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AN IMPERIAL RUSSIAN ORMOLU-MOUNTED, PATINATED-BRONZE, MALACHITE AND MAHOGANY GUERIDON ATTRIBUTED TO HEINRICH GAMBS (1765-1831), AFTER THE DESIGN BY ANDREJ VORONIKIN (1759-1814), ST PETERSBURG, 1803 The inset circular malachite top within an ormolu guilloche band enclosing flowerheads, above an egg-and-dart border and plain frieze, the tripod supports surmounted by draped lioness masks and scrolling foliage, the sabre legs mounted with female masks with bat-wings, the rear of the legs applied with brass long plaques, on leaf-cast claw-and-ball feet and castors 32 ? in. (82 cm.) high; 21 ? in. (54.5 cm.) diameter
Of bold and audacious design, this remarkable gueridon stands among the finest examples of Russian decorative arts produced at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Conceived as part of a larger furniture ensemble composed of a monumental Psyche mirror and a pair of matching tripod tables, it was commissioned in 1803 by Tsar Alexander I (1777-1825) as a gift to the king and queen of Prussia, who placed it at their royal palace at Unter den Linden, Berlin. As a diplomatic gift, the gueridon was intended to demonstrate the prowess of Russian design and execution, and illustrate specifically Russian features and materials.
The history of this remarkable piece of furniture is particularly well-documented thanks to the comprehensive research conducted by Burhardt Groes, published in Apollo Magazine in 1992 (as noted in the literature). Notably, we know that the table was designed by the architect Andrej Voronikin (1759-1814), and that the malachite work was most probably carried out at the Imperial lapidary workshops at Peterhof. Interestingly, he received a ring from the Tsar for his extraordinary and innovative design.
A DIPLOMATIC GIFT
In June 1802, Tsar Alexander I met King Friedrich Wilhelm III (1770-1840) and Queen Louise of Prussia (1776-1810) for the first time in the city of Memel (modern-day Klaipeda, Lithuania). On his return to Saint Petersburg, the Tsar ordered his vice-chancellor to arrange for gifts for the Prussian Queen, a celebrated beauty. This imaginative gueridon, along with its pair (sold Christie's, Paris, 4-5 May 2011, lot 510) and a full-length Psyche mirror, were part of this Imperial offering, which marked the beginning of a long friendship that endured the military and political pressures of the Napoleonic period. The mirror and the accompanying tables were presented to the Royal couple on 12th October 1803, and were installed in the King’s study in the Koniglichen Palais, Unter den Linden, in the Prussian capital. Although the palace no longer exists, a watercolour of 1861 by Leopold Zielke shows the two tables in place standing before the mirror (illustrated).
THE DESIGN
The daring design for the table was executed by the Russian architect Andrej Voronikin. A serf of Graf Count Alexander Sergejevitch Stroganov, Voronikin gained his freedom in 1786 and later travelled widely with his former master (who was rumored to be his father) across Europe, spending the years 1789-90 in Paris expanding his formal vocabulary. Despite his new-gained freedom, Voronikin remained very close to the Stroganov family, and was quickly elevated to the position of personal architect to the count. In this capacity, he redesigned the interior of the Stroganov Palace, the family country house and the castle of Gorodiné. His virtuosity together with the influence of the Stroganov’s – one of Russia’s most progressive and influential families, in both political and artistic matters – enabled him to enter the Academy of Fine Arts, where he taught from 1802. As such, the command of the present gueridon came at the height of Voronikin’s career. Three years later, he was commissioned what would become his most emblematic work, the reconstruction of Kazan Cathedral, one of whose facades still bears his name today.
Voron