A miniature model of Falconet's monument to Peter the Great, unmarked, attributed to Fabergé, circa 1903

the cast gold equestrian group raised on a sapphire base

Falconet's monumental sculpture of Peter the Great, unveiled in 1782,  was commissioned by Catherine the Great and remains to this day on the banks of the Neva. It provided Fabergé with the subject for the 'surprise' of the Easter egg given by Emperor Nicholas II to his consort Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in 1903, the year of the bi-centenary of St Petersburg ( Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Lillian Thomas Pratt Collection, 47.20.33). That equestrian group, purportedly modelled by Georgii Malyshev, and its base measure 1 9/16 in, almost identical in size to the present example. Another miniature model of the monument, like the Imperial example incorporating the surrounding fence together with the dedication inscription, formerly in the collection of Elizabeth Balletta, was exhibited, Fabergé in America, New York, 1996, no.193. Although unmarked it is not unreasonable attribute the present lot to Fabergé.