Paperweight, grey marble and hardstones in full relief, made by manufacturer Ivan Stebakov in Yekaterinburg, Russia around 1866-67

Paperweight in marble, various hardstones and coral with fruits of raspberries, currants and other in full relief.

From the 1720s, imperial and private stonecutting mills were established in Russia following the discovery of deposits of semi-precious stones. They typically used transparent stones, carved in full relief to create naturalistic compositions like these juicy fruits. This paperweight was shown at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1867, where reports observed that Russian workshops had surpassed their Italian competitors. It was acquired in 1869 for the Museum.

Although the Stebakov factory encountered an International success, its short life makes it difficult to trace information. Ivan Sergeyevich Stebakov was born around 1820 and founded his lapidary factory in the Ural Mountains in 1845 or 1849. In the 1840s, he is recorded a bourgeois of Ekaterinburg, from 1853-1873 as a merchant and then as part of the guild between 1873-1876.
Stebakov tried to establish a shop in Petersburg, bringing his production directly from his Ural factory but unfortunately it did not work out as expected. He encountered success however during national and international exhibitions: he was awarded a silver medal during the Exhibition of Products of the Russian Industry in St. Petersburg, 1861; a bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, 1867, where this paperweight was acquired ; and a silver at the All-Russian manufactory exhibition in 1870; and a medal of merit at the Universal Exhibition in Vienna, 1873.
According to the lists from exhibition catalogues, Stebakov seems to have produced mainly commercial and small objects such as paperweight (offered at 20 and 30 roubles a piece), small boxes (at 40 roubles), but also a few luxurious tables (100 roubles each) and a chest box (for 150 roubles). Devotional objects formed also part of the production, but no object has been identified yet in private or public collections. The factory's palette was extremely varied: malachite mosaic, variegated jasper and agate, transparent quartz.

In 1861, Stebakov is recorded as employing 25 people in his factory, dedicated to grinding and cutting stones, and another 40 outside the factory to finish the objects. The annual output of products from coloured stones reached 80,000 roubles. He was also member of several scientific societies, such as the Russian Mineralogical Society and supported the creation of the Ural Society of Esteemed Essential Knowledge. Stebakov died in April 1881, and the main part of his estate was inherited by his daughter Anastasia and son-in-law Ivan Konstantinovich Afinogenov.


Spotlight on Conservation
Although the gooseberries here look perfectly rotund and juicy, their base is in fact flat, to be set onto the black marble. At a preliminary stage they have been cut in half horizontally, carved out and filled in with metal foil to intensify their natural shine and translucence.

From the 1720s, imperial and private stonecutting mills were established in Russia following the discovery of deposits of semi-precious stones. This paperweight comes from the factory of Ivan Stebakov, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, which is a key centre of mining in the Ural mountains. It was shown at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1867, where reports observed that Russian workshops had surpassed their Italian competitors.

1001-1869