| Description
This is arguably the grandest of all the Russian gold boxes in the
Gilbert Collection, its flowing style and crisp enamelling
is attributed to the celebrated Swiss craftsman Jean-Pierre Ador
who emigrated to Russia in 1760.
The box was made for Baron Nicolaus von
Korff (1710-1766) who was the archetypal eighteenth-century soldier
of fortune. Each side is decorated with engraved sunbursts around
an enamelled order or coat-of-arms recording his meritorious military
career.
Commentary
Korff was commissioned into the Russian army at the age of just
fourteen, later rising to a position in the imperial guard. In 1742
he received the Order of Saint Anne (depicted on the left side of
the box), followed two years later by the Order of Alexander Nevsky
(on the right side). During the Seven Years' War, Korff was established
as provincial governor of parts of Prussia for which he was invested
with the Polish Order of the White Eagle (on the back). He received
the Order of Saint Andrew (on the cover) and the Prussian Order
of the Black Eagle (on the front) in 1762.
There can be few soldiers, nor indeed many
boxes, that could display so many chivalric orders at one time.
This box would appear a unique example of what must be considered
justifiable personal vanity, tempered with modesty, since Korff's
arms appear on the base rather than on the cover.
Glossaries
enamelling - an exacting
painting process using coloured powdered glass, where each colour
is applied separately then heated in a kiln to fuse it to the surface
before the next
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the
Gilbert silver