Travelling secretaire
Russia
Second quarter of the 19th century
Mahogany, metal inlay
11,5 х 35,5 х 29 cm
Showcase 8
Belonged to E.P.Naryshkina.
Elizaveta Petrovna Naryshkina (1801–1867), daughter of General of the Infantery P.P.Konovnitsyn, hero of the 1812 Patriotic War; wife of colonel Mikhail Mikhailovich Naryshkin (1798–1863), convicted “in the case of December 14” and sentenced to 8 years of penal servitude. Among the other eleven Decembrist wives she voluntarily followed her husband to exile-to-settlement. According to family legend, this travelling secretaire was with Naryshkina all her time in Siberia.
A metal-inlaid travelling secretaire, decorated inside with mahogany, was used as a case for keeping items necessary for travelling. At the same time, with the top open, it could be a writing-desk.
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