A RARE JEWELLED GOLD PECTORAL CROSS, GEORGIAN, 17TH CENTURY |

the pendant of treflée cross form, set with rubies, garnets and emeralds, the corners with projecting pearls, the pin with a double-headed ruby-set eagle, the reverse engraved with quatrefoils on a reeded background, unmarked, with associated short chain or bracelet, formed as gold cloison flowers set with nephrite and rubies, linked with gold rods with pearl terminals

Lazar Lazarovitch Lazareff (1700 Isfahan, Persia, d.1782, Moscow); By descent to his great granddaughter, Dorothee d’Abzac, born Lazareff-Hoym (d.1866);

Thence by descent.

The cross in very good condition, with only minor wear consistent with age. The chain in very good condition; the clasp was replaced later.
"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."

Artists in Georgia were among the first in the ancient world to process metals.  Among the archaeological finds of the Trialeti and Bedeni mounds of southern Georgia are fine gold pins, elaborately chased, dating from the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. Enamel was used in the production of Georgian jewellery by the 5th century BC (see A. Jakakhishvili and G. Abramishvili, Jewellery and Metalwork in the Museums of Georgia, Aurora, Leningrad, 1986, pl. 21).  The country’s geographical position between Turkey, Persia and the Silk Road to the south and the important commercial centre of Moscow to the north resulted in foreign influences, including Indian motifs and techniques, appearing frequently in Georgian jewellery throughout the centuries. Objects produced before Georgia’s incorporation into the Russian Empire in 1801 bear extensive Eastern characteristics which, combined with the country’s rich tradition of metalwork, make Georgian jewellery distinctive. The construction of the present cross and chain, for example, particularly the setting of the stones, resembles Indian work.  The double-headed eagle, although suggestive to the modern eye as Russian, was a common emblem and was used most prominently in the early 18th century by Vakhtang VI, who ruled the Eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli. A necklace and cross nearly identical to the present lot is in the collection of the Georgian National Museum (inv. no. 9530) and is dated to the 17th century.  Another, also with the double-headed eagle but with rectangular links, is in the same collection (inv. nos. 10 002-10 004) and is part of a parure which includes a diadem and an additional pendant; these pieces are believed to have come from a Tbilisi workshop (see Sanikidzé, T. and Abramishvili, G., Orfèvrerie Géorgienne du VIIe au XIXe siècle, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva, 1979, pls. 69-71).  A variant example, with thicker links and cross, with the addition of diamonds, and with a dove in place of the double-headed eagle, is in the British Museum (museum no. 1983, 0102.1). A similar Georgian jeweled and enameled gold cross pendant and chain, belonging to the Princely House of Dadiani, was sold at Sotheby’s London, Treasures, 9 July 2014, lot 28 (£74,500).