MARK OF CHRISTOPHER FRIEDRICH WEGENER, ST PETERSBURG, 1774

Details

A LARGE PARCEL-GILT SILVER IMPERIAL PRESENTATION KOVSH
MARK OF CHRISTOPHER FRIEDRICH WEGENER, ST PETERSBURG, 1774
Of traditional form with raised prow and handle, the bowl repoussé with a circular reserve centring an Imperial double-headed eagle with the orb and sceptre, the exterior sides engraved with foliate swags and a Russian dedication inscription 'By Decree of Her Imperial Highness, this kovsh is presented on 14 October 1774 by the Governing Senate, the Commission for Composing a New Code of Laws, and the merchants of Yadrin city to the Deputy Andrei Ovchinnikov, son of Petr, for the service that he provided during the attack on Yadrin together with the head of the city and burgomaster encouraging all Yadrin merchants and other citizens towards obedience and battle', the applied handle set with a double-headed eagle, the finial cast as a double-headed eagle, marked on handle
11 in. (28 cm.) wide
39.75 oz. (1,236.6 gr.)

Provenance

Prince Sergey Gorchakov (1861-1927).
Anonymous sale; Christie's, Geneva, 28 April 1976, lot 39.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.

Literature

V. I. Troitskiy, Two Gospels and antique silver from the collection of Count Sergey Dmitrievich Gorchakov in Kaluga [Dva Evangeliya i starinnoe serebro iz sobraniya knyazya Sergeya Dmitrievicha Gorchakova v Kaluge], Moscow, 1914, pl. XXII, no. 29 (illustrated).
A. von Solodkoff, Russian Gold and Silver, London, 1981, no. 87 (illustrated).

Special Notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

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Lot Essay

The attack on Yadrin city was part of the Pugachev's Rebellion of 1773-1775, a series of rebellions that took place in Russia after Catherine the Great seized power in 1762. Pugachev's army together with the Chuvash peasants were defeated by the Yadrin merchants in July 1774.

Prince Sergey Gorchakov (1861-1927) was the Governor of Vyatka and Kaluga between 1906-1915. A renowned collector, Sergey Gorchakov was an honorary member of numerous charitable organizations in Russia before the Revolution. He was arrested in 1918 and sent into exile in Tobolsk.

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