Gold box engraving

This one looks like it says something slightly different but that would rhyme?



Or is the first letter of the last word just written in a different script?

 

I wonder if someone modified or attempted to modify the script on the differing corner.... surely makes sense that it’s an amalgamation being as it was such a multicultural area

 

This is all ivory & described as Japanese, but shape/construction very similar:

http://en.51bidlive.com/PreView/PreViewDetails/1276689

 

.....and lions cut from a larger carving and clad in a rather rustic manner you guys are amazing!! Truly

 

is yours 10 cm wide..?

 

Sorry, I have a feeling that we look at different boxes...
It is Б (B) and not Ф (F), and к (k) not н (n).

 

Thanks, I see you did much research on the topic! Very nice cameo

 

With Fig's help we got the inscription worked out & were able to do some biographical research, because he was very prominent in his day. Then I leaned on a friend to see if he could provide a contact at the Hermitage. Woman he knew does not work in the field of modern engraved gems, but took great interest in this one, to my everlasting gratitude. She finally did something I did not have the nerve to do & brought it to the attention of Julia Kagan, the grande dame in the field. Although the Russian court took up engraved gems with as much passion as their relatives in Europe, according to Dr. Kagan, their domestic production of gems is not well documented, so the emergence of this rather unprepossessing piece was exciting for her. This is from a brief entry on Dobrokhotov:

He executed a large number of gems, including, Portrait of Alexander I (1815), Mercury Bringing the Golden Apple to Paris, portraits of A. V. Suvorov, A. N. Olenin, Nicholas I and many others.

The Suvorov cameo is still known; the Olenin is/was lost. Who knew it had gone to Hawaii?

 

It is the same word, different writing of the letter, even the same person could write it differently

 

Wonderfull story! Great that you managed to reach out to the Hermitage

 

If we are still talking about the last word, the one for "friend" -- the first letter is equivavlent to a "d" in the Latin/ Roman alphabet used by English speakers. When I took Russian classes I learned that when written in script the lower-case "d" often can look the same as a lower-case "g" would look in English script writing. -- In fact, somewhat strangely, I sometimes used to accidentally make my English-language lower-case d's look like g's when writing in English during and after the years I studied Russian. So, there were occasional mistakes to correct!

@April07 I know you are aware of this. I am just writing to explain to others.

 

Love the engraved work on Ivory.