Catalogue

Bust of Emperor Alexander I
Russian Empire, St. Petersburg, 1827
Author: Fedor Ivanovich Kovshenkov (1785–1850)
Bronze, casting, patination
Dimensions: 19.5 x 8.5 x 8.5 cm.

This finely executed bust of Emperor Alexander I was created by Fedor Kovshenkov, a master bronzeworker who had once been a serf. In 1822, the Emperor himself recognized Kovshenkov’s talent and freed him from serfdom, appointing him as a bronze master during the construction of the Kazan Cathedral.

In 1826, as an expression of gratitude, Kovshenkov produced his first bust of Alexander I, and he returned to this theme multiple times throughout his career. Several examples in bronze and cast iron are preserved today in the State Russian Museum, alongside his busts of Emperor Nicholas I and Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich. A comparable piece is held in the State Literary-Memorial and Natural Museum-Reserve of Alexander Pushkin “Boldino” in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Fedor Ivanovich Kovshenkov (1785–1850)
Originally a serf, Kovshenkov’s exceptional skill in bronze chasing brought him to the attention of Emperor Alexander I, who liberated him. He went on to create portrait busts of members of the imperial family and other distinguished figures, establishing his reputation within the St. Petersburg artistic milieu of the first half of the 19th century.

Starting price: 2000€
Estimate: 2500-3000€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€

A Cast-iron sculpture “Farewell of a Cossack to a Cossack Woman.” Produced by the Kasli Architectural and Artistic Casting Plant, 1901 (Tsarist period). Height: 21.5 cm. Base length: 18 cm.

Starting price: 500€
Estimate: 700-800€

A Russian complete silver-gilt tea set in the original wood travel case. Marked P. Ovchinnikov in cyrillic with Imperial Warrant. Petersburg, 1895. Weight of the silver: 1302 g Height of teapot: 14 cm. Dimensions of the box: 30.5 x 50.5 x 14 cm.

Starting price: 5000€
Estimate: 6000-8000€

A Russian neo renaissance style cast silver and glass inlay egg cup. Makers mark of Imperial Court supplier P. Ovchinnikov. Moscow, the end of the 19th century. Dimensions: 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 cm. Silver weight: 28 gr.

Starting price: 150€
Estimate: 150-250€

An Extremely Rare Russian self-portrait bronze bust of Stephan Dmitrievitch Erzia (Nefedov) (1876-1959) named “Toska” (melancholy). This bust is considered a prominent early artwork by Erzia. Stepan Erzia graduated from Moscow College of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. His teachers were S. Ivanov, Kasatkine, Pasternak, Volnuhine. In 1906 Erzia moved to Italy with his friend and colleague Daniello Tinelli. A few months later he spent all his money and had to apply for a factory job. On getting his first paycheck, Erzia bought some clay and made a clay head which He later called “Toska” (exhibited in Nice Museum, a bronze copy also belongs to Russian State museum in Saint-Petersburg). This self-portrait shows Stepan Erzia as a tired and hungry master. The work became a turning point for his future international fame. Dimensions: 29 x 26 x 13 cm. See Erzia’s similar bronze works: Sotheby’s, 01 Dec 2015 London, United Kingdom Russian Pictures Lot number 115 Female Bust, 1915 Sold 50000 GBP и Sotheby’s, 02 Jun 2015 London, United Kingdom Russian Pictures Lot number 76 Head of a Girl 28000 GBP.

Starting price: 18000€
Estimate: 20000-30000€

Farewell of a Cossack and a Cossack Woman
Ural, Kasli Iron Foundry, after a model by Evgeny Lanceray (1848–1886)
Cast iron, casting, painting
Dated 1901 (Tsarist period)
Height: 21.5 cm; base length: 18 cm

This sculptural composition depicts a poignant farewell scene: a Cossack, seated on horseback with a rifle in a case slung over his back, embraces his wife who rises toward his stirrup. The subject reflects the traditional role of the Cossacks, a privileged military estate in the Russian Empire from the 18th to early 20th centuries, who served as a stronghold of autocracy and were often mobilized in wartime.

The model was created by Evgeny Alexandrovich Lanceray in 1878, inspired by his impressions of the Don Cossack Host. The Kasli Iron Foundry, one of Russia’s most renowned centers of artistic iron casting, reproduced this piece in the early 20th century, as evidenced by the factory marks preserved on the underside and base.

Evgeny Alexandrovich Lanceray (1848–1886)
A Russian sculptor and animalier, Lanceray was an honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a master of small-scale narrative sculpture. His works, often centered on historical, ethnographic, folkloric, and everyday themes, brought international recognition to Russian sculpture. He participated in numerous World’s Fairs and created not only bronze figures and groups but also decorative and applied art objects. His compositions were cast at all the leading foundries of his time, including Chopin, Shtange, Moran, Berto, and the Ural iron foundries.

Starting price: 500€
Estimate: 700-800€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€

An extremely rare bronze figural group by Evgeniy Lanceray “English cavalcade in Hyde park” Cast by Chopin manufactory. Petersburg, 1880s. Dimensions: 28 x 46 x 26 cm.

Starting price: 40000€
Estimate: 45000-60000€

Alfred Caravanniez (1855–1917)
“Bayard”
France, late 19th century
Patinated bronze, cast by Barbedienne Foundry
Signed and stamped.
Height: 42 cm

This finely cast bronze depicts Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard (1473–1524) — the legendary French knight celebrated as “le chevalier sans peur et sans reproche” (“the knight without fear and beyond reproach”). The sculpture presents Bayard in full Renaissance armor, standing proudly with folded arms and sword at his side, embodying ideals of honor, loyalty, and martial virtue.

Created by Alfred Caravanniez, a French sculptor trained under Aimé Millet at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the work exemplifies the historical realism and patriotic romanticism characteristic of late 19th-century French bronze statuary. Cast by the renowned Barbedienne Foundry, it reflects the superior quality and finish that made the firm one of the most respected bronze ateliers of its time.

Caravanniez’s public works include monuments and statues in Saint-Malo, Nantes, Cholet, and Sainte-Anne-d’Auray, most notably the monumental statue of corsair Robert Surcouf (1903) in Saint-Malo, also executed in bronze by Barbedienne.

Starting price: 4000€
Estimate: 5000-6000€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€

A Russian bronze paperweight from the “Hunting” desk set with russian greyhound. Author N. Liberich. Foundry mark of K.F. Woerfell. Petersburg. Second part of 19th century. Dimensions: 32.5 x 8 x 8 cm.

Starting price: 150€
Estimate: 200-300€

Paul Dubois (1829–1905)
“Le Courage Militaire” (Military Courage)
France, circa 1880
Patinated bronze, signed “F. Barbedienne, Fondeur”
Height: 38 cm

This exceptional bronze, cast by the renowned Barbedienne Foundry, represents “Le Courage Militaire” (Military Courage) — one of the four allegorical figures created by Paul Dubois for the cenotaph of General Juchault de La Moricière in the Cathedral of Nantes.

Depicted as a seated Roman warrior, the figure embodies noble restraint and strength through a masterful synthesis of naturalism and classical idealization. The serene dignity of the soldier’s pose and the finely rendered drapery are hallmarks of Dubois’s distinctive “Neo-Florentine” style, blending Renaissance influence with French academic sculpture of the 19th century.

Paul Dubois, both a sculptor and painter, studied in Rome and gained prominence with his Saint John the Baptist (1861), exhibited at the Paris Salon. His refined, spiritual approach to allegorical subjects earned him widespread acclaim, including médaille d’honneur at the Salon des Beaux-Arts in 1865 and 1876.

Dubois’s works — including Military Courage, Faith, Charity, and Meditation — are represented in leading French institutions such as the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée Camille Claudel in Nogent-sur-Seine

Starting price: 2000€
Estimate: 2500-3000€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€