Lot 28
  • 28

A Fabergé silver model of a demi-baignoire, workmaster Julius Rappoport, St. Petersburg, circa 1895

Estimate
18,000 - 22,000 USD
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Description

  • silver
  • length 8 1/2 in., 21.6 cm
after a design by Charles de la Fosse, raised on six fluted legs, with ribbon-tied laurel borders, the oval back with scrolled anthemia and roses and applied with the monogram initials LPM or JPM beneath a noble coronet, struck with workmaster's initials, Fabergé in Cyrillic with Imperial warrant, 88 standard, scratched inventory number 3042, French control marks

Condition

overall good condition, some small surface wear consistent with age and use. With later red velvet cushion.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Miniature copies of Fabergé furniture are extremely rare; minutely copied examples of historic European furniture were produced in Fabergé’s most prominent workshops. Although most of the known examples are enameled, Rappoport's workshop excelled in detailed silver sculpture. The offered lot was probably made using one of several print sources illustrating the demi-baignoire. Examples of miniature Fabergé furniture were often finished so that drawers could be used as bonbonnières or other useful objects and the offered lot may have been fashioned for use as well as simply being pleasing to the eye. A miniature gold and enamel bonbonnière from the Perchin workshop formed as a fauteuil en gondole and based on the designs of Leo von Klenze (1784-1864), the Bavarian court architect commissioned by Nicholas I to build St. Petersburg’s New Hermitage and who was also responsible for the design of the furnishings, was sold in these rooms on 7 April 2007, lot 32. The Royal Collection includes two fine examples, including Perchin’s gold and enamel miniature table in the Louis XVI style (RCIN 9142) and a Louis XV style miniature desk (RCIN 100013), originally acquired by Leopold Rothschild from Fabergé’s London branch in 1909 (see C. de Guitaut, Fabergé in the Royal Collection, London, 2003, pp. 192 and 193). The Cleveland Museum of Art holds a miniature gold and enamel bidet from the Wigström workshop (1966.45). Another armchair by Henrik Wigström formerly in the Forbes Collection, and also based on a design by von Klenze, is reproduced by U. Tillander-Godenhielm et al, Golden Years of Fabergé, NY, 2000, pp. 102 and 103.