A silver pair of German wine-coolers from the Riga Governmental Service, Johann Cristian Neuss, Augsburg, 1781-1783

Commissioned by Catherine II of Russia, for the palace of Riga

Prince Demidoff collection (probably bought by Nicolai Demidoff (1773-1828))

Müller et Cie, Amsterdam, 16-18 June 1925, part of either lots 895, 896 or 897

Belgian private collection

Christie's Paris, 08 November 2013, lot 137

Koopman Rare Art, London, 2013

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Commande de Catherine II de Russie, pour le palais de Riga

Collection du prince Demidoff (probablement acquis par Nicolai Demidoff (1773-1828))

Müller et Cie, Amsterdam, 16-18 June 1925, une partie d'un des lots 895, 896 ou 897

Collection particulière, Belgique 

Christie's Paris, 8 novembre 2013, lot 137

Koopman Rare Art, Londres, 2013

At the head of Russia since 1762, Catherine II was a reforming monarch. In order to govern such a vast country, she developed a large reform of the provinces from 1775 with the help of her favorite Gregori Potemkin. She divided Russia into fifty provinces, each headed by a governor, who was responsible for administration, police and justice, while being linked to the central power. To reward the best governors she had twenty silver dinner services made in all the most important European capitals, Paris and London, but also Augsburg and St Petersburg. These services were then installed in the palaces of the provinces in order not to be mixed. In addition to the six services ordered in Paris from Robert-Joseph Auguste from 1778 and the five ordered in London from 1774, the Augsburg silversmiths received orders for probably six services: Perm, Kharkov, Blonec, Riga and two others undefined.

These services remained in the imperial collections undergoing major melting between 1838 and 1849 and were sold or dispersed in auctions in the 1930s by the Soviet government.

The Riga service was delivered to the then governor Count George von Browne (1698-1792) in April 1784. Like all the other services, it is engraved in dotted line and in Cyrillic with the name of the service, in this case "RIZH". This service was intended for forty people with four tureens, eight candelabra, twenty-four candlesticks, eight coolers, sauce boats, dishes and plates. The total weight of the service was over 17,000 ounces (around 482 kg). The Riga service is the most documented because it was inventoried twice, once in 1784 and again in 1795 during the visit of Peter von Biron, Duke of Courland, during which part of the service was used.

After the death of Catherine II, her son, Emperor Paul I, repatriated all the provincial services to St. Petersburg and the Riga service fell into oblivion. Indeed, unlike the other imperial services listed in 1907 by Baron Foelkersam, the current service is not mentioned. It reappeared in june 1925 during an auction at Frederik Müller and Co. Offered in three large lots with the provenance "Collection Demidoff", the pieces are even photographed, and we see a tureen, candelabra but also five coolers. This provenance suggests that part or all of the service was purchased by the wealthy industrialist and collector Anatole Demidoff, Prince of San Donato (1812-1870) in the 19th century.