Gold-plated Silver Cigarette Case With Full-enamel And Cloisonné Work By Ivan Andreev, Moscow, 1887

The lid is adorned with a full-color enamel miniature depicting a young peasant girl holding a sickle, set against a backdrop of a sun-drenched wheat field. Beyond its picturesque quality, this scene symbolizes the idealized rural labor of late 19th-century Russian culture. The enamel work is executed with remarkable attention to detail, combining realism and poetry—hallmarks of the Russian school of enamel.

The miniature is framed by an oval medallion adorned with floral scrolls rendered in cloisonné enamel. The vivid colors—blue, turquoise, cobalt, green, and white—contrast elegantly with the golden background, lending the piece great decorative richness. The reverse side of the object features a similar composition with a central cartouche intended for an inscription or monogram.

This piece perfectly illustrates the characteristics of the Moscow school: the combination of painted and cloisonné enamel, the finesse of execution, and the harmony between utility and aesthetics. Such cigarette cases were often given as prestigious gifts, produced in limited editions for a wealthy clientele.

Hallmarks: Master’s mark: initials JFA (Latin) in a rectangular cartouche—Ivan Fyodorovich Andreev, active in Moscow in the second half of the 19th century.Assayer’s hallmark: “AR” above the date “1887”—unidentified Moscow assayer (probably Arkady Romanov, active between 1888 and 1894).State hallmark: fineness 84 (8751000 silver), mark of the city of Moscow—St. George slaying the dragon, within a rectangular shield with rounded corners.

Dimensions: Length — 11.3 cm; Width — 7 cm

Weight: 246 grams

Provenance: Christie’s London, June 9, 2009, lot 150.

ID-ANTQ-12222