A Massive Fabergé Silver Tankard with Coins, Workmaster Julius Rappoport, St. Petersburg, circa 1897-1899

the tankard in early 18th century style, the handle, cylindrical body, and domed, hinged lid chased with vines of bay laurel and berries and set with thirteen coins and medallions commemorating the reigns of all the Romanov emperors and empresses from Peter I to Nicholas II, the thumbpiece realistically cast and chased in imitation of bay laurel branches, the interior gilded

overall good 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.
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.

Silver tankards and beakers set with coins or chased with profile portraits of real or imagined rulers were frequently produced for elite Russian patrons in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Russian and Baltic silversmiths based their creations on models that had developed in Germany in the 16th century, often to demonstrate the succession of Russian rulers and to underline the legitimacy of the contemporaneous ruler, who was often the commissioner of the piece. In the late 19th century, Julius Rappoport revived the form again, but further embellished it with Neo-Classical or Rococo decorative elements. The center of the hinged cover of this tankard is set with a ruble issued in 1897, shortly after the coronation of Nicholas II and thus illustrates the imperial succession from Peter I to the last Russian emperor. This tankard is a particularly fine example of Fabergé workmaster Julius Rappoport's skill as a silversmith. The workmasters heading various Fabergé workshops excelled in different media or styles; Rappoport was acknowledged as producing the finest silver, particularly with complex sculptural elements and minutely chased details such as the laurel berries and vines seen on the offered lot. For his skill, he was selected to produce the large silver table decorations for the silver table service ordered for the dowry of Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna, sister of Emperor Nicholas II. Born in Datnove in present-day Lithuania, Rappoport trained in Berlin rather than Moscow or St. Petersburg, and there he would have had many opportunities to see the older German tankards on which this updated version is based. For a silver presentation vase inset with coins by Rappoport given by Emperor Nicholas II to Paul Nadar during his 1896 state visit to France, see Géza von Habsburg, et al, Fabergé: Imperial Craftsman and His World, London, 2000, p. 115. For a covered silver cup in the Rococo manner set with a similar group of coins as those appearing on this tankard, see A. Kenneth Snowman, Carl Fabergé: Goldsmith to the Imperial Court of Russia, London, 1979, p. 79.