A rectangular hinged cigar box in the trompe l'oeil manner perfected by the Moscow silversmiths of the 1870s and 1880s. The entire surface is engraved to imitate a wooden cigar box: the lid and sides are worked in fine engine-turned lines that read as cedar grain, while the border carries a run of cartouches imitating the paper labels, brand marks and revenue bands pasted onto a real box, each lettered in Cyrillic. The illusion is sustained across every face and is remarkably convincing in the hand.
This kind of witty realism was a specialty of the Moscow trade in the reign of Alexander II, produced by houses such as Sazikov, Khlebnikov and Ovchinnikov, turning everyday objects into showpieces of engraving. Genuine examples with crisp, unworn engraving are increasingly hard to find. [Editor: add maker's mark, assay mark and 84 zolotnik standard if present, with the assay master's initials and date.]
The construction is of substantial-gauge silver throughout, the hinge is tight, and the lid fits flush. The engraving retains exceptional sharpness across all surfaces.
A rectangular hinged cigar box in the trompe l'oeil manner perfected by the Moscow silversmiths of the 1870s and 1880s. The entire surface is engraved to imitate a wooden cigar box: the lid and sides are worked in fine engine-turned lines that read as cedar grain, while the border carries a run of cartouches imitating the paper labels, brand marks and revenue bands pasted onto a real box, each lettered in Cyrillic. The illusion is sustained across every face and is remarkably convincing in the hand.
This kind of witty realism was a specialty of the Moscow trade in the reign of Alexander II, produced by houses such as Sazikov, Khlebnikov and Ovchinnikov, turning everyday objects into showpieces of engraving. Genuine examples with crisp, unworn engraving are increasingly hard to find. [Editor: add maker's mark, assay mark and 84 zolotnik standard if present, with the assay master's initials and date.]
The construction is of substantial-gauge silver throughout, the hinge is tight, and the lid fits flush. The engraving retains exceptional sharpness across all surfaces.
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