- 563
The Orloff Service of Catherine the Great: A set of twelve Louis XV silver-gilt plates, Jacques-Nicolas Roettiers, Paris, 1770
Description
- marked on backs and pricked and stamped with numbers: 8, 25, 33, 46, 68, 70, 73, 83, 84, 98, 103, and 123
- silver-gilt
- 25cm., 9 3/4 in. diameter
- 24.8 cm
Literature
Treasures Hunt, Memoirs of an Antique Dealer, Jacques Helft, London, 1957, pp. 29-31, illus. pl 3.
Condition
"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."
Catalogue Note
After a decade by the Empress’s side, Orloff fell from favour, his health failed and he eventually died at the age of 49 in 1783. The Russian state afterwards purchased the service from Orloff’s heirs at which time (1784) most of the pieces were re-assayed in St. Petersburg. The subsequent fate of the Orloff service included its use, with other items from the imperial treasury, at a number of conspicuous events, including the dinner given for Tsar Nicholas II in Moscow in May 1896. During the 1920s and 1930s parts of the service were sold by the Soviet Government; they are now in number of private as well as in public collections, including the Louvre in Paris, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the Musée Nissim de Camondo in Paris, the Gulbenkian Collection in Lisbon and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
A group of 18 matching plates from the Orloff service was sold at Sotheby’s, New York, on 21 May 1992, lot 124. Another 12 were sold at Sotheby’s, Monaco, on 24 June 1976, lot 52; and a further 12 were sold at the same place on 24 June 1976, lot 52.