Lot 0190
Russian Presentation Box with Hardstone Cameo of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, St Petersburg, 1772–1783
Estimate: 6000-8000€
A Russian Presentation Box with Hardstone Cameo of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich
St Petersburg, 1772-1783.
Cameo attributed to Giovanni Pichler (1734-1791), gem engraver.
Silver, gilding, engraving, mounting, pearls, cabochons, lapis lazuli carved cameo.
Total weight: 259 g. Dimensions: 5 x 11 x 9 cm.
Marks: stamped EB, St. Petersburg assay mark.
An oval presentation box in the Neo-Renaissance taste, executed in richly gilded silver and profusely ornamented with pierced scrollwork, engraved foliage, seed pearls, and cabochon settings. The domed lid is centered with an oval hardstone cameo portraying Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich in profile. The cameo may be attributed to the engraver Giovanni Pichler (1734-1791), one of the most celebrated gem carvers of the later eighteenth century, whose works were prized in aristocratic and courtly circles for their refined classicism and sculptural precision.
The box unites the arts of glyptic carving and goldsmith’s work in a single ceremonial object. The austere profile portrait, rendered in the language of antique-inspired court representation, is set within an elaborate ornamental framework of Renaissance-derived scrolls and rosettes.
By artistic level and character, the piece belongs to the category of precious presentation boxes intended for courtly gift exchange or cabinet display.
Starting price: 5000€
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Hammer Price: €



































