Lot 0209
Silver-Gilt and Malachite Pill Box with Micromosaic “St Peter’s Square, Rome”, Leonid Pyanovsky, Moscow, 1899–1908
Estimate: 2500-3500€
Silver-gilt and malachite pill box with micromosaic panel “St Peter’s Square, Rome”
Moscow, Leonid Pyanovsky, 1899–1908.
Malachite, silver, micromosaic.
Dimenisons: 4.8 × 8.9 × 2.2 cm.
Marks: maker’s mark “L. PAYNOVSKY”; Moscow assay mark for 1899–1908
A malachite casket with the lid is centred with an exceptionally fine architectural micromosaic depicting St Peter’s Square in Rome. The image is executed in the Roman tradition of micro-mosaic using minute smalti tesserae, so small as to read almost like threads, producing smooth tonal transitions and a painterly surface effect.
Works by Leonid Pyanovsky are described as scarce; only a small number are noted in Russian museum collections, including examples in the Pavlovsk State Museum-Reserve and the A. M. Gorky Museum in Nizhny Novgorod.
Leonid Adamovich Pyanovsky (1885–1976) is associated in the literature with decorative arts in a Russian Revival vein and with commissions for high-profile projects and patrons, including works connected with the Romanov Tercentenary. A related reference is given in: T. Muntyan, Carl Fabergé and the Masters of Stone-Cutting. Gem Treasures of Russia, Moscow Kremlin Museums, 2011, pp. 214–215.
Starting price: 2000€
Estimate: 2500-3500€
Hammer Price: €
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Lot 0208
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Lot 0211
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Estimate: 3500-4500€
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Estimate: 3500-4500€
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Lot 0210
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Estimate: 1200-1500€
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Hammer Price: €