A Fabergé silver-gilt and enamel table box , workmaster Feodor Afanassiev, St Petersburg, 1904-1908

the surfaces of translucent white enamel over engine-turned swags, the lid and rim borders of red pellet and green mullet translucent enamel, gold and green chrysoprase thumbpiece, struck with workmaster's initials and Fabergé in Cyrillic, 88 standard, scratched inventory number 15773

Purchased from Fabergé's London branch by Baron Leopold de Rothschild on 24 December 1908

The Hodges Family Collection

J. W. Keefe, Fabergé: The Hodges Family Collection, New Orleans, 2008, no. 61, pp. 182-183, illustrated.

Excellent condition with minor scratches and corner nicks. There is a spot at the lower front where the enamel appears inconsistent (visible in the catalogue photo), but does not appear to be a restoration. Three of the green mullets at the rim border have been restored.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In the 19th century the Rothschild family owned the largest private fortune in the world. It is estimated that, adjusted for inflation, they were the wealthiest family in modern history. So enormously successful were the descendants of Mayer Amschel Rothschild, a banker who flourished in 1760s Germany, that for centuries the name bred myths, legends and conspiracy theories almost by default. This proliferation of wealth initially stemmed from Mayer Amschel’s decision to send his five sons to London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna and Naples to establish and develop successful branches of his banking business. The English branch of the family prospered financially most; the French contingent was believed superior in philanthropy, winemaking and the arts.

Leopold de Rothschild (1845-1917) was the son of first cousins Charlotte and Lionel, both prominent Rothschilds. The daughter of Carl Mayer, the Rothschild son who went to Naples, and the son of Nathan Mayer, the Rothschild son who travelled to London, were encouraged to wed in order to concentrate the family’s considerable wealth. Lionel, it must be noted, was the first practicing Jew to sit as a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom. His son Leopold became a banker, race-horse breeder, art collector and philanthropist.

The youngest of five children, Leopold de Rothschild was a vivacious and charming heir. He went to the University of Cambridge, but despite repeated attempts from his mother to encourage further study, Leopold found his home at the race track. His bulky figure and unencumbered bursts of emotion made him a visible and popular member of the horse-racing community. Unlike other prosperous men who take up a hobby but never manage to compete with the professionals, Leopold produced a number of winning race-horses and cemented an illustrious reputation in the field he cared for most. He was also an indispensable member of the Anglo-Jewish community of his time, presiding over the United Synagogue as well as the Jews’ Free School and acting as Treasurer of the Jewish Board of Guardians. His philanthropy reached far and wide, from financing the Evelina London Children’s Hospital to establishing the famous Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford.

After the death of his uncle, Baron Mayer de Rothschild, in 1874, Leopold became the head of the family’s banking business in London and the owner of Ascott House, in Buckinghamshire. His Jewish marriage ceremony to Marie Perugia in 1881 was attended by the Prince of Wales and was delicately rendered by The Illustrated London Times. The gardens in Gunnersbury, where Leopold married, and Ascott House were lovingly tended to by their owner, who had a flair for horticulture. In 1884 he was caricatured in Vanity Fair magazine. A copy of the cartoon drawing is kept at the National Portrait Gallery, along with photographs of Leopold. In 1905 he was awarded the Royal Victorian Order and in 1912, five years before his death, he survived an assassination attempt. James Joyce’s colossal novel Ulysses, which describes the events of a single summer’s day in 1904, makes mention of Leopold de Rothschild on its pages. (Leopold de Rothschild is among the glamorous patrons of the shop whose purchases will be discussed, along with the inner workings of the business, in the upcoming comprehensive publication by Kieran McCarthy, Fabergé in London: The British Branch of the Imperial Russian Goldsmith, 2017, from ACC Publishing.)