Snuff-box with a Portrait of Nicholas I
St Petersburg, Russia
Johann Wilhelm Keibel
1826
Gold, diamonds, enamel, sard
This snuff-box was made by the notable St. Petersburg goldsmith Johann Wilhelm Keibel, who worked in the first half of the 18th century. The lid of the snuff-box has a medal soldered into it. This medal (designer Alexeyev), created in commemoration of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas I, bears a portrait of the Emperor in profile, with the inscription By God's Mercy, Nicholas I. Emperor and Autocrat of All-Russia. The reverse shows the Russian crown and the inscription Pledge of the Felicity of All and Everybody, Crowned in Moscow 1826. Inside, beneath the medal, is a sard cameo (made by I. A. Shylov) with a portrait of Emperor Alexander I and the following inscription beneath: Our Angel in Heaven. Both the medal and cameo link two important events: Alexander I's death and the accession to the throne of his brother Nicholas I.
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