The back of a Russian Parcel-Gilt Silver & Enamel Imperial Navy Presentation Plaque ‘Alexandria’

Russian Parcel-Gilt Silver & Enamel Imperial Navy Presentation Plaque ‘Alexandria’

Morozov
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reference number: RE_074

1903

silver, silver-gilt, enamel

height: 15 cm; length: 18.4 cm

maker’s mark: Cyrillic B.Morozov with Imperial Warrant

workmaster’s mark: Cyrillic initials Ya.L. for Yakov Lyapunov

assay mark of St.Petersburg, between 1899-1908

engraver’s mark: Cyrillic initials E.K. for Eduard Kortman

silver standard: 84 zolotnik

Rectangular with domed, undulating border and rounded corners. The exterior border is mounted with inscriptions: ‘Alexandria‘ on the bottom, ‘16th of August‘ on the left and the ‘Year 1903‘ on the right, all four corners are applied with crowned cyphers of Tsar Nicholas II, top applied with the Russian Imperial crown with two blue enamel ribbons.

 

The obverse in dark blue enamel reads ‘Paddle-propelled Imperial Yacht ‘Alexandria’, 500 tons water displacement, 975 indicator horse-power, commissioned in St.Petersburg Baltic Works and Mechanical Works of the Maritime Ministry, 16th August, 1903, in the presence of Their Imperial Majesties, The Emperor, the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna and Maria Fedorovna, Her Imperial Majesty Olga Konstantinovna and General Admiral His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich‘.

 

The reverse reads ‘Director of the Maritime Ministry, Adjutant-General Avelan, Chairman of the Maritime Technical Committee, Vice-Admiral Dubasov, Director of the Chief Directorate of Supplies and Shipbuilding, Lieutenant-General Lyubimov, Inspector-in-Chief of Shipbuilding, Inspector of Shipbuilding Kuteinikov, Chairman of the Board of the Baltic Works, Lieutenant-General Lavrov, Director of the Baltic Works, General-Major Ratnik, Builder, Senior Assistant to the Shipbuilder, Lidov‘.

 

Such plaques were commemoratives of the beginning of the ship’s construction and were presented to dignitaries participating in the ceremony. Another ‘Alexandria’ silver plaque by the Firm of Morozov is in the collection of the Central Naval Museum of St.Petersburg.

 

There were three Russian Imperial yachts, by far the largest was the ‘Standart’, followed by the ‘Alexandria’ and the ‘Polar Star’. The first version of the ‘Alexandria’ was built in Great Britain in 1851 and was replaced by the second version in 1903, built by the engineer, Lidov, at the Baltic Works. Construction was started on August 16th, 1903 and launched on August 29th of the same year but construction was not completed until the spring of 1904. Up to 1918 the yacht served with the Lifeguard Equipage as part of the Baltic Fleet but from May, 1918, it was decommissioned and eventually sold for scrap in May, 1927.

 

The firm of Morozov was founded in St.Petersburg in 1849 and soon became an official purveyor to the Imperial Russian court. Primarily a retail enterprise, Morozov’s firm also manufactured silverware and enamels.

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