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MARKED P. SAZIKOV WITH IMPERIAL WARRANT, ST. PETERSBURG, CIRCA 1888
Details
A Silver-Gilt Champlevé Enamel and Niello Commemorative Folio
Marked P. Sazikov with Imperial warrant, St. Petersburg, circa 1888
Rectangular, the red velvet cover applied with the blue and white enameled stylized Imperial monogram of Alexander III beneath a gilt crown and azure enameled ribbon, flanked by the white enamel date in Cyrillic October 17, 1888, the silver-gilt border pierced with foliate arabesques in the Old Russian style and set with nielloed silver roundels depicting the railway station, with original silk lined wood box, fully marked
15½ in. (39.4 cm.) high, 10½in. (26.7 cm.) wide
Marked P. Sazikov with Imperial warrant, St. Petersburg, circa 1888
Rectangular, the red velvet cover applied with the blue and white enameled stylized Imperial monogram of Alexander III beneath a gilt crown and azure enameled ribbon, flanked by the white enamel date in Cyrillic October 17, 1888, the silver-gilt border pierced with foliate arabesques in the Old Russian style and set with nielloed silver roundels depicting the railway station, with original silk lined wood box, fully marked
15½ in. (39.4 cm.) high, 10½in. (26.7 cm.) wide
Provenance
Probably purchased from a Moscow commission store in the late 1920s.
By descent to the present owner.
By descent to the present owner.
Further details
The folio commemorates the survival of the Imperial family from a train derailment on October 17, 1888. While en route from Sevastopol to Moscow the Imperial train crashed on to an embankment at the Borki station near Kharkov. Twenty-two passengers were killed and thirty-five injured, but the Imperial family escaped unscathed due to the heroic actions of the tsar. By lifting the roof of the Imperial carriage, the tsar enabled the Imperial family to escape. Unknown at the time, the tsar suffered a severe bruise to his kidney, which would contribute to his death six years later. A church dedicated to St. Andrew of Crete was subsequently built at Borki to commemorate the escape of the Imperial family.