by the Moscow Imperial Society to S.K.G. Billings, see Exhibition catalogue, Time to Gather: Russian Art from Foreign Private Collections, State Russian Museum, St Petersburg, 2007, p. 268, no. 195.