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This magnificent box, created by the craftsman Andriyan
Sukhanov in the 1780s, was intended to contain eighty chess pieces made
of steel. The lid bears a reproduction of the design for the Tula Arms
Factory approved in 1782, but never implemented. The box is striking for
both the richness of its decoration and the consummate mastery of the
execution. It is made from polished steel that has been blued in some
places with applied bronze decorations. The decoration of the piece includes
diamond-cutting that endows elegance without disrupting the austerity
of form typical of early Classicism. The box was presented to Empress
Catherine II in the 1780s.
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Copyright © 2011 State Hermitage Museum |
