of oval, tapering form, the sides pierced and gilded, the undulating, gilded rim molded in a chain pattern, the exterior molded with the red moiré sash of the order, with sculpted and gilded crosses of the order set on opposite sides of the basket, the ribbons ending in a molded bow knot set below the handles painted brown to resemble woven branches and sculpted with delicate floral ornament and bunches of red grapes, the center of the interior painted with the star of the order with the Cyrillic motto Za trud i otechestvo (For Labor and Fatherland).

with some small losses or rubbing to painted decoration in basket interior and some small rubbing to gilding on basket foot
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Peter the Great had intended to found a military order named in honor of the Russian hero-saint Alexander Nevsky, but had died before being able to do so. He had had the saint's remains brought from Vladimir to St. Petersburg on August 30, 1724 and re-interred at the St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra, founded on the spot where some 500 years earlier, on July 15, 1240, Alexander Nevsky had led his troops to victory over the Swedes. His widow, Empress Catherine I, established the Order in 1725 as both a mili💮tary and civil award and it was directly after the Order of St. Andrew in terms of prestige. The Empress's Cabinet ordered the service for sixty covers and it was used on the saint's feast day, August 30. Unlike the baskets from the earlier services, which designer Gavriil Kozlov (1738-1791) had based on the forms of the baskets from the Berlin Service, those included in the Service for St. Alexander Nevsky vary in🔜 terms of piercing and the upper rim. Some baskets, like the offered lot, recall a gilded chain, while in other cases, the rim imitates a woven, gilded ribbon. For another, smaller example of a basket from this service, see Sotheby's New York, October 18, 2011, lot 19.