A Fabergé gold, diamond, enamel and seed pearl snuff-box, workmaster: Henrik Wigström, St. Petersburg, 1899-1908

the hinged lid centred with a Swiss enamel plaque depicting the Sacrifice of Iphigenia, tied at the top with a diamond-set bow and mounted with similar diamond bands, the plaque, and edges of the lid set with seed pearls, diamond-set bow thumbpiece, the whole enamelled in golden yellow translucent enamel over a wavy engine turned ground, marked Fabergé, with workmaster's initials, 72 standard 

Purchased by the father of the present owner
Thence by descent

In overall excellent condition. There are small losses to the enamel plaque on Artemis' face and above the hand of Iphigenia. There are very minor chips to the enamel around the support pins on the lid. There are light scratches to the enamel on the base of the box.
"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."

This scene represents the myth of Iphigenia's sacrifice at the hands of her father Agamemnon. Agamemnon had been stranded at Aulis on his way to Troy with no prospect of a wind to fill his sails. After a consultation with his seer he was advised that the Goddess Artemis was angry with him; she would only provide the wind for him if he sacrificed his daughter. However, at the last moment the Goddess replaced Iphigenia with a stag. Artemis, with a crescent moon on her head, is depicted lifting Iphigenia out of danger; Agamemnon stands by the sacrificial fire, with Achilles on his knees.

In his memoir Franz Birbaum, Fabergé's chief designer, recorded how the collections of the Hermitage Museum were a source of inspiration for the firm's jewellers, and that some articles "were copied with great precision". An oft cited example of this activity are two snuff boxes, formerly in the Lansdell K. Christie collection, illustrated in Géza von Habsburg, Fabergé Hofjuwelier der Zaren, Munich 1986, cat. nos 403 and 403A. The 18^th century box, by the Parisian master Jean-Etienne Blerzy, provided the model for Perchin's later interpretation. Inevitably, Perchin made slight modifications, not least changing the colour of the enamel ground, but interestingly he inset an 18^th century enamel plaque on the lid. On occasion Perchin continued to use earlier plaques in his work - an example being one, attributed to de Mailly, mounted on a yellow enamel box, illustrated Géza von Habsburg, Fabergé Imperial Craftsman and his World, London, 2000, cat. no. 413.

The present snuff box is an example of Henrik Wigström, Perchin's successor as head workmaster, upholding this practice of using earlier plaques. The mark of the assaymaster Yakov Lyapunov on this box indicates that it was made in the short period between Wigström taking over the workshop in 1903 and Lyapunov's replacement by Alexander Romanov in April 1904. It is for this reason that the design reflects more the aesthetic of Perchin than the fully mature work of Wigström. It may not be fortuitous that both this and the 'de Mailly' boxes are enamelled in the same superb yellow. For another example of a Wigström box of this type, marked for 1908-1917, see Sotheby's Geneva, 13^th November 1986, lot 440.