Lot 40: The Youssoupov Service: Three French silver second course dishes and a fish platter, Alexandre Gueyton, Paris, 1843-63

of heavy weight, the borders chased with stylized foliate strapwork and rosettes on matted grounds, applied with the Youssoupov arms, marked Alex Gueyton and with French standard marks

weight 250oz (7787g) measurements diameter of dishes 12 1/2 in. (32cm); length of fish platter 25 7/8 in. (65.8cm)

Prince Nicholas Borisovitch Youssoupov and his wife Tatiana de Ribeaupierre, to their daughter
Princess Zenaide Youssoupov and her husband Count Felix Soumarokoff-Elston
Discovered and seized by the Soviets, April 1925

The Youssoupov service, sometimes called the "Scandinavian" service, was commissioned in Paris for Prince Nicholas Borissovich Youssoupov (1827-1891) and his wife Countess Tatiana de Ribeaupierre (1828-1879); their names appear on the dinner plates for the service (examples sold Christie's, New York, April 18, 2007, lot 249). The Prince was a distinguished soldier, patron and philanthropist, who not only fought himself in the Crimean war but also personally financed field hospitals, ambulance trains, and rehabilitation centers. He was also a privy councilor and Grand Master of the Court. His wife, a relative of Potemkin, was a famous beauty. The Princess' health was delicate, and the couple spent much of their time traveling abtroad and at their Swiss residence on the banks of Lake Geneva. The service may have been a wedding gift from Prince Nicholas' mother, who lived in Paris in a house in the Parc aux Princes and was a major figure in Second Empire society. Import marks show that the service entered Russia in the late 19th century. In autumn 1917, as the Revolution gained force, Prince Felix Youssoupov - best known as one of the assassins of Rasputin - concealed the family's jewel collection, silver, and other objets d'art under a staircase in the family's Moscow house. Although their major-domo was tortured to reveal the hiding place, the pieces were not discovered until April, 1925. Photos taken at this time show the distinctive forms of the service among the tiaras and necklaces. The punch bowl is preserved in the Hermitage museum, but much of the rest of the service was sold, presumably through Antikvariat. A tureen, cover and stand were sold Sotheby's, New York, May 20, 2004, lot 163. Part of the flatware service was given to the Taft Museum, Cincinnati, then offered Christie's, New York, October 21, 2003, lot 135. A double salt was sold Sotheby's, Sydney, August 29, 2006, lot 280.