A Russian Imperial Neoclassical, ormolu-mounted tulipwood, amaranth fruitwood and marquetry center table circa 1785

Decorated on all four sides.

Most probably commissioned by Catherine II, Empress of Russia.

Russian Imperial Collections, Palace of Tsarskoe Selo, St. Petersburg.

Stroganoff Collection, St. Petersburg, sold by order of the Trade Organization of the USSR, at Rudolph Lepke, Berlin, 12-13 May, 1931, lot 193 (illustrated).

G.-K. Loukomski, Les Demeures des Tsars, Paris, 1929, pl. XII

Old repairs and splits to the drawer. Top resupported. Two mounts replaced on the back and one missing. The top with several repaired cracks, which have now reopened. Veneer patches in places. Hairline age cracks. Restored old cracks. Minor warping, which has been lessened since the top was resupported. Rising to the mounts in places, with some mounts loose. Minor losses to the mounts Minor losses to the encadrement.. Very small losses to the veneers. The marquetry and veneers have bleached due to overexposure to sun rays.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Tsarskoe Selo Label; number 9823; Ts P 9823, D-S.P. No 1241

Dark blue crayon No 10503, cyrillic M

Brand Ts S No 1009- in white, 6179 in red paint

Inscribed in pencil N 12430, and 22667, LLX (Ch)

In red L 24

L - 3-24, L2 2 1, 384

This table is shown in the Chinese Blue Drawing Room at the Palace of Tsarskoe Selo in a photograph probably dating from the first decade of the 20th century illustrated G-K. Loukomski, op. cit., pl. XII.

It is already listed in this same room at the time of the Grigorovich inventory in the 1880s (kindly confirmed by Dr. Iraida Bott).

Following his arrival in Russia in 1779 at the request of Catherine the Great, the English architect Charles Cameron started work on the redecoration of the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoe Selo in 1780. He created two suites of apartments: the first completed in 1782 for the heirs to the throne Grand Duke Paul Petrovich and the Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna included amongst other rooms the Chinese Blue Drawing Room. These interiors were described at the time as "so splendid and so unique that if one has not seen them one can have no idea what they are like". This room is discussed and illustrated together with Cameron's design for the ceiling in D. Schvidkovsky, The Empress and the Architect, 1996, pp. 75-77.

Although Charles Cameron designed much furniture for the palace, this is not one of his designs. The maker was presumably one of the famous St. Petersburg cabinetmakers, such as Mayer, Schmidt or Kimel.

The pair to this table also from the Palace at Tsarskoe Selo was sold in the Stroganoff sale, lot 194. It is illustrated G-K. Loukomski, The Palace of Tsarskoe Selo, Furniture and Interiors, 1987, p. 33.