Lot Essay
The St Andrew Service was commissioned by the Elector of Saxony and the King of Poland, Augustus III, as a gift to Empress Elizabeth to mark the marriage of her nephew, Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich, to Princess Sophia-Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst (later known as Catherine II).
The St Andrew Service was the first full Russian dinner service to fulfill all the requirements of European table etiquette. It was among the first official services produced in Europe, preceded only by the Meissen Coronation Service produced for Augustus III, a service produced for Russian Field Marshal Minikh, the Swan Service produced for Vice-Chancellor Count von Brühl and the service produced for Gotzkowsky, the king's favourite. The relief floral decoration of the Gotzkowsky Service is replicated in the St Andrew Service and the shape of the candle-stands was inspired by the Swan Service. The St Andrew Service was designed by Johann Joachim Kändler, J. G. Eder and Johann Friedrich Eberlein. It consisted of over 4,000 pieces including dinner and dessert plates, tea, coffee and chocolate sets, candelabra and a magnificent centrepiece featuring more than 200 figurines.
The Imperial status of the gift is emphasised by the presence of the heraldic state symbols - the Imperial double-headed eagle, the mirror cypher of Peter the Great on the coffee and chocolate sets and the St Andrew Cross, the highest order of the Russian Empire. The service was used during the official annual gala banquets for the St Andrew's cavaliers.
The St Andrew Service was the first full Russian dinner service to fulfill all the requirements of European table etiquette. It was among the first official services produced in Europe, preceded only by the Meissen Coronation Service produced for Augustus III, a service produced for Russian Field Marshal Minikh, the Swan Service produced for Vice-Chancellor Count von Brühl and the service produced for Gotzkowsky, the king's favourite. The relief floral decoration of the Gotzkowsky Service is replicated in the St Andrew Service and the shape of the candle-stands was inspired by the Swan Service. The St Andrew Service was designed by Johann Joachim Kändler, J. G. Eder and Johann Friedrich Eberlein. It consisted of over 4,000 pieces including dinner and dessert plates, tea, coffee and chocolate sets, candelabra and a magnificent centrepiece featuring more than 200 figurines.
The Imperial status of the gift is emphasised by the presence of the heraldic state symbols - the Imperial double-headed eagle, the mirror cypher of Peter the Great on the coffee and chocolate sets and the St Andrew Cross, the highest order of the Russian Empire. The service was used during the official annual gala banquets for the St Andrew's cavaliers.