Jan 24, 2024 10:00 EST
Fabergé & Vertu / English & Continental Silver
75
Fabergé Imperial Silver-Mounted Bowenite Bell Push
Workmaster Michael Perchin, St. Petersburg, circa 1897, scratched inventory number 52729
Diamond-shaped, with concave sides, the top with a cabochon garnet push-piece centering intersecting ribbon-tied caducei, the silver base raised on paw feet. Width 2 3/5 inches (6.5 cm).
Purchased by Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (1847-1928) from Fabergé on July 8, 1897 for 62 rubles.
Sold for $5,760
Estimated at $5,000 - $7,000
Includes Buyer's Premium
Workmaster Michael Perchin, St. Petersburg, circa 1897, scratched inventory number 52729
Diamond-shaped, with concave sides, the top with a cabochon garnet push-piece centering intersecting ribbon-tied caducei, the silver base raised on paw feet. Width 2 3/5 inches (6.5 cm).
Purchased by Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (1847-1928) from Fabergé on July 8, 1897 for 62 rubles.
Notes:
Literature:
I.A. Soboleva, Products of the Fabergé Firm from the Late 19th to Early 20th Century in the Collection of the Pavlovsk State Museum Preserve, St. Petersburg (2013), no. 690, p. 90.
Records indicate that the present bell push was one of seven objects which the Dowager Empress purchased from Fabergé on July 8, 1897. Her purchases, which totaled 687 rubles, also included an enameled cigarette case, a gold cigarette holder, and an enameled sardonyx charka.
In generally good condition. Minor chips to top edges of three corners of hardstone. Silver base mount slightly bent along edges; one foot slightly bent downwards. With a contemporary wire (now cut).
Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact and our Organization shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. Please contact the specialist department to request further information or additional images that may be available.
Auction: Fabergé & Vertu / English & Continental Silver, Jan 24, 2024
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Successful Auction of Fabergé & Vertu on January 24, 2024
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Bronze Figure of Mephistopheles by Russian Sculptor Mark Antokolsky Achieves $70,400
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Comprising Lots 1 - 147 in the Sale
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We Invite You to Contact Us for a Complimentary Auction Evaluation of Your Fabergé & Vertu
NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle's auction of Fabergé & Vertu on January 24, 2024 saw international competition drive strong prices for a range of exceptional objects spanning the 17th to the 20th century. Bidders on both sides of the Atlantic vied for exquisite objects by Fabergé, vertu, silver and icons from prominent collections and estates.
Highlighting the sale was a masterful bronze figure of Mephistopheles by Mark Antokolsky that achieved $70,400, far surpassing its estimate of $30,000-50,000. The premier Russian sculptor of the late 19th century, Mark Antokolsky (1843-1902) conceived of Mephistopheles in 1874 while working on Christ Before the Judgment of the People, aiming to create a character as strong as Christ but in complete moral opposition to him, with the intention of exhibiting the two works together. In 1882, Antokolsky began to produce clay studies of the full-scale work and continued throughout 1883. The finished work, a thoroughly modern and deeply psychological portrait, was realized in marble and cast in bronze.
“My Mephistopheles,” Antokolsky wrote in a letter to E.G. Mamontov in May 1883, “is the product of all ages, especially our age. My Mephistopheles is mystery, plague, decay, which is carried in the air; it infects and kills people. Mephistopheles is evil, fathomless evil, evil without mercy. He is helpless in his spirit, but his jealousy, his self-love is strong. He is irritated by everything: joy, laughter, young kisses. He wants everything around him to be gloomy, dead, empty and lifeless as he is himself.”
A Walkabout with the Specialist
Mark Moehrke examines the bronze figure of Mephistopheles by Russian sculptor Mark Antokolsky. View the Video
We Invite You to Auction!
Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for a complimentary auction evaluation. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
For information, please contact:
Mark Moehrke: 212-427-4141, ext 272, Mark.Moehrke@Doyle.com
