kolkata christies is honored to present for sale magnificent silver with a russian imperial provenance these pieces include a superb souptureen on stand and a set of four massive candlesticks from the orloff service which represents a crucial milestone in the history of french silver they will be the highlight of the le gout francais sale to be held on 8 november 2013 commissioned in 1770 by empress catherine ii of russia from the finest parisian silversmith of the time jacques roettiers 17071784 and his son jacquesnicolas roettiers 17361788 the service comprised more than 3000 pieces it is one of the earliest expressions of the neoclassical style in silver items from this this legendary service have occasionally appeared at auction however it has been more than 20 years since such a significant group has been presented to the international market marine de cenival senior specialist silver department christies is pleased to unveil the previously unpublished collection featuring the finest french silversmiths of the late 18th century this is the first time that we have presented such a prestigious group of silver in paris a group which displays the talents of the silversmiths roettiers auguste delanois mongenot and charles spriman this sale promises to be a major event for those who appreciate and admire the finest french silver the service was originally commissioned by empress catherine the great for her personal use however she later offered it as a gift to her lover count orloff 17341783 orloff had played a pivotal role in the plot to depose catherines husband emperor peter iii in 1762 on the death of the count some twenty years later she repurchased the service from the counts heirs and it remained in the imperial collection until the sales held by the soviet government in 1930s much of the service was acquired by the leading dealers of the day including jacques helft with many pieces finding their way into the greatest collections of the time such as those formed by the rothschild camondo and ortizpatino families pieces from the orloff service can also be found in the collections of themetropolitan museum new york the hermitage in st petersburg and the louvre in paris