Russian Works of Art, Fabergé and Icons
Russian Works of Art, Fabergé and Icons
Property from an Important French Private Collection
A Rare Fabergé silver and en plein enamel cigar box, Moscow, circa 1911
Auction Closed
December 2, 04:59 PM GMT
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from an Important French Private Collection
A Rare Fabergé silver and en plein enamel cigar box, Moscow, circa 1911
rectangular, of Neoclassical taste, the hinged lid applied with an oval plaque painted en plein with By the Fortress Wall. 'Let Them Come in' by Vasily Vereshchagin (1871) within a reeded border, each side applied with rosettes within reeded cartouches, acanthus and laurel borders, the front with engraved initials 'VT' in Cyrillic underneath the count’s crown within a ribbon-tied laurel wreath reserve, gilt interior with engraved inscription in French 'A mon chéri / 1er Octobre 1911 / Marguerite', struck K. Fabergé in Cyrillic underneath the Imperial warrant, 88 standard, with partial scratched inventory number 640
length 19.5cm, 7 7/10in.
Thence by descent
Born into one of the oldest families in Russia descending from the Princes of Smolensk, Count Vladimir Sergeevich Tatischeff (1865-1928) held several high-ranking positions within the Russian Empire. Tatischeff served as Active State Councilor, director of Moscow’s United Bank (1910-1917), Marshal of Nobility for Minsk Province, chairman of the board of Moscow’s railway branch line company, the association for production and trade of rubber products Bogatyr, the association for trade and industry in Persia and Central Asia, director of the Russian Insurance company as well as officer for special assignments for the Ministry of Finance, just to name a few.
The present lot was gifted to Tatischeff by his second wife Marguerite in 1911, the same year he bought the Protopopov-Tatischeff mansion on 12 Novokuznetsaya Ulitsa in Moscow and started to rebuild it according to his penchant for neoclassicism with the architect Gustav Helrich.
Decorated with a miniature of Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin's painting At the city wall. 'Let them come in!' (1871), kept in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. The painting illustrates a scene during the Siege of Samarkand from June 1868, showing the Imperial Russian garrison inside the fortress wall, preparing for the approaching troops of the Emir of Bukhara. For three long days, the Bukharan troops laid siege to the citadel, making several breaches in the fortification’s walls. Despite heavy losses, all attempts to storm the fortress were defended by the Russian troops. Vereshchagin, who took part in the battle himself, recalls:
'…There was loud noise, nothing yet however, the noise is getting louder and louder, one can already make out individual voices, they are approaching towards the breach not far from us; we moved there, lurking behind the wall. -Let’s meet them on the wall I whisper to Nazarov (the commanding officer of the garrison) eagerly waiting. -Shh he answers, let them come in. This moment served me for one of my paintings. There are screams above our very heads. The daredevils show themselves on the ridge- Hurray! from our side. Such firing opened from our side that again that there would be nothing left for the bayonets, all retreated because of the bullets.'
(V.V. Vereshchagin, Skobelev, Russo-Turkish War 1877-1878 , Moscow: Dar’, 2007, p.374-375)
Following the Russian victory at Samarkand, the Amir of Bukhara was forced to sue for peace and Vasily Vereshchagin was awarded the Order of St George 4th class for his heroism during the battle.