MAKER'S MARK POSSIBLY OF ALEKSEI POLOSOV, MOSCOW, CIRCA 1762

Details

A SILVER IMPERIAL PRESENTATION KOVSH
MAKER'S MARK POSSIBLY OF ALEKSEI POLOSOV, MOSCOW, CIRCA 1762
Of traditional form with raised prow and handle, the bowl repoussé with a circular reserve centring an Imperial double-headed eagle with the orb and sceptre and centring St George slaying the dragon, the exterior sides chased with Cyrillic dedication inscription 'Presented by Empress Ekaterina II [Catherine the Great] to Volzhskii ataman Vasilii Persidskii on 18 October 1762' within foliate cartouches, the shaped handle centring the cypher of Catherine the Great within foliate scrolls, the finial cast and chased as an Imperial double-headed eagle, marked on handle
10 in. (25.4 cm.) wide
Approximate weight: 15 oz. (427 gr.)

Provenance

Acquired in Russia in the 1930s, by the Italian ambassador to Russia.
By descent to the present owner.

Brought to you by

Aleksandra Babenko

ababenko@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2489

Lot Essay

Vasilii Makarovich Persidskii, the recipient of the present kovsh, was the son of the first ataman of the Volzhskii Cossack voisko (later Ural Cossack Voisko), Makar Nikitich Persidskii. In 1771, he was awarded a gold medal by Empress Catherine II for his father's and his long-term services. Vasilii Persidskii was later appointed the ataman of the Voisko and, upon his father's death in 1773, was given his sword. He remained Vozhskii ataman as a Colonel until his retirement in 1780, when for his services, Persidskii was gifted 12,341 acres of land on the Ilovlya River.

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