Lot 0064
Russian Vase with Snake-Form Handles, Imperial Glass Factory, St Petersburg, 1810s–1820s
Estimate: 8000-9000€
A Rare Russian vase with snake-form handles
After a design by Carlo Rossi (1775-1849).
Imperial Glass Factory, St Petersburg, 1810s-1820s. Dimensions: 20 x 29 x 12 cm.
Crystal glass, gilt bronze; blown, cutting; cast and gilt bronze mounts.
An elegant oval vase-bowl of clear glass, raised on a stepped pedestal foot and mounted with richly gilt bronze rims and handles in the form of entwining snakes. The glass body is articulated by fine vertical pilasters, while the lower zone is finished with a cut diamond band. The restrained clarity of the vessel is set in deliberate contrast with the animated bronze mounts: the serpents, modeled with sinuous bodies and alert, naturalistic heads, transform the utilitarian handles into a distinctly sculptural motif.
The snake, a motif associated in Neoclassical design with antiquity, renewal, and protective force, lends the composition both symbolic resonance and formal dynamism. The combination of transparent crystal glass and finely chased gilt bronze is characteristic of luxury production associated with the Imperial Glass Factory in St Petersburg. The Imperial Glass Factory mastered to a high degree the production of cut crystal, one of the most fashionable materials of the period. In its early years, both the forms and the cutting patterns of its wares were shaped by the influence of English, particularly Irish, crystal. Before long, however, Russian architects, among them Andrei Voronikhin and others, developed new forms previously unknown in European glassmaking, while the factory’s cutters introduced original patterns of faceting, engraving, and painted decoration.
The 1820s marked a flourishing period for artistic glass intended for the interior. Inspired by trophy-like gilt-bronze mounts, Russian architects and St Petersburg bronze-makers began to design new types of palace furnishings, for which crystal elements and supports were produced at the Imperial Glass Factory. These expanded decorative possibilities were further enriched by the wide chromatic range of glass and crystal manufactured there.
A comparable vase is preserved in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum. https://www.hermitagemuseum.org/digital-collection/923774?lng=ru
Starting price: 7000€
Estimate: 8000-9000€
Hammer Price: €
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Estimate: 3000-4000€A Russian cut-glass ice bucket with gilt-bronze handle
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Cut glass, gilt bronze; wheel-cut, faceted and polished glass; cast and chased mount. Dimensions: Height with open handle 18 cm. Diameter: 14 x 13 cm.
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Lot 0065
Russian Vase with Snake-Form Handles, Imperial Glass Factory, St Petersburg, 1810s–1820s
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Lot 0065
Russian Vase with Snake-Form Handles, Imperial Glass Factory, St Petersburg, 1810s–1820s
Estimate: 6000-8000€A Rare Russian vase with snake-form handles
After a design by Carlo Rossi (1775-1849).
Imperial Glass Factory, St Petersburg, 1810s-1820s. Dimensions: 14.5 x 22 x 9 cm.
Crystal glass, gilt bronze; blown, cutting; cast and gilt bronze mounts.
An elegant oval vase-bowl of clear glass, raised on a stepped pedestal foot and mounted with richly gilt bronze rims and handles in the form of entwining snakes. The glass body is articulated by fine vertical pilasters, while the lower zone is finished with a cut diamond band. The restrained clarity of the vessel is set in deliberate contrast with the animated bronze mounts: the serpents, modeled with sinuous bodies and alert, naturalistic heads, transform the utilitarian handles into a distinctly sculptural motif.
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