A Russian malachite veneered tazza circa 1840, after a design by. I.I. Galberg

the square bowl with interior circular recess and moulded everted border on a spreading circular shaft on square plinth

This wonderful malachite tazza is in excellent conserved condition. It displays an attractive colour through the use of small pieces of dark malachite, typical of the early 19th century production. The areas that have been conserved can be seen in the use of larger pieces of veneer but are finely blended in the overall scheme. This piece is ready to be placed.
"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."

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE

V.B. Semyonov, Malachite, Sverdlovsk, 1987.
N. Mavrodina, The Art of Russian Stone Carvers 18th-19th Centuries, St. Petersburg, 2007.

The design of this impressive malachite tazza can be associated to Ivan Ivanovich Galberg (1782-1863) who produced several designs for hardstone objects, manufactured at the Ekaterinburg Imperial Lapidary Factory, and the high quality of the present lot suggests that it was produced at that factory. A coloured drawing of a malachite tazza with a gilt-bronze mounted plinth made for Prince Alexander Nikolaevich Golitsyn, is as same outline of the present lot, and is signed by Galberg and dated 1826, after an original design by Carlo Rossi of 1816. (Mavrodina, p.231, nr. E69). In 1835, the cabinet of the Emperor Nicolas II commissioned a pair of vases of this design, at the high cost of 9734 rubles, which is now in the Hermitage Museum collections. The present lot varies from the above by having a wider bowl.

Stonecutting started in Russia in the mid-18th century with the establishment of a workshop at Peterhof producing small scale pieces. Initially trained by Italian craftsmen, the Russians quickly became highly skilled in working native stone, passing these skills through the generations. They perfected the 'Russian mosaic' technique, cutting the malachite into small pieces of veneer between two and four millimetres thick, sorting them for their patterns, and then after grinding and polishing, carefully cementing them to the metal or stone form of the object, and skilfully masking the joints with a paste of powdered malachite. 

In 1765, an Imperial Lapidary Works was established at Ekaterinburg in the Urals, the source of many of the hardstones used. And in 1810, the popularity of malachite objects was greatly increased with the discovery of new and rich mineral deposits near Mednorudinsk, on the western slopes of the Ural Mountains, with further large deposits being discovered on the Demidov estate at Nizhnii Tagil on the Siberian side of the Ural Mountains, in 1835. This lead to unprecedented large-scale use of the stone in architectural projects and in 1861, the director of the Ekaterinburg Works described the appeal of such objects: "Even time cannot destroy these hardstone objects: for future generations they will remain forever a reminder of a typically Russian art form".