Catherine The Great: An important set of sixteen George III silver candlesticks, Thomas Heming, London, 1776

the circular bases with overlapping leaf-tip borders, rising to three flowerheads at intervals, acanthus and overlapping bud decorated baluster stems, campana-shaped sconces, detachable circular nozzles, mainly stamped with the number '3'

Catherine the Great, purchased in 1777 and allocated to the Governor of Tula
Paul I, Mikhailovsky Palace, St. Petersburg
By descent at the Winter Palace
Sold under Soviet rule, probably early 1920s
Private UK Collection

Baron A. Foelkersam, Inventories of the Silver of the Court of His Imperial Highness, Volume II, St. Petersburg, 1907, p.252
British Art Treasures from Russian Imperial Collections in the Hermitage, edited by Brian Allen and larissa Dukelskaya, Yale Centre for British Art, 1996, pp.131-32
E. Alfred Jones, The Old English Plate of the Emperor of Russia, London, 1909, pp. lvj & 92-92, pl. XLVI
N.M. Penzer, 'English Plate at the Hermitage, Part 2,' The Connoisseur, London, January 1959, p.18, fig. 25

Comparative literature:
Marina Lopato, 'English silver in St. Petersburg,' British art treasures from Russian imperial collections in the Hermitage, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1996, pp. 131-132

Hallmarked as follows: Three nozzles (lion passant and maker's mark; the remainder unmarked but there is no reason to suppose that these are not contemporary with and from the same workshop as the marked examples) All 16 sconces (lion passant) All 16 bases (maker's mark, lion passant, crowned leopard's head, date letter) General Condition: 3 or possibly 5 of the candlesticks show very slight traces of gilding 9 undersides of the candlestick bases, each showing pricked Russian inventory mark (the remainder do not have inventory marks) All bases are engraved with the number 3 The condition of the candlesticks and nozzles is good. There are two or three very minor casting flaws but the sticks are generally very well made. It is clear, however, that they have been cleaned professionally in recent years and while the condition is good, there is some wear to highlights of the castings, especially the shoulders.
"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."

Under Catherine the Great, Russia was divided in the mid 1770s into 11 provinces, a number which was increased to 40 by 1796. Governors were appointed by the Empress to each of the provinces and each was allocated a silver table service befitting his viceregal dignity. In all, four, possibly five, of these services were ordered from London, beginning in 1774 with one for the Province of Tver, followed by another for Volynsk; these cost not less than 125,000 roubels apiece. The next, in May 1776, was for Tula, about 100 miles south of Moscow, whose governor at the time was General Mikhail Krechetnikov (1729-1793); while the fourth was for Yaroslav. These latter two, which appear to have cost up to twice as much as the first, arrived at St. Petersburg in May 1777, when customs payments for them were made amounting to 6,240 roubles.

Following Catherine’s death in November 1796, her son, Tsar Paul I, recalled all the governors’ silver services to St. Petersburg for his own use. Writing in 1909 in The Old English Plate of the Emperor of Russia (p. lvj), E. Alfred Jones noted that, ‘Of the Tula service there still remain [in St. Petersburg] thirty-eight fine tall candlesticks by Thomas Heming, 1776-77; a rare octofoil shape of salver, by John Carter; and eight charming little salvers with pierced borders by Robert Jones and John Schofield [sic], all of the same date, 1776-77. In addition to these there are eight oval and twenty-three round dishes of silver, date 1776-77 and 1777-78.’

After sales in the early Soviet era, the Hermitage now retains only two of the Heming candlesticks and five dishes. Of the remainder, two oval meat dishes and a pair of oval meat dishes, George Heming & William Chawner, 1776, were sold at Sotheby’s, New York, on 13 October 2007, lots 109 and 110; a single meat dish, Heming & Chawner, 1776, was sold at Sotheby’s, Paris, on 25 November 2010, lot 189; and fifteen second course dishes, Heming & Chawner, 1776, were sold at Sotheby’s, New York, on 30 March 2011, lot 571. In addition, eight candlesticks from the service, all Thomas Heming, 1776, were sold at Sotheby’s, London, on 11 November 1993, lot 451.

The present 16 sticks are therefore the largest number to have survived as a group from the Tula service.