24 - Large natural magnetite stone with a blued steel and brass setting. The quadrangular magnetite block is set within a steel frame extended by two triangular prisms forming the poles. The assembly is set within an octagonal, beveled brass openwork case, adorned with a design of foliage and palm leaves surrounding a female mascaron, flanked by heraldic bears and trophies of arms. The upper part of the mount features a hinged, scalloped handle; two lions lying on the shoulder hold in their mouths small chains joined by a horizontal rod topped by a curved handle ending in a ring. The side of the mount bears the engraved inscriptions “КА: ВЕ: 8: фу 70: 30” (“The stone weighs 8 pounds 70 zolotnik,” or 3,575 grams) and “ПО: ВЕ: 20 : фу” (“Lifts a weight of 20 pounds,” or 8,191 grams).

Large natural magnetite stone with a blued steel and brass setting. The quadrangular magnetite block is set within a steel frame extended by two triangular prisms forming the poles. The assembly is set within an octagonal, beveled brass openwork case, adorned with a design of foliage and palm leaves surrounding a female mascaron, flanked by heraldic bears and trophies of arms. The upper part of the mount features a hinged, scalloped handle; two lions lying on the shoulder hold in their mouths small chains joined by a horizontal rod topped by a curved handle ending in a ring. The side of the mount bears the engraved inscriptions “КА: ВЕ: 8: фу 70: 30” (“The stone weighs 8 pounds 70 zolotnik,” or 3,575 grams) and “ПО: ВЕ: 20 : фу” (“Lifts a weight of 20 pounds,” or 8,191 grams). Russia, Urals, late 17th or early 18th century Height of the stone: 13.7 cm - Length: 16.4 cm Total height: 50.5 cm Presented at the Exhibition of Antique Instruments and Tools at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, April–May 1936 (No. 450), this object is a valuable example of the production of ceremonial magnets intended to adorn scientific collections and cabinets of curiosities. The technique of casting and cutting brass, characteristic of Russian artisans from the Ural region, exhibits a clean, austere style that still evokes European models from the 16th and 17th centuries. The weapon trophies and bear standards, for their part, may allude to the works of the Demidoff family: a line of industrialists originally from Tula who owned large mining estates and, by the mid-18th century, operated twenty-five foundries in the Urals and Siberia. Ennobled in 1720 by Peter the Great in the person of Nikita Demidoff (1656–1725), whom the Tsar had entrusted with the manufacture of halberds and rifles for his army, this family owned, among other assets, iron and magnetite mines near Nizhny Tagil and copper deposits in Nevyansk—all minerals essential for the production of magnets. The inventory of Akinfi Demidov’s (1678–1745) lists seventy-six of them, two of which are now preserved at the Ural Mining Local History Museum and one at the Nizhny Tagil State Technical University. Smaller pieces are also on display at the Moscow Historical Museum, the Hermitage Museum, the Louvre, the Royal Museum in Greenwich, and in the collections of the École Polytechnique. In addition to its remarkable decoration, our magnet stands out for its large size, for which there are few known equivalents, except for one specimen held at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (inv. 04208-0001). Provenance: likely from the collection of Akinfi Demidoff (1678–1745), then passed down through the family. Reference: Exhibition of Instruments and Tools of Yesteryear, March–April 1936, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre – Pavillon de Marsan, Paris, 1936, no. 450.