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Lot Essay
This remarkable casket is a fine example of ornamental 'Tulaware', named after the Imperial Arms factory founded at Tula in 1712 by Peter the Great. By about 1730 not only military and hunting weapons but also decorative objects including caskets, folding chairs and tables were being made with the techniques associated with gun-making like chasing, blueing and overlay. During the reign of Empress Catherine II a new technique was perfected by which metal was cut and polished in facets like diamonds, often combined with silver inlays and ormolu mounts (see A. Chenevière, Russian Furniture, The Golden Age 1780-1840, London, 1988, pp. 245-246).
The Tula factory was extensively patronised by the Imperial family. Tulaware was particularly admired by Catherine, who made important puchases throughout her reign and visited the workshops personally in 1775 and 1787, when she was presented with various items including an extensive toilet set comprising a dressing-table with six legs, an adjustable mirror, two obelisks, two boxes, two hairpin cushions and a stool. The set was brought to the Palace of Pavlovsk where the Empress kept the principal part of her collection of Tulaware. The inventory of furniture compiled in 1790 lists amongst other things, another toilet set by the master armourer Semion Samarin, which was presented to her daughter-in-law Maria Feodorovna in 1789 (M. Malchenko, Art Objects in Steel by Tula Craftsmen, Leningrad, 1974, p.6).
A related casket is at the Hermitage Museum, St.Petersburg (inv. ERM 7771), whilst a further example is in the State History Museum in Moscow. An virtually identical casket was sold at Christie's, Paris, 7 November 2012, lot 221 (EUR115,000 with premium).
The Tula factory was extensively patronised by the Imperial family. Tulaware was particularly admired by Catherine, who made important puchases throughout her reign and visited the workshops personally in 1775 and 1787, when she was presented with various items including an extensive toilet set comprising a dressing-table with six legs, an adjustable mirror, two obelisks, two boxes, two hairpin cushions and a stool. The set was brought to the Palace of Pavlovsk where the Empress kept the principal part of her collection of Tulaware. The inventory of furniture compiled in 1790 lists amongst other things, another toilet set by the master armourer Semion Samarin, which was presented to her daughter-in-law Maria Feodorovna in 1789 (M. Malchenko, Art Objects in Steel by Tula Craftsmen, Leningrad, 1974, p.6).
A related casket is at the Hermitage Museum, St.Petersburg (inv. ERM 7771), whilst a further example is in the State History Museum in Moscow. An virtually identical casket was sold at Christie's, Paris, 7 November 2012, lot 221 (EUR115,000 with premium).