A Russian Porcelain Basket from the Service for the Imperial Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, Gardner Porcelain Manufactory, Verbilki, 1778-1780

of circular, tapering form, the sides pierced and gilded, the undulating, gilded rim molded in a basketweave pattern, the exterior molded with the red moiré sash of the order, with sculpted and gilded crosses of the order set on opposite sides of the basket, the ribbons ending in a moulded bow knot set below the handles painted brown to resemble woven branches and sculpted with delicate floral ornament and bunches of red grapes, the center of the interior painted with the star of the order with the Cyrillic motto Za trud i otechestvo (For Labor and Fatherland).

A la Vieille Russie, New York

some areas of rubbing to gilding, particularly along the upper rim and on the foot
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Peter the Great had intended to found a military order named in honor of the Russian hero-saint Alexander Nevsky, but had died before being able to do so. He had had the saint's remains brought from Vladimir to St. Petersburg on August 30, 1724 and re-interred at the St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra, founded on the spot where some 500 years earlier, on July 15, 1240, Alexander Nevsky had led his troops to victory over the Swedes. His widow, Empress Catherine I, established the Order in 1725 as both a military and civil award and it was directly after the Order of St. Andrew in terms of prestige. The Empress's Cabinet ordered the service for sixty covers and it was used on the saint's feast day, August 30.

Gavriil Kozlov (1738-1791), designer of the Order Services, had based on forms of the baskets for the Services of St. George and St. Andrew on those in the Berlin Service. The baskets included in the Service for St. Alexander Nevsky vary in terms of the patterns of similutated weaving and the design of the upper rim. In the case of the offered lot, the piercing simulates an openwork basket weave and the upper rim imitates a woven, gilded ribbon rather than a chain.