Countess Sophie de Torby: A Russian Shaded Cloisonné Enameled Gilt Silver Kovsh Fabergé, Attributed to Feodor Rückert, Moscow, 1899-1908, with scratched inventory number 14152 3-7/8 x 4-5/8 x 7-3/8 inches (9.8 x 11.7 x 18.7 cm) 432 grams PROVENANCE: Countess Sophie de Torby, purchased at the Fabergé London branch on August 30th, 1908, for 17 guineas 10 shillings; Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, Russian Works of Art, November 30, 1978, lot 434; Sotheby's New York, Russian Works of Art, December 11, 1996, lot 360; Christie's New York, Russian Art, April 24, 2009, lot 191; John Atzbach Antiques, Bellevue, Washington; Acquired from the above by the present owner. Research in the London ledgers of Faberge have revealed that this work was purchased by Countess Sophie de Torby, the morganatic wife of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia, a grandson of Emperor Nicholas I. Countess Sophie Nikolaevna von Merenberg was born the eldest daughter of Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau-Weilburg and his morganatic (unequal) Russian wife Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina, the daughter of Russia's great poet. In 1891, she married the Grand Duke Michael secretly at San Remo, but news soon reached Russia and Emperor Alexander III, in accordance with the House law of the Romanovs, was unable to recognize the union. Under the law, Sophie was not only denied the use of the title of Grand Duchess, but also use of the Romanov surname. Her paternal uncle, Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg granted her the title of Countess de Torby, when later extended to the couple's children. The couple settled in Great Britain, where they, and their three children became cornerstones of Edwardian society at Kenwood House in Hampstead. The Torbys were close friends of George V and Queen Mary, with whom Countess Torby shared a love of Faberge. Faberge's London ledgers reveal that Countess Torby bought the offered lot on August 30th, 1908 for a sum of 17 guineas, 10 shillings. The delicate kovsh is described as "Muscovite" in style, and its unusual decoration connects it to a Bratina of similar palette and design, also with the marks of Fabergé Moscow and Feodor Rückert (inventory number of 14316) which was sold Sotheby's London, November 16, 2008, lot 207. Countess Torby died in 1927, and the kovsh passed out of family hands. It reappeared in New York in 1978 to grace the cover of the Russian Art sale at Sotheby Parke Bernet in New York. Heritage Auctions is grateful to Valentin Skurlov and Dmitry Krivoshey for their assistance in the research of this lot. Masterpieces of Russian Enamel from an Important American Collection HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved