Circa 1870, unmarked, almost certainly by the Imperial Glass Factory, St. Petersburg
A very rare glass wine decanter and two cups from the service made for Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna daughter of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.
All three pieces are finely engraved with conjoined cipher of Maria Nikolaevna (1819-1876) and her husband Maximilian de Beauharnais Duke of Leuchtenberg (grandson of Napoleon’s first wife, the Empress Josephine): interlaced M and H (for Maria) with Cyrillic letter ‘ Л ‘ in center for Leuchtenberg, beneath Russian Imperial crown.
Height of the decanter with stopper 12 in. (30.5 cm)
Height of the cups 3 1/2 in. (8.7 cm)
Condition: some tiny chips to the rim of the decanter and bottom of the stopper, otherwise excellent
