This is truly is discerning collector’s item and a chance to own a very rare piece of history.
This desk clock was presented by Tsar Alexander III (r. 1881-1894) to his wife Maria Fedorovna on the occasion of their Silver Wedding Anniversary celebrated on October 28, 1891.
The opening bid for the anniversary desk clock is $150,000 and is estimated to sell for $300,000-$500,000.
As the title explains, this clock was a 25th anniversary gift from Alexander III to his wife Maria. The Emperor privately commissioned this piece from Fabergé workmaster Julius Rappaport. This clock represents their enduring love on a her personal level. Rappaport was the only Fabergé workmaster in St. Petersburg to produce clocks for the Imperial Family.
The heart-shaped silver clock engraved in Cyrillic script with the names of the Tsar’s Imperial residences Gatchina, Livadia, Tsarskoe (Selo), Anichkov, Peterhof, and Cottage, the top applied with Roman numerals XXV within an openwork ribbon-tied laurelleaf wreath, the base, 28 X (October), enclosing a round white enamel dial with blue chapters, the years (18)66 and (18)91 as twelve o’clock and six o’clock respectively, the numerals one to five replaced by Cyrillic letters M I N N I spelling the Emperor’s favorite name for the Empress, with the balance of the chapters represented by the first Cyrillic letter of each of their children’s names: N G K M O, for Nicholas, George, Xenia, Michael, and Olga, within a raised laurel border, the silver strut forming the Tsar’s initial A, the 8-day movement signed by Moser, with attached key on chain-5 1/2 in. high
