An Important Fabergé Shaded Cloisonné Enameled Gilt Silver Punch Set. Fabergé, Workmaster Feodor Rückert, Moscow, 1896-190... (Total: 15 Items)

Description

An Important Fabergé Shaded Cloisonné Enameled Gilt Silver Punch Set
Fabergé, Workmaster Feodor Rückert, Moscow, 1896-1908, with scratched inventory numbers 23318, 23319 and 23320
Sold together with its original oak presentation case
8-7/8 x 8-1/2 inches (22.5 x 21.6 cm) (punch bowl)
18 inches (45.7 cm) (tray)
7042 grams

PROVENANCE:
Commissioned or acquired by Fabergé from Feodor Rückert workrooms before 1908;
Confiscated from Fabergé stock by the Soviet Authority, March 30, 1919, and listed on the inventory date....as "Box No. 64" with its value of 10,400 rubles noted;
Subsequently transferred to the stock of МОСКОВСКОЕ ЮВЕЛИРНОЕ ТОВАРИЩЕСТВО (The Moscow Jewelry Partnership, or M.Yu.T), circa 1923;
Presented by ГОСТОРГ (Gostorg) as a prize for the first All-Union Automobile Distance Trials, 1925;
Paul Wachtler (General Motors executive from 1916-1945), received from the above;
Thence by descent;
Prestige Auction, Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, Estate of The Late Paul Wachtler, May 21, 2021, lot 3;
Private Collection, New York, acquired from the above.


The offered lot is one of the most impressive punch sets in the Pan-Slavic style produced by the workrooms of master enameller Feodor Rückert for the House of Fabergé. Very few complete works of this scale survived the Revolution, and the exceptional and recently rediscovered journey of this work from the storerooms of the Fabergé firm to the home of a General Motors executive in New Jersey is a lesson in history, revolution, and social and economic change.


Fabergé and Rückert

The relationship between the Fabergé firm and Feodor Rückert's workshop was one of collaboration and artistic synergy. Rückert, born Friedrich Moritz Rückert in Alsace, was already a master of cloisonné enamel, having opened his own workrooms in 1889. Rückert began to supply Fabergé in 1902, and his distinctive Moscow-produced enameling style became a popular subgenre to Fabergé's well known luxurious objects. Rückert maintained his own workshop, works sold by Fabergé bore the larger firm's hallmark, frequently overstriking Rückert's own. This partnership elevated Rückert's work to a broader audience while enriching Fabergé's repertoire with uniquely Russian objects in the popular Pan-Slavic style.


The Original Commission

A recent conservation cleaning has revealed that beneath the later 1920's presentation plaque, a pavilioned heraldic recess exists on the presentation box's top, indicating that the work may have been commissioned as an Imperial or princely gift. The distinctive outline of the recess indicates that the plaque bore the heraldic mantling associated with imperial or princely arms. It appears, however, that the work may never have left Fabergé's stock; no sales records have yet been found. The extraordinarily high value of the object, 10,400 rubles is worth noting. The Fabergé Imperial Eggs of 1908 cost 8,300 rubles (The Peacock Egg) and 12,300 rubles (the Alexander Palace Egg) respectively. However, when the set was appraised in 1919, Russia was in the grip of runaway inflation which may have increased the valuation.

At the time of the Revolution, however, the punch set was still in Fabergé's stock, which made the rest of the object's history and its ultimate survival possible.


The Confiscation and Nationalization of the Fabergé Firm's Stock, 1919

On March 30, 1919, a Soviet commission from the Cheka arrived at the store's shuttered premises to carry out the nationalization of Fabergé's property. The removal of the valuables, which began with the impoundment of Fabergé's stock in September 1918, was technically illegal, as the company and its assets were formally owned by foreign stakeholders. However, internal violations within the Fabergé firm also played a role-two employees were caught attempting to sell 8 kg of gold in a sting operation orchestrated by the Cheka, and this was used as an excuse to take the valuables.

At the time of this confiscation, an important inventory was drawn up, which listed all of the property remains in the firm's vaults, workrooms and storage areas, together with valuations. The offered lot is described as "Box No. 64" and clearly identified from its conforming inventory numbers: "23318 1 enamel Bratina; 23319 12 enamel charkas; 23320 1 enamel tray, 23321 1 enamel ladle" and with the ensuing weight of 17 funt' 16 lot (approximately 17 lbs 2.5 oz) and valued at 10,400 rubles.


The Transfer to MIuT. (МОСКОВСКОЕ ЮВЕЛИРНОЕ ТОВАРИЩЕСТВО)

By 1923, the Moscow Jewelry Partnership (MIuT) had been created to oversee the trade and production of jewelry. It regulated the acquisition of precious metals, gemstones, and watches, while managing restoration and manufacturing workshops. MIuT expanded its reach by establishing branches in Petrograd, Baku, and Tbilisi, supplying artisans with raw materials and organizing sales. It also became one of the repositories for valuable works slated for sale of for use by the new government.

The offered lot was clearly sent to MIuT between 1923-1925. The interior of the box was retrofitted to bear the logo and name of the Moskovskoe iiuvelirnoe tovarishchestvo.


Gostorg and the 1925 Leningrad-Tiflis-Moscow Speed Trials

In 1922, the Soviet government established the State Export-Import Office (Gostorg) under the People's Commissariat for Foreign Trade. Gostorg managed international commerce, exporting furs, flax, hemp, wheat, and fish while using the revenue to purchase industrial machinery. It also played a role in agricultural processing and the fur trade and was responsible for engaging and encouraging investment in the fledgling Soviet Union. The scale of Soviet economic efforts, including Gostorg's activities, was captured in Dziga Vertov's 1925-1926 documentary film A Sixth Part of the World, commissioned and funded by Gostorg.

The Gostorg August 1925 speed trial races were an ambitious endurance rally across the Soviet Union, from Leningrad to Tbilisi to Moscow. Organized to test and promote Soviet automotive capabilities, the race spanned thousands of kilometers through harsh terrains, mountain passes, and unpaved roads. Various Soviet-made vehicles participated, proving their durability and efficiency. The event symbolized the USSR's push for industrial and technological self-reliance, showcasing domestic automotive advancements. Despite logistical and mechanical challenges, the trial successfully demonstrated the potential of Soviet automobiles, reinforcing national pride and state-led industrialization efforts. The race began on August 15, 1925 and covered 4.693 kilometers in 22 days.

The first lap, which was a leg from Leningrad to Novgorod was won by an American car. Buick, founded in 1903, had been acquired by General Motors in 1908, and the new Director of International Relations for GM, Paul Wachtler, had been appointed during the war in 1916. Wachtler was instrumental in the firm's participation in the All-Union Speed Trials, and when Buick placed he was awarded the Fabergé punch set as a prize. The tray of the punch set was exuberantly engraved by the team at MIuT: "U.S.S.R / Gostorg Prize / Legk. Automob[ile] "Buick" No. 37 / Gostorg / Moscow / N.K.V.T - R.S.F.S.R. / All-Union Automobile Speed Trials 1925 / Leningrad-Tiflis - Moscow / For Overall Quality".

The box was applied with an engraved plaque reading ""U.S.S.R / Gostorg Prize / Gostorg / Moscow / N.K.V.T - R.S.F.S.R. / All-Union Automobile Speed Trials 1925 / For Overall Quality". This plaque covered the spot where the Imperial or princely arms had once been centered.

It is ironic that the prize chosen for a great Soviet achievement in modern technology was a stolen masterpiece of the previous regime, chosen for its unique beauty and "Russianness".


Rediscovery and first appearance on the market

After the death of Mr. Wachtel, this important set found its way into a regional estate sale during the pandemic. Without documentation other than its post-revolutionary owners, the work became known to a limited audience.

Heritage Auctions has been pleased to assist in the rediscovery of concrete evidence in the Russian archives confirming the origins and elaborating on the history of this important masterpiece by Feodor Rückert for the House of Fabergé.

Heritage Auctions thanks Dr. Valentin Skurlov for his assistance with the research of this lot, as well as Anna and Vincent Palmade for their guidance regarding the economic turmoil of 1919.



Note: Due to increasing international regulations regarding tariffs, sanctions, and import restrictions on this lot, additional duties or other restrictions may apply to this lot. Heritage requires all Russian-made items that are shipped internationally to have shipping instructions on file. If you purchase this lot and would like it shipped internationally, you will be emailed our shipping instructions to review and sign after the auction, acknowledging your understanding of the applicable duties, regulations, and responsibilities associated with shipping Russian-made items internationally.



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