MARK OF FRIEDRICH KOECHLI, ST PETERSBURG, CIRCA 1890

Details

AN IMPORTANT JEWELLED GOLD IMPERIAL PRESENTATION SNUFF BOX
MARK OF FRIEDRICH KOECHLI, ST PETERSBURG, CIRCA 1890
Rectangular with rounded corners, cast with reeded banding, the hinged cover centring a portrait miniature of Empress Maria Feodorovna, signedin Cyrillic 'Vegner', within rose-cut and old-cut diamond frames and surmounted by a diamond-set Imperial crown and ribbon, with a rose gold interior, engraved inside the cover 'In remembrance / of our delightful / cruise on board / The Victoria & Albert / April-May 1909 / Maria', with a thumb-piece, marked inside base
3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm.) wide

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Lot Essay

In April 1909, Empress Maria Feodorovna travelled aboard the magnificent Royal Yacht as a guest of King Edward VII and her sister, Queen Alexandra. The ten day cruise took them on a State visit to Italy and then on to Greece to visit the King and Queen of the Hellenes.

The present snuff box was most likely given by Empress Maria Feodorovna to Admiral Sir Colin Richard Keppel (1862-1947), Captain of the Royal Yacht ‘Victoria and Albert’. The Imperial Cabinet's ledgers record a diamond snuff box by Butz acquired on 21 December 1885 for 1,550 roubles, and presented to Admiral Keppel in July 1909. It is possible that Friedrich Koechli produced the present snuff box for Butz who was an Imperial Court Supplier in the 1880s.

Admiral Keppel was Captain of the Royal Yacht ‘Victoria and Albert’ in 1905-1909. He served as Aide-de-Camp to King Edward VII from 1907 and then as Extra Equerry from 1909, and was very close to the Royal Family.

We are grateful to Dr Valentin Skurlov, Galina Korneva and Tatiana Cheboksarova for their assistance with the research of the present lot.

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