A Russian parcel gilt silver & enamel cigarette case with coin, Pavel Volkov, Moscow, 1908-1917. The case cast & chased with a radiating & ribbed design, the hinged lid centered with a bezel-set ruble coin from the reign of Anna Ioannovna (Ivanovna) dated 1732, the ground enameled translucent cobalt blue over a hatched ground, with gold-mounted cabochon sapphire thumbpiece, complete with vesta compartment (the strike plate lacking), the interior gilded & with an engraved floral design on either side of the coin, struck with 84 & 56 standards for gold & silver. Gross weight: 253 grams. Dimensions: 4 1/4″ x 3 3/8″ (10.8 x 8.6 cm).

Provenance:
The Manolo March Collection, Christie’s London, 28-29 October 2009, lot 435

Moscow silversmith Pavel Mikhailovich Volkov’s workshop is known to have been active from at least 1868 to sometime after 1908.Тhe firm’s output was small, but very high quality. Examples of luxury items such ascigarette cases & ladies silver evening bags are held in the collections of various Moscow museums. More recently, jeweled bishops’ mitres with the firm’s silver mounts in thestil moderneappeared on the Russian antiques market, demonstrating a heretofore unknown aspect of the workshop’s production & suggesting that much remains to be discovered.