ZURICH.- In their 21 September sale in Zurich, Koller Auctions will offer a group of important Russian silver which has been in a private family collection for over a century. The collection comprises silver creations from the 17th – 19th centuries, including presents from Czars Alexis of Russia and Peter the Great, as well as a bonbonnière ordered by Catherine the Great.

In their September auctions, the Swiss auction house Koller will offer important silver from the private collection of Franz Fransevitch von Uthemann (St. Petersburg 1868 – 1925 Lucerne). In St Petersburg, F. F. von Uthemann was director of the well-known rubber boot factory Treugolnik, as well as sitting on the board of the Bavaria Brewery, the Skorokhod shoe factory and five other companies. After the Russian Revolution in 1917 he fled with his family to Scandinavia, and following a period of exile in Finland finally settled in the Villa Beau Soleil on the Lake of Geneva.

HIGHLIGHTS

1178 A SILVER-GILT KOVSH PRESENTED BY CZAR ALEXIS OF RUSSIA. Russia, 1667/68. Parcel-gilt oval bowl, the center engraved with a crowned double-headed eagle. The exterior inscribed in old Cyrillic, explaining that Alexis presented this kvosh to the merchant Alexei Suchanov for collecting customs tariffs in the year 1667/1668. 24x38 cm, 780 g.
An important object from the F. F. von Uthemann collection is a parcel-gilt “kovsh” drinking vessel engraved with the crowned double eagle and a personal dedication from Czar Alexis (1629-1676) dated 1667/68. The Russian ruler thus rewarded the merchant Alexei Suchanov for his service to the state. From the 16th century, such kovsh were presented to certain of the Tsar’s subjects who had demonstrated extraordinary merit. Estimate: CHF 35 000 – 60 000.

1184 A PARCEL-GILT BONBONNIÈRE ORDERED BY CATHERINE THE GREAT St. Petersburg, 1782. Circular silver box, decorated with niello. D 9 cm, 270 g.
A parcel-gilt silver and niello circular box to be offered in Koller‘s auction was created during a period of Russian history which saw the strong influence of French art and culture, including the production of such bonbonnières and snuff boxes. Catherine the Great, whose reign began in 1762, encouraged this tendency, and the box’s lid bears her portrait. Represented on the inside of the lid is the “Bronze Horseman” monument to Peter the Great (1672-1725), erected by Catherine in order to link her name to that of the last great Russian monarch. The monument, completed in 1782, is still to be seen today in St. Petersburg’s Senate Square and has become one of the symbols of St. Petersburg. Estimate: CHF 20 000 – 30 000.

FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS

• Lot 1181 A PARCEL-GILT AND NIELLO SILVER DISH Moscow, last third 17th century. D 21.8 cm, 195 g. CHF 12 000 - 18 000

• Lot 1179 A SILVER-GILT KOVSH PRESENTED BY IVAN V AND PETER THE GREAT Moscow, 1681/82. Inscribed to the exterior in old Cyrillic: Presented by the Tsars Ioann Alekseevic (Ivan V) (and) Peter Alekseevic (Peter the Great) to Pskoviter Posadskij’ Jakob Onanin, son of Syrnikov, for his outstanding collection of customs tariffs in the year 1681/82. 35.5 x 23.5 cm, 800 g. CHF 30 000 - 50 000

• Lot 1183 A LARGE PARCEL-GILT COIN BEAKER Russia, after 1700. The underside with a Thaler coin from 1557 from the County of Hohnstein. The sides set overall with 3-kopek silver coins from the mint of Czar Peter the Great in Moscow, 1682–1725. H 23.3 cm. 775 g. CHF 30 000 - 50 000