Soviet Rocket sculpture, 1970 Aluminium, silver painted inscribed with Cyrillic initials 'A.M.I' and dated '70' on base height: 290 cm (114 3/16 in). Footnotes: Provenance Acquired by Dr Frank Malina, an American aeronautical engineer and painter Thence by descent Alexei Isayev (1908-1971) was a rocket engine designer who contributed and managed the Soviet Space Program partnered with Soviet Chief Designer Sergei Korolev. Specialising in small-scale, liquid-fuelled rocket engines, Isayev designed newest missiles (R-11) the Scud which are still in use today. In 1954 he designed the engines for the Surface to Air Missiles and the Burya booster rocket and in 1961, the retrofire TDU engine, powered the first spacecraft (the Vostok). This engine sent the first astronauts into space and the Zenit satellites. In 1966 his team produced the KTDU-35 engine which was used for the unmanned probes to the Moon for a decade, the larger engines were used for Soyuz and Salyut spacecraft as well as in the Mir space station, from 1971 to 1999. The modified version of this engine is still used to this day. Once retired, Isayev built and designed artifacts and furniture for his friends, as the present lot. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * * VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com