A RUSSIAN SILVER GILT AND GOLD CIGARETTE BOX,... Lot 26

A RUSSIAN SILVER GILT AND GOLD CIGARETTE BOX, BY THIRD ARTEL, ST PETERSBURG, 1908-1917 The rectangular case, with pastel blue guilloché enamel, the hinged cover cast with gold laurel leaves and centred with a silver coat of arms (possibly later addition), to a sapphire cabochon clasp, smaller compartment opening to reveal a match compartment and strike panel, the gilt interior engraved with Cyrillic surnames, struck with marker's mark 3rd Artel and 88. standard (zolotniks) in Cyrillic, length 11.2cm, width 6.5cm The Kokoshnik mark, a woman’s head in traditional headdress, the head faces to the right and the Greek letter alpha after 1908, St Petersburg assayer Alexander Romanov (working dates April 1904-1912) or Konstantin Soloviev (working dates 1913-1917). The three columns of surnames listed on the inside of the lid may relate to the individuals who commissioned the piece as a possible retirement gift. The Third St. Petersburg Cooperative, or Artel was a group of about thirty artisans who occasionally carried out work for the House of Faberge. It was active between the years 1908-1917, producing a range of decorative items such as guilloché enamel objects, miniature Easter eggs; card and cigarette cases in varying shades of pastel and opalescent white. The Artel also created gold chased objects designed using the technique “en quatre-couleurs” which solder multiple colours in layers. It is possible that the present example was retailed by the House of Fabergé. Located at 48 Ekaterininskii canal, the Third St Petersburg Artel also occasionally did work for the Imperial Family. In 1915, its head was Vasilii Nikolaevich Ivanov.