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Lot Essay
THE IMPERIAL TRADITION OF AWARDING SNUFF BOXES
The Imperial Court was renowned for presenting lavish gifts to both domestic and foreign dignitaries, a tradition that reached particular prominence during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II. The responsibility of purchasing and allocating these gifts was given to the Imperial Cabinet, which maintained records for each award. These ledgers documented detailed descriptions of the items, their cost, the name of the supplier, any subsequent modifications, and the names of the recipients.
While the presentation of a snuff box with the Imperial cypher, double-headed eagle or portrait of the monarch held symbolic value for the recipient, it also importantly held monetary value. Recipients were permitted to sell such gifts back to the Cabinet in exchange for their monetary value, either during their lifetime or posthumously through their heirs.
Snuff boxes that were ‘redeemed’ were re-entered into the Cabinet’s ledgers, in many cases enhanced by court jewelers such as Fabergé or Hahn before being awarded to the next recipient. The most typical forms of enhancement were the addition of diamonds or the replacement of the central cartouche.
The present Imperial snuff box offers a valuable case study through which we can trace the previous owners, modifications in its design and the value of this rare and important Imperial presentation piece.
THE RECIPIENTS OF THE PRESENT SNUFF BOX
Although the present snuff box by Fabergé does not have a scratched inventory number, it has been possible to identify it in the historical record through a detailed description provided in a Fabergé invoice to the Imperial Court. The entry from 1901 refers to ‘a snuff box no. 1256 of yellow enamel / 11 brilliants 1 16⁄32 kr. [carats] / 193 roses / gold and work’, a description that precisely matches the present snuff box and provides the only suitable option for a yellow enamel snuff box with a cypher produced by Fabergé between 1899 and 1904.
This snuff box was supplied to the Imperial Court on 18 December 1901 at a cost of 1,150 roubles and was entered into the Cabinet ledgers as a snuff box with the Imperial cypher under the number ‘167’.
On 2 April 1903, it was presented to Nikolay Adamovich Savich-Zablotskiy (d. 1903), Head Inspector of the Kursk-Kharkiv-Sevastopol Railway. Following his death, Zablotskiy’s widow redeemed the box for its original value of 1,150 roubles on 10 November 1905 and it was re-entered into the ledgers under the number ‘263’.
On 23 December 1905, the snuff box was presented to Lieutenant General Apollon Nikolaevich Makarov (1840-1917) at the same cost. Very shortly afterwards, on 2 January 1906, he returned it in exchange for its cash equivalent. The object was then re-entered under number ‘264’ and sent for enhancement. Unfortunately, the invoices submitted by the jewelry houses to the Imperial Cabinet for this year have not survived, making it impossible to establish the jeweler or the type of modification carried out at that point.
On 2 May 1906, the box was entered under a new number ‘279’ at an increased value of 1,350 roubles and was presented to Professor Dmitry Oskarovich Ott (1855-1929), a distinguished obstetrician and personal physician to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who oversaw all five of her pregnancies. Ott returned the snuff box on 14 January 1908 for the sum of 1,070 roubles (recorded under number ‘304’). Later that year, on 11 June 1908, the piece was sent to the jeweler Hahn for further enhancement. A surviving invoice confirms that two additional diamonds were set into the object at a cost of 10 roubles, most likely the small stones at the tips of the laurel wreath branches.
Upon its return from Hahn on 11 June 1908, the snuff box was presented to Lieutenant General Akim Mikhailovich Zolotarev (1853-1912) at a cost of 1,080 roubles under number ‘315’. He returned it on the same day, after which it was re-entered under number ‘316’.
Finally, on 7 April 1909, the snuff box was presented for the last recorded time to Major General Stefan Paprikov (1858-1920), who was serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria at the time.
We are grateful to Dmitry Krivoshey for his assistance with the research of the present lot.
The Imperial Court was renowned for presenting lavish gifts to both domestic and foreign dignitaries, a tradition that reached particular prominence during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II. The responsibility of purchasing and allocating these gifts was given to the Imperial Cabinet, which maintained records for each award. These ledgers documented detailed descriptions of the items, their cost, the name of the supplier, any subsequent modifications, and the names of the recipients.
While the presentation of a snuff box with the Imperial cypher, double-headed eagle or portrait of the monarch held symbolic value for the recipient, it also importantly held monetary value. Recipients were permitted to sell such gifts back to the Cabinet in exchange for their monetary value, either during their lifetime or posthumously through their heirs.
Snuff boxes that were ‘redeemed’ were re-entered into the Cabinet’s ledgers, in many cases enhanced by court jewelers such as Fabergé or Hahn before being awarded to the next recipient. The most typical forms of enhancement were the addition of diamonds or the replacement of the central cartouche.
The present Imperial snuff box offers a valuable case study through which we can trace the previous owners, modifications in its design and the value of this rare and important Imperial presentation piece.
THE RECIPIENTS OF THE PRESENT SNUFF BOX
Although the present snuff box by Fabergé does not have a scratched inventory number, it has been possible to identify it in the historical record through a detailed description provided in a Fabergé invoice to the Imperial Court. The entry from 1901 refers to ‘a snuff box no. 1256 of yellow enamel / 11 brilliants 1 16⁄32 kr. [carats] / 193 roses / gold and work’, a description that precisely matches the present snuff box and provides the only suitable option for a yellow enamel snuff box with a cypher produced by Fabergé between 1899 and 1904.
This snuff box was supplied to the Imperial Court on 18 December 1901 at a cost of 1,150 roubles and was entered into the Cabinet ledgers as a snuff box with the Imperial cypher under the number ‘167’.
On 2 April 1903, it was presented to Nikolay Adamovich Savich-Zablotskiy (d. 1903), Head Inspector of the Kursk-Kharkiv-Sevastopol Railway. Following his death, Zablotskiy’s widow redeemed the box for its original value of 1,150 roubles on 10 November 1905 and it was re-entered into the ledgers under the number ‘263’.
On 23 December 1905, the snuff box was presented to Lieutenant General Apollon Nikolaevich Makarov (1840-1917) at the same cost. Very shortly afterwards, on 2 January 1906, he returned it in exchange for its cash equivalent. The object was then re-entered under number ‘264’ and sent for enhancement. Unfortunately, the invoices submitted by the jewelry houses to the Imperial Cabinet for this year have not survived, making it impossible to establish the jeweler or the type of modification carried out at that point.
On 2 May 1906, the box was entered under a new number ‘279’ at an increased value of 1,350 roubles and was presented to Professor Dmitry Oskarovich Ott (1855-1929), a distinguished obstetrician and personal physician to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who oversaw all five of her pregnancies. Ott returned the snuff box on 14 January 1908 for the sum of 1,070 roubles (recorded under number ‘304’). Later that year, on 11 June 1908, the piece was sent to the jeweler Hahn for further enhancement. A surviving invoice confirms that two additional diamonds were set into the object at a cost of 10 roubles, most likely the small stones at the tips of the laurel wreath branches.
Upon its return from Hahn on 11 June 1908, the snuff box was presented to Lieutenant General Akim Mikhailovich Zolotarev (1853-1912) at a cost of 1,080 roubles under number ‘315’. He returned it on the same day, after which it was re-entered under number ‘316’.
Finally, on 7 April 1909, the snuff box was presented for the last recorded time to Major General Stefan Paprikov (1858-1920), who was serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria at the time.
We are grateful to Dmitry Krivoshey for his assistance with the research of the present lot.