An important pair of Imperial Russian neo-classical gilt-bronze-mounted mahogany drawing room tables possibly by Heinrich Gambs, from Tsarskoe Selo Palace, each with inventory number beneath the drawer udn. 5996 and A.-c.m.N. 1181 for Tsarskoselskoe Dvortsovoe Pravelenie late 18th century

each of kidney-shaped form with a gilt-bronze banded top decorated with a ribbon-tied tablet depicting neo-classical scenes flanked by ivy leaves and trophies, above a frieze drawer with a leather-inset writing surface on square tapering legs headed by a sunflower above guttae joined by an X-form stretcher centred by a roundel painted with a flowerhead surmounted by a pineapple finial, the whole panelled with gilt-bronze beading , the inventory numbers beneith each drawer with the inscription U.D.N. No. 5996 and A.-C.M. n. 1181 

Catherine II Empress of Russia (1762-1796), Catherine Palace, Tsarskoe Selo, St. Petersburg
The Stroganoff Sale, Rudolf Lepke, Berlin, May 12th and 13^th, 1931(illustrated in the catalogue; pl. 190-191, p. 187). The Stroganoff Collection became part of a nationalisation scheme by the Soviet Government in 1931 to raise foreign currency for the Soviet Agricultural and Industrial programme.
The Collection of Baron Alexis de Redé, the Blue Drawing Room, at l'hôtel Lambert, Paris until sold, The Baron Redé sale, Sotheby's Monaco, 26^th May 1975, lot 273, illustrated in situ at l'hôtel Lambert.
Sold in these Rooms, 7th December 2005, lot 21.

The first series of inventory numbers refer to a catalogue produced by the Imperial administration in the 1860's and the second a Soviet Government inventory produced at some point between 1918-1931.

Whilst the tables were included in the famous Stroganoff sale in 1931 they were from the Imperial collection and not from the Stroganoff Palace. Works from the Royal Palaces, several private collections as well as property from the Stroganoff Palace were combined by the Soviet Museums at a centralised collection point before being split and sent off for sale in London, Amsterdam, Geneva and Berlin. Provenance was sometimes mixed up or lost and that is why the tables were offered under the banner of The Stroganoff Collection.

 

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
George Loukomski, The Palaces of Tsarkoe Selo, Furniture and Interiors, London, 1987, p. 56.
'Antiques', Penelope Hunter-Stiebel, `The Stroganoff Collections', February, 2000, pp. 298-304.
Antoine Chenevière, Russian Furniture The Golden Age 1780-1840, London, 1988.

The colour overall is slightly darker and much more attractive than in the catalogue illustration. Very nice detail to the tops which have attractive craquelure commensurate with age. Water staining to tops and beading lifting in places and some minor patches to the veneer on the stretchers. There is overall some small hairline cracks commensurate with age. Some minor pitting to the tops as visible from the photo. Old very minor restorations to the veneer which have been very well executed. Three old restored breaks to the stretchers of one, which have been very well executed and are hardly noticeable with some very minor patches to the veneer on the stretcher. These tables are in very good conserved condition and can be placed immediately. A very rare elegant model with a highly important provenance. Highly recommended.
"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."

Catherine the Great furnished and decorated her palaces with the very best pieces and used some of the most celebrated designers and architects. Her tastes were at the cutting edge of European fashion and she loved neo-classicism and this is evidenced at Tsarskoe Selo, from where these tables come. Her architect Charles Cameron created some extraordinary interiors - with Russian craftsman utilising high quality materials exhuberantly referencing the Antique as is seen in the offered lot.

This unusual pair of tables combines perfectly this refined neo-classicism which was so prevalent at the end of the 18th century with the Russian prediliction for the use of unusual materials - such as the aventurine and painted tops-imitating lacquer and Wedgwood medallions. The kidney-shape was very much in vogue in Russia in the late 18th century. Furthermore, the use of mahogany was a precursor for the Russian Jacob style which was more restrained which was embraced with much enthusiasm in Russia in the early 19th century and reflects the work of Roentgen through the use of restrained neo-classical mounts such as guttae and flowerheads.  

The quality of execution of these tables together with the use of luxurious materials would seem to lead to an attribution to Heinrich Gambs, together with the similarity to other pieces by him. See for example various tables by Gambs with neo-classical scenes illustrated by Chenevière, op. cit, p. 103, (for a table by Gambs after Roentgen). Also see the centre table by Gambs and Ott illustrated by Chenevière op. cit., p. 104, fig. 85,  which is in mahogany and embellished with verre églomisé, on square tapering legs joined by an x-form stretcher. Gambs mounted his furniture with cameos-see for example the most sumptuous piece ever made by Gambs and his collaborator Ott, which was a desk veneered in ivory made for Paul I's study at Mikhailovsky Castle and moved to Pavlovsk in 1804, illustrated by Chenevière op. cit., pp. 108-109, fig. 89.

Heinrich Gambs (1765-1831):
He was of German origin and a former pupil of Roentgen and his early work was very much influenced by his Master whom he sought to surpass in terms of complexity and mechanical devices. In the late 1780's, he established himself in St. Petersburg and opened a workshop with the Austrian Jonathan Ott in the vicinity of the Kalinkin Bridge and he opened another workshop in the Nevsky Prospekt in 1795. The great majority of his pieces are unsigned.

At the outset of his career he produced many pieces for Pavlovsk Palace. In 1795, together with Ott, he sent a proposal to Catherine the Great offering to furnish the appartments of the Grand Duke Alexander at the new Palace of Tsarskoe Selo, which was accepted and in 1801 he was appointed Court cabinet-maker.

Gambs' workshop also produced some pieces to designs by the celebrated Russian architect and designer AndreiVoronikhin (1759-1814) who worked at Pavlovsk after the fire in 1803. He supplied pieces for the Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna decorated with verre eglomisé and produced pieces incorporating exotic materials such as amber and ivory. See for example a console table by Gambs circa 1800-10 with a verre eglomisé panel depicting a neo-classical bacchanalian scene reminiscent of the painted scenes on this pair of tables, illustrated by Chenevière, op. cit., p. 153, plate 149 (state Hermitage Museum, inv. No. 5220)

We are indebted to Mr Emanule Duchamp for providing us with the information regarding the Tsarskoe Selo Provenance.