Malachite Vase, Russian, 19th century

Vase, malachite with marble base and gilt metal mounting.

Given by Mr and Mrs Edwin Lawrence and Miss Jemima Durning Smith.

One of a pair exhibited by the Russian Government at the International Exhibition of 1851. Probably the 'large malachite vase' included in the Christie's sale 17th May 1886, lot 116, property of a nobleman. Christie's records reveal that the vendor was the Duke of Westminster(information kindly provided by Paul Dyson 17 February 2015)

Dr Ludmila Budrina of the Ekaterinburg Museum of the History of Stone-cutting, Russia, informs us that this particular design of vase is known as the 'Medici'. This model was produced chiefly during the period 1820-1840 at the Peterhof and Ekanterinburg Imperial stonework factories. She compares the design, size and proportions of 339-1886 with a drawing of 1826 signed by the Russian architect I. Halberg, and finds close similarities. For this information she refers to the publication of the book Malachite by V. Semenov, 1987. Copies of these exchanges of emails, together with the image of the Halberg drawing, are in the object file.

This malachite vase has a marble base and gilt metal mountings. It is one of a pair exhibited by the Russian Government at the International Exhibition of 1851. Dr Ludmila Budrina of the Ekaterinburg Museum of the History of Stone-cutting, Russia, has said that this particular design of vase is known as the 'Medici'. This model was produced chiefly during the period 1820-1840 at the Peterhof and Ekanterinburg Imperial stonework factories. The design, size and proportions of 339-1886 can be compared with a drawing of 1826 signed by the Russian architect I. Halberg, with which it has close similarities.

339-1886