Potpourri Vase with Classical Figures

It is believed that Catherine the Great gave this gold vase to her lover, Count Grigorii Grigorevich Orlov. Together with his brothers, the count organized a coup that placed Catherine on the Russian throne in 1762. The two putti on the lid support a shield bearing the count's monogram. Oval medallions have been painted with scenes of Flora, personifying spring, and Ceres, summer. Represented on the panels beneath the handles are Milon of Croton, a famous Greek athlete of the 6th century BC, and Hercules killing the Nemean lion. The vase demonstrates the 18th-century goldsmith's mastery of the techniques of casting, chasing, and chiseling. Gold in different colors and in both matte and burnished finishes has been used.