Lot 0177
Fabergé Silver Kovsh Inset with Coin, St Petersburg, 1908–1917
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Fabergé. A silver kovsh inset with a coin
St Petersburg, Fabergé, master Alexander Wakewa, 1908-1917
Silver; raised, cast, chased.
Marked: under the Imperial warrant, K. FABERGÉ in Cyrillic; maker’s mark A.W; St Petersburg assay mark; 84 silver standard; scratched firm’s inventory number 25067. Weight: 244 g. Dimensions: 8,3 x 19,8 x 10 cm.
This elegant miniature kovsh takes its form from the ancient Russian korets, or ladle-shaped drinking vessel, recalling the honoured presentation kovshi of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The gently swelling body, set on a low circular foot, is defined by a restrained profile and bordered with a fine beaded rim. Its most distinctive feature is the sculptural handle, enriched with scrolling ornament and inset with a silver grivennik of 1752, struck during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.
The choice of coin is significant. Under Elizabeth, richly mounted kovshi of related type were awarded as honorary gifts, notably to distinguished Cossacks of the Zaporozhian Host. In this piece, the eighteenth-century coin functions not merely as an ornamental insert, but as a historical allusion, linking the object to the ceremonial and commemorative traditions of Imperial Russia. The rocaille scrolls of the handle, evocative of the Elizabethan Baroque, reinforce this retrospective character.
This kovsh was produced by Alexander Wakewa manufacturer, one of the Fabergé workmasters active in St Petersburg in the early twentieth century. It reflects the firm’s highly cultivated reinterpretation of Old Russian forms, seen through the lens of late Imperial taste and executed with the clarity and finish associated with Fabergé silver at its best.
Starting price: 5000€
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Hammer Price: €
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Lot 0175
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Silver-gilt, champlevé enamel; casting, chasing, engraving, gilding, enamelling.
Dimensions of each cup: 4.5 × 6.3 × 4.6 cm.
Length of each spoon: 9.8 cm.
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Total weight: 332,9 g.
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Lot 0179
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Estimate: 2500-3500€
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Weight: 194 g.
Dimensions: 11.4 x 4.2 x 4.2 cm.
Marks: maker’s mark of Ivan Britsyn, “И.Б.”; Petersburg silver assay mark, 91 zolotnik standard.
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Lot 0176
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Estimate: 1200-1500€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0178
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Estimate: 800-1000€
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