Lot 0083
Russian Gold and Gem-Stone Smoking Set “Samorodok” by Friedrich Koehli
Estimate: 3500-4500€
A Russian Gold and Gem-Set Smoking Set “Samorodok”
Maker’s mark of “FK”. Petersburg, late 19th century.
Dimensions of case: 7 × 14 × 2.7 cm. Total weight of items: 44.6 g.
A luxurious three-piece smoking set comprising a cigar cutter, mouthpiece, and matchbox, each crafted in gold with a fine samorodok texture and set with colored gemstones. Presented in the original fitted green leather case lined with silk and velvet.
Friedrich Koehli (1837–1909) founded his distinguished jewelry firm in St. Petersburg in 1874. Originally from Switzerland, Koehli rose to prominence as one of the most refined and technically skilled jewelers of the Imperial capital. By 1902, his firm had been appointed official supplier to the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, and later to Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
Koehli’s works — gold cigarette cases, enamel boxes, and diamond-set presentation gifts — were highly prized at the Imperial Court. He exhibited alongside Fabergé at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, serving as a member of the jury. In 1903, together with his son Theodor-Friedrich (Fyodor Fyodorovich) Koehli, he established the partnership F. & F. Koehli, which continued the family’s production of fine gold and enamel objects until 1911.
Koehli’s elegant creations, often distinguished by samorodok surfaces, fine enameling, and restrained gemstone settings, remain among the most sophisticated examples of St. Petersburg court jewelry at the turn of the century
Starting price: 3000€
Estimate: 3500-4500€
Hammer Price: 3000€
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Fabergé collaborated with several renowned stone-cutting centers, including the Imperial Peterhof Lapidary Works and workshops in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. After 1908, the firm’s own lapidaries, such as Peter Kremlev and Peter Derbychev, created masterpieces from hardstones within the Fabergé atelier.
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Christie’s, London, Important Russian Silver, Works of Art and Fabergé, 28 November 2007, Lot 32: A Fabergé Gold-Mounted Rock Crystal and Guilloché Enamel Vase, Workmaster Michael Perchin, c.1898–1903 (https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4857825)
Sotheby’s, London, Russian Works of Art, Fabergé and Icons, 30 November 2020: A Fabergé En Plein Enamel Gold-Mounted Rock Crystal Vase, early 20th century (https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/russian-works-of-art-faberge-and-icons/a-faberge-en-plein-enamel-gold-mounted-rock)
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Estimate: 1500-2000€
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Lot 0084
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Estimate: 5000-6000€
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Estimate: 5000-6000€
Hammer Price: 5000€