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Lot Essay
Imperial Presentation Pieces by Fabergé and the Imperial Porcelain Factory
This Imperial Presentation snuff-box is the only known example by Fabergé incorporating a portrait plaque by the Imperial Porcelain Factory rather than a miniature or cypher.
The Imperial Russian Court was renowned for presenting lavish gifts to Russian and foreign dignitaries, a tradition that particularly flourished during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II (1894-1917) and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (1872-1918). Imperial presentation snuff-boxes given by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna were usually decorated with a jewelled cypher or her miniature portrait. The use of a porcelain plaque depicting Empress Alexandra Feodorovna en camaïeu, produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory in 1909, makes the present snuff-box unique in the Imperial cabinet records.
This large snuff-box, described as a ‘Golden enamelled snuff-box by Fabergé with a porcelain cameo portrait of Her Imperial Highness by the Imperial Porcelain Factory’ was entered in the Imperial Cabinet's ledgers on 2 August 1914 at a cost of 760 roubles.
Though this appears to be a unique collaboration between Fabergé and the Imperial Porcelain Factory on a presentation snuff-box, it is known that Fabergé worked closely with the factory to produced several silver-mounted Imperial presentation vases. During the period from 1907 to 1909, items from the Cabinet’s porcelain stock were sent to Fabergé to enhance their value and make them suitable for presentation. One such vase originally entered the Imperial Cabinet's ledgers on December 2, 1908 under the stock number 324 at a cost of 200 roubles. As discovered by Dr Valentin Skurlov, a decision was made to increase the value of this vase, and other similar porcelain vases in the Imperial Cabinet stock, by adding silver mounts by Fabergé. Once fitted with specifically designed silver mounts, the vase was re-entered in the Imperial Cabinet's ledgers in 1908 under stock number 326 with an increased cost of 560 roubles (Christie’s, New York, 15 April 2013, lot 48).
By pairing Imperial Porcelain Factory pieces with Fabergé mounts, the Cabinet could use their porcelain stock for Imperial presentations. The exceptionally large scale of the present Imperial snuff-box, in proportion with its porcelain portrait roundel, suggests it was created through a similar process of enhancement.
The original design for the present snuff-box is featured in a surviving album of Henrik Wigström’s drawings (U. Tillander-Godenhielm et al., Golden Years of Fabergé: Drawings and Objects from the Wigström Workshop, Paris, 2000, p. 44, pl. 13). Its profile portrait of Alexandra Feodorovna, dated 1909, is reminiscent of biscuit porcelain plaques depicting the Emperor and Empress in profile, which were produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory during the period of Emperor Nicholas II and often presented as gifts to the factory's visitors (T.N. Nosovich, I.P. Popova, Gosudarstvennyi Farforovyi Zavod, 1904-1944 [State Porcelain Factory, 1904-1944], St Petersburg, 2005, p. 112, see lot 355).
The Imperial Cabinet ledgers faithfully record the dates of all outgoing gifts and the names of their recipients. Due to the revolution of 1917, the present snuff-box, which was entered into the cabinet records in 1914, appears never to have been allocated a recipient.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Imperial Presentation Snuff-Boxes
During the period of Emperor Nicholas II, both snuff-boxes mounted with the cypher and the miniature portrait of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna are recorded. Imperial presentations by the Empress usually related directly to services rendered to her rather than to the Empire at large. For example, a jewelled gold Fabergé snuff-box set with the miniature of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna held in the collection of the Musée National de la Marine was presented to Admiral Alfred Gervais (1837-1921) during Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra’s state visit to France in 1896. The admiral carried direct responsibility for escorting the Empress during her tour (Exhibition catalogue, Neptunia. Cadeaux des Tsars. La Diplomatie Navale dans l’Alliance Franco-Russe 1891-1914, National Maritime Museum, Paris, 2010, p. 33).
Imperial presentation snuff-boxes set with the cypher of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna are also recorded. Two known examples appear to relate to Professor Dmitrii Oskarovich Ott (1855-1927), who attended the Empress during pregnancy and delivered the five Imperial children. A pink enamelled snuff-box set with the Empresses’s cypher by Carl Blank for Hahn was awarded in 1895, following the delivery of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna was valued at 1,001 roubles (U. Tillander-Godenhielm, op. cit., pp. 357-359). A very similar example enamelled in yellow with the Empress’s cypher by Hahn was sold Christie’s, London, 8 June 2010, lot 160.
We are grateful to Dr. Valentin Skurlov for his assistance with the research of the present lot.
This Imperial Presentation snuff-box is the only known example by Fabergé incorporating a portrait plaque by the Imperial Porcelain Factory rather than a miniature or cypher.
The Imperial Russian Court was renowned for presenting lavish gifts to Russian and foreign dignitaries, a tradition that particularly flourished during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II (1894-1917) and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (1872-1918). Imperial presentation snuff-boxes given by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna were usually decorated with a jewelled cypher or her miniature portrait. The use of a porcelain plaque depicting Empress Alexandra Feodorovna en camaïeu, produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory in 1909, makes the present snuff-box unique in the Imperial cabinet records.
This large snuff-box, described as a ‘Golden enamelled snuff-box by Fabergé with a porcelain cameo portrait of Her Imperial Highness by the Imperial Porcelain Factory’ was entered in the Imperial Cabinet's ledgers on 2 August 1914 at a cost of 760 roubles.
Though this appears to be a unique collaboration between Fabergé and the Imperial Porcelain Factory on a presentation snuff-box, it is known that Fabergé worked closely with the factory to produced several silver-mounted Imperial presentation vases. During the period from 1907 to 1909, items from the Cabinet’s porcelain stock were sent to Fabergé to enhance their value and make them suitable for presentation. One such vase originally entered the Imperial Cabinet's ledgers on December 2, 1908 under the stock number 324 at a cost of 200 roubles. As discovered by Dr Valentin Skurlov, a decision was made to increase the value of this vase, and other similar porcelain vases in the Imperial Cabinet stock, by adding silver mounts by Fabergé. Once fitted with specifically designed silver mounts, the vase was re-entered in the Imperial Cabinet's ledgers in 1908 under stock number 326 with an increased cost of 560 roubles (Christie’s, New York, 15 April 2013, lot 48).
By pairing Imperial Porcelain Factory pieces with Fabergé mounts, the Cabinet could use their porcelain stock for Imperial presentations. The exceptionally large scale of the present Imperial snuff-box, in proportion with its porcelain portrait roundel, suggests it was created through a similar process of enhancement.
The original design for the present snuff-box is featured in a surviving album of Henrik Wigström’s drawings (U. Tillander-Godenhielm et al., Golden Years of Fabergé: Drawings and Objects from the Wigström Workshop, Paris, 2000, p. 44, pl. 13). Its profile portrait of Alexandra Feodorovna, dated 1909, is reminiscent of biscuit porcelain plaques depicting the Emperor and Empress in profile, which were produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory during the period of Emperor Nicholas II and often presented as gifts to the factory's visitors (T.N. Nosovich, I.P. Popova, Gosudarstvennyi Farforovyi Zavod, 1904-1944 [State Porcelain Factory, 1904-1944], St Petersburg, 2005, p. 112, see lot 355).
The Imperial Cabinet ledgers faithfully record the dates of all outgoing gifts and the names of their recipients. Due to the revolution of 1917, the present snuff-box, which was entered into the cabinet records in 1914, appears never to have been allocated a recipient.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Imperial Presentation Snuff-Boxes
During the period of Emperor Nicholas II, both snuff-boxes mounted with the cypher and the miniature portrait of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna are recorded. Imperial presentations by the Empress usually related directly to services rendered to her rather than to the Empire at large. For example, a jewelled gold Fabergé snuff-box set with the miniature of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna held in the collection of the Musée National de la Marine was presented to Admiral Alfred Gervais (1837-1921) during Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra’s state visit to France in 1896. The admiral carried direct responsibility for escorting the Empress during her tour (Exhibition catalogue, Neptunia. Cadeaux des Tsars. La Diplomatie Navale dans l’Alliance Franco-Russe 1891-1914, National Maritime Museum, Paris, 2010, p. 33).
Imperial presentation snuff-boxes set with the cypher of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna are also recorded. Two known examples appear to relate to Professor Dmitrii Oskarovich Ott (1855-1927), who attended the Empress during pregnancy and delivered the five Imperial children. A pink enamelled snuff-box set with the Empresses’s cypher by Carl Blank for Hahn was awarded in 1895, following the delivery of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna was valued at 1,001 roubles (U. Tillander-Godenhielm, op. cit., pp. 357-359). A very similar example enamelled in yellow with the Empress’s cypher by Hahn was sold Christie’s, London, 8 June 2010, lot 160.
We are grateful to Dr. Valentin Skurlov for his assistance with the research of the present lot.