In 1891, Tsesarevich Nicholas, future Emperor Nicholas II, made his only trip to Asia during which he visited Hankou in China. The city was the centre of Chinese tea exports at the time and Russian companies executed almost half of these, specialising in the production of ‘brick tea’ after which the form of the present lot is fashioned. On the trip, Tsesarevich Nicholas attended the 25th anniversary of the presence of Russian tea companies in Hankou.

To mark the occasion, he presented a small number of pendant lockets, commemorating a celebration. The present locket was received by Vasilii Mikhailovich Kuznetsov who was the managing director of the Russian tea company ‘Molchanov, Pechatnov & Cie.’ and the only Russian member of the chamber of commerce in Hankou.

Although ‘N.Sh.’ is an unrecorded maker, the initials are often found together with marks for Pavel Ovchinnikov. A comparable locket that had been presented to His Imperial Highness Prince George of Greece was sold at Christie’s, Geneva, 15 November 1989, lot 103, and was in a fitted Ovchinnikov case.