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拍品專文
This vase relates closely to a series of Russian ormolu-mounted hardstone and marble vases all produced between approximately 1790 and 1810. Many of the ormolu mounts were produced by the State (Stroganov) Bronze Factory, which had just been founded in 1804, and much of the polished hardstone and marble was supplied by the Ekaterinburg and Peterhof lapidary works. Those vases closest to the present example all have distinctive ormolu handles in the form of nereids. These male and female figures with their torsos tapering into double fish tails have either their arms stretched out or held above them and their tails entwined and trailing down the sides of the vases. Perhaps the closest examples to the present vase are a pair of vases of light brown breccia marble, mined 'locally' rather than imported from Italy, from the Altai mountains and with Egyptian nereid handles (see St. Petersburg um 1800, exhibition catalogue, Essen, 1990, no. 354, p. 409). These are almost certainly by the same workshops as the granite vase with similar Egyptian nereid handles (though facing outward, in this case) which were, significantly, part of Count Alexander Sergeievich Stroganov's collection. One is even illustrated in Varnak's iconic portrait of Count Stroganov of 1814 (Ibid, no. 51, p. 18). This vase was subsequently auctioned by the Soviet government in the series of sales held by Rudolph Lepke in Berlin, 6 - 11 May, 1931, lot 142 (also illustrated here). A pair of jasper and porphyry cups with bases of three linked classical female nereids, particularly close to the present vase, were also in the Stroganov Collection and sold in the Berlin sale as lot 148 (see also I. Sychev, Russian Bronze, Moscow, 2003, p. 89). Another, with winged nereids supporting the rim of a quartz vase, and also from the same lapidary and bronze workshops, is in the Hermitage (Ibid, pp. 84 - 85). In addition, on the balustrade of the Upper Grotto of the great Cascade at Peterhof, there are a series of vases, again with mounts that are particularly close to the present vase, as each has two classical female nereids holding swags. All of these objects, including the present one, appear to be either directly, or at the very least indirectly, based on the decorative arts drawings of Andrei Voronikhin (for some of the related Voronikhin drawings, see I. Sychev, op. cit., pp. 90, 91 and 97).
ANDREI VORONIKHIN
Voronikhin (1759 - 1814) was one of the most original and talented architects and designers working in Russia in the late 18th and early 19th century and, perhaps, more than any other designer of the period, perfectly encapsulates the Russian Empire style. Like the series of related vases discussed above, Voronikhin was intimately connected to Count Stroganov. Thought to be the Count's illegitimate son, Voronikhin, studied abroad until he returned to Russia in the 1790's to work on architectural and decoration projects for the Stroganov's and other estates of their relatives, such as the Galitzin. By the first decade of the 19th century he was already well-established in St. Petersburg. So, when the Palace of Pavlovsk was nearly destroyed by fire in 1803, it was Voronikhin who was hired to rebuild and refurnish some of the principal rooms, giving the interiors much of their present character. It was at Pavlovsk that his true genius at fully integrating the French Empire style of the period into a more Russian sensibility truly became apparent. This is perhaps most fully realized with the decorative arts and, specifically, with some of the ormolu-mounted hardstone objects designed by Voronikhin. Like the present vase, these are perfect example of this synthesis of a primarily French decorative vocabulary, interpreted by Russian artisans using uniquely Russian materials, most notably the dazzling stones, many of them brought from the famous Eastern mines of the Stroganov's.
ANDREI VORONIKHIN
Voronikhin (1759 - 1814) was one of the most original and talented architects and designers working in Russia in the late 18th and early 19th century and, perhaps, more than any other designer of the period, perfectly encapsulates the Russian Empire style. Like the series of related vases discussed above, Voronikhin was intimately connected to Count Stroganov. Thought to be the Count's illegitimate son, Voronikhin, studied abroad until he returned to Russia in the 1790's to work on architectural and decoration projects for the Stroganov's and other estates of their relatives, such as the Galitzin. By the first decade of the 19th century he was already well-established in St. Petersburg. So, when the Palace of Pavlovsk was nearly destroyed by fire in 1803, it was Voronikhin who was hired to rebuild and refurnish some of the principal rooms, giving the interiors much of their present character. It was at Pavlovsk that his true genius at fully integrating the French Empire style of the period into a more Russian sensibility truly became apparent. This is perhaps most fully realized with the decorative arts and, specifically, with some of the ormolu-mounted hardstone objects designed by Voronikhin. Like the present vase, these are perfect example of this synthesis of a primarily French decorative vocabulary, interpreted by Russian artisans using uniquely Russian materials, most notably the dazzling stones, many of them brought from the famous Eastern mines of the Stroganov's.