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拍品專文
Although the present charger lacks an inscription specific to the occasion, it was likely presented on the coronation day of Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna in Moscow. Alexander III ascended to the throne in 1881, following the assassination of his father, Alexander II, and was crowned in May of 1883. Such large chargers were offered on the coronation days of Emperors Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II by visiting provincial dignitaries who presented the Emperor with bread and salt in an elaborate ceremony held in the Kremlin Palace. Of traditional circular form, the chargers vary in design and were executed by the leading silversmiths and jewellers of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Smolensk, among the oldest cities of Russia, was mentioned in records as early as 863 A.D., two years after the founding of ancient Rus. It was home to one of the most venerated Orthodox icons, the Smolensk Hodegetria or Mother of God of Smolensk, which was attributed to St. Luke and kept in Assumption Cathedral. Valued by tsars for its military importance, this walled city on the Dnieper River was a vital fortress that defended the route to Moscow. The Battle of Smolensk in August of 1812, a battle of two of the largest armies ever assembled and the first of the ultimately disastrous French invasion of Russia, ended with Napoleon capturing the evacuated and burning city.
For another silver and enamel charger, by the firm of Ovchinnikov, presented at the coronation of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna, see Magnificent Silver from the Love Collection, Christie's, New York, October 19, 2004, lot 122. Another example, also by Ovchinnikov, is preserved in the Hillwood Museum, Washington, D.C. See A. Odom and L.P. Arend, exhibition catalogue, A Taste for Splendor, Russian Imperial and European Treasures from the Hillwood Museum, Alexandria, Virginia, 1998, No. 160, pp. 290-291, illustrated.
Founded in Moscow in 1793 by Pavel Fedorovich Sazikov, the firm was one of the most well-regarded in Imperial Russia and from 1846 was one of the main suppliers to the Imperial Court. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, Sazikov regularly exhibited at international exhibitions and won numerous awards. In 1882, the head enameller at the firm was Feodor Rückert, who would go on to open his own workshop in Moscow and earn a reputation as one of the country's finest enamellers.
Smolensk, among the oldest cities of Russia, was mentioned in records as early as 863 A.D., two years after the founding of ancient Rus. It was home to one of the most venerated Orthodox icons, the Smolensk Hodegetria or Mother of God of Smolensk, which was attributed to St. Luke and kept in Assumption Cathedral. Valued by tsars for its military importance, this walled city on the Dnieper River was a vital fortress that defended the route to Moscow. The Battle of Smolensk in August of 1812, a battle of two of the largest armies ever assembled and the first of the ultimately disastrous French invasion of Russia, ended with Napoleon capturing the evacuated and burning city.
For another silver and enamel charger, by the firm of Ovchinnikov, presented at the coronation of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna, see Magnificent Silver from the Love Collection, Christie's, New York, October 19, 2004, lot 122. Another example, also by Ovchinnikov, is preserved in the Hillwood Museum, Washington, D.C. See A. Odom and L.P. Arend, exhibition catalogue, A Taste for Splendor, Russian Imperial and European Treasures from the Hillwood Museum, Alexandria, Virginia, 1998, No. 160, pp. 290-291, illustrated.
Founded in Moscow in 1793 by Pavel Fedorovich Sazikov, the firm was one of the most well-regarded in Imperial Russia and from 1846 was one of the main suppliers to the Imperial Court. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, Sazikov regularly exhibited at international exhibitions and won numerous awards. In 1882, the head enameller at the firm was Feodor Rückert, who would go on to open his own workshop in Moscow and earn a reputation as one of the country's finest enamellers.