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Lot Essay
These jewel-like tazze were almost certainly manufactured at the Ekaterinburg Lapidary Factory during its golden in the second half of the nineteenth century. Works produced at the Ekaterinburg workshops were either executed in a single type of stone or, in the case of more lavish examples such as these tazze, in a combination of two or more colorful and luxurious ones. Here, Kalkan jasper was paired with Orletz rhodonite, a superior grade of rhodonite with particularly saturated hues that was discovered in the Urals in the firsty half of the 1780s. Named after its rose-red hue, rhodonite was often used by Russian stone cutters from the late 1700s until the end of the nineteenth century. Because of its soft color, rhodonite was often used in jewelry. Larger rhodonite objects were most often produced at celebrated Imperial lapidary workshops of Ekatinberg or Peterhof, where it was often times used with other luxurious hardstones, such as jasper, nephrite, and porphyry. In fact, the precious materials used, coupled with the superb quality of the craftsmanship and a design for an almost identical tazza on stand retained in the Imperial State Archives point to the Imperial Lapidary Factory in Ekaterinburg as the place of manufacture of this lot. A pair of similar tazze were sold Sotheby's, London, 4 December 2019, lot 20 and another one is illustrated J. Kugel, Trésors des Tzars, exh. cat., Paris, 1998, cat. 294.
The art of stonecutting has been prized in Russia since early in the eighteenth century as a specifically national art, utilizing Russian-born craftsmen and the country's vast resources of mineral deposits. A series of geological expeditions to the Ural and Altai mountains sponsored by the Academy of Arts in the second half of the eighteenth century yielded amazing discoveries of hardstones, including kalkan jasper (discovered in 1756 by Ivan Krasavin) green breccia, rhodonite (discovered in 1781-83), lazurite and many different varieties of porphyry (discovered in 1786 by the River Korgon in the Altai Mountains of Siberia). During the last quarter of the 1700s, large blocks of semiprecious stones were shipped to St. Petersburg to be worked. The success of the Peterhof factory prompted the imperial government to open further workshops in Ekaterinburg and Kolyvan, where local craftsman could work on larger blocks of uncut stone. Most workshops were active until the October Revolution, and some even operated after the Soviets rose to power.
Christie's is grateful to Paul Dyson, scholar of Russian hardstones, for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.
The art of stonecutting has been prized in Russia since early in the eighteenth century as a specifically national art, utilizing Russian-born craftsmen and the country's vast resources of mineral deposits. A series of geological expeditions to the Ural and Altai mountains sponsored by the Academy of Arts in the second half of the eighteenth century yielded amazing discoveries of hardstones, including kalkan jasper (discovered in 1756 by Ivan Krasavin) green breccia, rhodonite (discovered in 1781-83), lazurite and many different varieties of porphyry (discovered in 1786 by the River Korgon in the Altai Mountains of Siberia). During the last quarter of the 1700s, large blocks of semiprecious stones were shipped to St. Petersburg to be worked. The success of the Peterhof factory prompted the imperial government to open further workshops in Ekaterinburg and Kolyvan, where local craftsman could work on larger blocks of uncut stone. Most workshops were active until the October Revolution, and some even operated after the Soviets rose to power.
Christie's is grateful to Paul Dyson, scholar of Russian hardstones, for his help in preparing this catalogue entry.