A Russian steel sewing box, Tula, early 19th century

Some decades after the foundation by Peter the Great (r. 1682–1725) of the Imperial Arms Manufactory in the town of Tula (south of Moscow), the latter began in the mid-18th century a production in the sidelines, dedicated to cut-steel decorative items and furniture. Richly and elaborately chased, blued, chiseled, gilded or pierced, the steel often acquired a characteristic diamond-like sparkle and became an artform of its own. Tula ware flourished in the second half of the 18th century, especially during the reign of Empress Catherine the Great (1762–96) and the present sewing box is a charming example of the form it took at the turn of the 18th century.

For a comparable box attributed to the Imperial Arms Manufactory at Tula, see J. Kugel, Trésors des Tzars, Paris, 1998, no. 194, p. 76. Other similar examples are recorded, for exmaple, one sold at Sotheby's, New York, 29 October 2013, lot 117($8,750).