MARK OF IVAN ZHILIN, VELIKII USTIUG, 1777

The Battle of Chesma, the only significant fleet battle during the Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774), took place between the 5th and 7th of July 1770 near and in Chesma Bay, which is located between the western tip of Anatolia and the island of Chios. The greatly outnumbered Russian fleet, under the overall command of Count Alexei Orlov, inflicted a crushing defeat on the Ottoman fleet. The fleet was destroyed, except for the 60-gun ship of the line Rodos, which survived and was captured along with five galleys by the Russians. The victory enabled Russia to establish dominion over the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. It furthermore encouraged rebellions by minority groups in the Ottoman Empire, notably Orthodox Christian nations in the Balkan peninsula, which contributed to the eventual defeat of the Ottoman Empire by the Russians.

Following the battle, Empress Catherine II commissioned four monuments to commemorate the victory: Chesma Palace (1777) and the Church of Saint John at Chesme Palace in St Petersburg (1777-1780), the Chesma Obelisk in Gatchina (1775), and the Chesma Column in Tsarskoe Selo (1778).

The present lot, the work of the renowned Velikii Ustiug master Ivan Zhilin (1750-1810?), depicts on its cover the Russian and Ottoman fleets engaged in battle in Chesma Bay. The Ottoman ship of the line, Rodos, is clearly visible, inscribed in Russian 'Ro'. The base depicts the frigate Africa and the bomb ship Grom attacking batteries on the west side of Chesma Bay.

Another silver and niello cartographic box depicting the Battle of Chesma was sold Christie's, New York, 11 April 2003, lot 81.