Embroidery was a fashionable pastime in the 18th century, in high society as well. Devices such as these for winding threads were often included among gifts intended for female members of the imperial family. Such items were bought at the annual St Sophia's Fair in Tsarskoye Selo which Empress Catherine II herself visited. This example takes the form of an arch resting on a rectangular base that contains a little drawer. The piece is decorated with steel diamonds, rosettes, vases and laurel wreathes.