ID 70938
Lot 327 | A Silver Commemorative Composition
Estimate value
£ 27 000 – 35 000
A. LUBAVIN, ST PETERSBURG, 1896
40 by 30 cm (sculpture), 40.5 by 33 cm (case).
The offered silver composition produced at the renown St Petersburg company of Alexander Lubavin was intended as a prize in honour of Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich to the best bicycle-rider of the North of Russia in 1896 and the champion of the Mikhailovsky manege race as per the engraving on the front of the base.
Won by the famous Russian sportsman M. Djakov on the 9th of March 1896 it is emblematic of its era. The end of the 19thcentury is marked by the society's eagerness for everything innovative and the First Bicycle-Riders' society of Russia was organised already in 1883 in Tsarskoe Selo. Amongst the prominent sponsors was Grand Duke Sergey Mikhailovich who like many in the aristocratic circles of the époque shared the fashionable enthusiasm for bicycles.
M. Djakov became a member of the Tsarskoe Selo bicycle club and after a year of practising won his first race in the park of Tsarskoe Selo. In 1893 he won the title of the best Russian bicycle rider for the distance of 7.5 verst (Russian unit of distance equal to 1.067 km) - the most prestigious race at the time with an all-Russia record and was given a silver goblet. In the next season he broke the country record safeguarding his champion title until 1895.
In 1896 the Tsarskoe Selo bicycle club sent Djakov to London for Open Championship of England where he secured the sensational victory. That was the biggest international tournament of the time, during which Djakov established two world records. All in all during his sports career Djakov established more than ten world records and out of 300 official races he failed to come first only three times. In 1905 M. Djakov was personally ennobled.
The factory of silver objects founded by Aleksandr Venedicktovich Lubavin in 1893 existed in St. Petersburg up until the 1917 revolution and was one of the most fashionable and well known factories alongside other grand names such as Fabergé, Ovchinnikov, Khlebnikov. In 1900 Lubavin got a title of supplier to the Imperial Court and in 1905 it was kept by his son Nikolai Aleksandrovich, who continued the dynasty business.
Remarkably the sculpture is very similar to known portraits of Djakov. The outstanding quality and the unique background make this piece not only a high quality testament of the Russian decorative arts of the end of the 19th century but also a rare and exquisite object of history of Imperial Russia.
Address of auction |
MacDougall Arts Ltd. 63 New Cavendish St. W1G 7LP London United Kingdom | |
---|---|---|
Preview |
| |
Phone | +44 20 7389 8160 | |
Phone | +7 495 799 4683 | |
Fax | +44 (0) 20 7389 8170 | |
Conditions of purchase | Conditions of purchase | |
Shipping |
Postal service Courier service pickup by yourself | |
Payment methods |
Wire Transfer |
Frequently asked questions
First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.