Emperor Alexander III: A Russian Imperial Presentation Cloisonné Enamel Gilt Silver Punch Service Ovchinnikov with Imperial Warrant, Moscow, ca. 1885 5-5/8 x 5-1/2 inches (14.3 x 14.0 cm) (punch bowl) 2 x 12 inches (5.1 x 30.5 cm) (tray) 2683 grams PROVENANCE: Presented by Emperor Alexander III; A La Vieille Russie, New York; Purchased from the above by the current owner. A related punch set by Ovchinnikov, may be seen illustrated, Hill, G., Fabergé and the Russian Goldsmiths, Park Lane: New York, 1989, illus. no. 196, and dated 1885. Another set of similar form dated 1892 was sold, Sotheby's New York, December 5, 1997, lot 325, and again on April 17, 2012, lot 343. The form of this set was clearly extremely popular, and in production with variations for almost a decade. Documentation from A La Vieille Russie notes that this piece was presented by Emperor Alexander III as a gift to the Chilean Admiral who assisted the "Tunguss," a Russian schooner commanded by Makarov which fell into distress off the coast of South America in 1881. Stepan Makarov joined the Tunguss in January of 1870, as a lieutenant, ultimately who becoming second mate, while the boat was still under construction so that the Tunguss could sail from St. Petersburg to the Far East. Between 1870 and 1872, the Tunguss sailed from Kronstadt - Copenhagen - Plymouth - Porto Grande - Rio de Janeiro - Strait of Magellan - Honolulu - Vladivostok - Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, where on August 6, 1872, it joined the Siberian flotilla. Masterpieces of Russian Enamel from an Important American Collection HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved