Lot 649: THE CRUISER RURIK: A FABERGÉ SILVER AND ENAMEL FRAME AND SILVER PRESENTATION PLAQUE, WORKMASTER ANDERS NEVALAINEN, ST PETERSBURG, 1905

THE CRUISER RURIK: A FABERGÉ SILVER AND ENAMEL FRAME AND SILVER PRESENTATION PLAQUE, WORKMASTER ANDERS NEVALAINEN, ST PETERSBURG, 1905 rectangular, the surface enamelled in translucent midnight blue over moiré engine-turning within chased leaf tip and palmette borders, framing a silver plaque inscribed in Russian: 'The cruiser 1st ship RURIK/ 15200 ton displacement 19700 horsepower/ Built in Barrow in Furness (England)/ factory of Vickers and Co./ 9 (22) August 1905', and engraved with an image of the ship, the reverse with the names of officials of the Russian navy and of the shipyard, within a wood border, silver strut, the plaque and frame both struck with workmaster's initials and Fabergé in Cyrillic, 91 standard width: 21.2cm, 8 3/8 in.

Sir Arthur Trevor Dawson, 1st Bt. (1866-1931), Director, Vickers Ltd. and Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd., and his wife Louise, Lady Dawson, who launched the Rurik on 22 August 1905

Thence by descent

The Rurik was an armoured cruiser of the Imperial Russian Navy, named for the 9th century founder of Russia and its predecessor warship which had been scuttled in 1904, and built by the Vickers engineering conglomorate at its Barrow-in-Furness yard. Designed by K. A. Tennison, whose name is engraved on the reverse, she was unusual in being a British-made Russian warship. She was technically not launched but rather laid down at Barrow, officially launched in Russian waters in the following year and fully commissioned in 1908. The ship saw much action in the First World War as the flagship of the Baltic Fleet; she was hulked in 1918 and scrapped in 1930.

The present lot, seen on BBC's Antiques Roadshow on 14 February 2010, is one of a set of identical silver plaques in variously coloured enamel frames which were commissioned by the Imperial Navy from the Fabergé firm, the assignment given to the Nevalainen workshop, to be presented to dignitaries participating in the ceremony of the laying of the keel. A green example, designated as Property of Vickers Ltd., sold Sotheby's London, 25 November 1968, lot 62; and a red-framed plaque, which had been given to Vickers Company Secretary James Ferguson, sold Chrsitie's London, 8 April 1987, lot 221. Another plaque with a blue frame sold, Sotheby's Geneva, 20 February 1985, lot 551, together with a 1907 letter from its owner, Mr. W. Gordon, which reads "The Emperor and Empress have received similar [silver] pictures and I understand they are much pleased with them." Unframed plaques from this set are in the Collections of the Hillwood Museum and the Central Navy Museum, St Petersburg.