Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich: An Imperial Badakhshan Lazurite and Gem-Mounted Plique-à-Jour Enameled Gold Charka Carl Hahn, Workmaster Alexander Treiden, St. Petersburg, before 1899, with scratched inventory number 11818 1-1/8 x 2-1/4 x 1-5/8 inches (2.9 x 5.7 x 4.1 cm) 26 grams (gross) In original C. Hahn presentation case. PROVENANCE: Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich (later Nicholas II) bought this charka on March 29, 1890, for 469 rubles; Empress Maria Feodorovna. The firm of Carl Hahn was already in business in St. Peterburg by 1873 and had established itself as a leading purveyor of diamonds and diamonds jewelry to the court by the time of Emperor Alexander III. Hahn was responsible for many of the diamond orders and decorations commissioned by the Imperial Cabinet and was known for the excellent jewelry and jeweled objects created by his workmasters Carl Blank and Alexander Treiden, the author of this lot (cf. Betteley, M. and Schimmelpenninck van den Oy, D., Beyond Fabergé, Schiffer Books, Atglen, PA, 2020, pps. 89-102). The Tsesarevich Nicholas bought this piece on March 29, 1890, presumably as an Easter gift, as Orthodox Easter fell on April 9th (old style) in 1890. The enormous cost of the work, 469 rubles, and the imperial crowned cypher M on the handle seem to indicate that the work was possibly intended as a gift for his mother, Empress Maria Feodorovna. Heritage Auctions thanks Valentin Skurlov for his assistance with the research of this lot. Property from an Important Private Collection HID03101062020 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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