Jewelry Firms and Factories of Russia.

Pendant

2010-02-18T08:20:00.000-08:00

Pendant.Moscow,1899-1908.

Karl Faberge firm.

2009-12-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

2009-08-09T04:54:00.001-07:00

Brooch

2009-05-10T22:55:00.000-07:00

Brooch.
St.Petersburg,1899-1908
Clock.Russia1908-1917
Brooch.
St.Petersburg,late19th c.

Wine-bottle bowl.

2009-04-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Wine-bottle bowl.
Moscow,1907-1908.
Factory of Adrian Ivanov.

2009-03-19T14:20:00.001-07:00

Confectionary-dish.
St.Petersburg,1899-1908
Factory of Adrian Ivanov.

The same delicacy of graphic lines...

2009-03-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

The same delicacy of graphic lines is observed in jewelry produced at the outset of the 20th century.
Highly popular at the time were brooch-pendants that often combined vegetation elements with abstract motifs.
Such are the diamond brooch-pendants made at the St.
Petersburg factory of Alexander Lyubavin and the Faberge firm, and the elegant pendant produced in Moscow between 1908 and 1917 and decorated with aquamarines and deep-blue sapphires in the form of drops.
The achievements of the Art nouveau style along with the best features of eclecticism had their impact on Soviet art in the first post-revolutionary years and are continuing their creative development in our time.
They have remained a fine school of mastership for jewelry artists.

Vase.Moscov

2009-01-28T03:33:00.000-08:00

Vase.Moscov,1908-1917.
Fourth Artel

Vase.Moscow,1908-1917.

2009-01-04T01:50:00.000-08:00

Vase.Moscow,1908-1917.
Fourth Artel.

Such arabesques and stylized vegetation motifs embellish the silver wine-bottle bowl produced at the Moscow factory of Adrian Ivanov.

The light, graceful pattern is executed in a fine engraving technique and the lines are brought out by delicate niello work.

"Bratina" loving cup.

2008-12-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

Dipper.Moscow,1908-1917.
Workshop of Vasili Andreev
"Bratina" loving cup.Moscow,
1899-1908.Karl Faberge firm

Their expressiveness is enhanced by the fantastic twist of the beast's horns, serving as arms and ending in candle holders. Another attraction is the Art nouveau-sly\e confectionery-dish with a handle in the shape of a stem with berries — it was made in St. Petersburg between 1899 and 1908.
The abstract arabesque motif was exceedingly popular in the Art nouveau period.

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Pieces made at the outset of the 20th century ...

2008-12-10T00:47:00.000-08:00

Glass-holder.
Moscow,1908-1917.
Workshop of Mikhail Tarasov.

Pieces made at the outset of the 20th century are often ornamented with fantastic, folkloristic motifs.
Such are the weird sirin-birds depicted on the convex blades of the "bratina" loving cup made between 1899 and 1908 by the Moscow branch of the Faberge firm
, and the image of "Bog-atyrskaya Gate" on the glass-holder executed by Mikhail Tarasov, one of the best Moscow masters.
The quaint form of the handle ending in the head of a fantastic beast comprises elements of the neo-Russian and Art nouveau styles. The dynamic undulating lines are a characteristic feature of the latter and are used in the decor of the candlesticks pro-
duced by the Orest Kurlyukov firm.

Widely used in executing large pieces...

2008-12-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Vase.
St.Petersburg,1899-1908.
Workshop of N.G.Vladimirov
Glass-holder.
Moscow,1899-1908.
Workshop of Nikolai Zverev

Widely used in executing large pieces of artistic work was the combination of faceted crystal and silver .
Items of this kind were brought out by Moscow and St. Petersburg artels — associations of master-jewelers that emerged in competition with large factories and firms.
Moscow alone numbered short of 30 artels.
Between 1908 and 1917 one of these artels produced a cut-glass vase in a silver casing with handles in the shape of swans that had highly expressive and delicately-wrought contours.
The vase's austere form along with its decorative elements are a tribute to the neo-classical trend that was as popular at the time as the Art nouveau style.
In 1913—1914 the masters of another artel produced a massive cut-glass dipper with cast silver semi-figurines of a roaring bear and an archer aiming at the beast.
One cannot miss the remarkable cut of the glass and the finely-worked sculptural casting of this genre scene.
This is a characteristic example of the neo-Russian style of the early 20th century that developed along Art nouveau lines.

Service

2008-11-13T15:28:00.001-08:00

Service.Moscow,
1899-1908.
Factoryof Nikolai
Nemirov-KolodkinThe same technique was practiced by the masters of the Pavel Ovchin-nikovfirm, one of the biggest enterprises of this kind in the late 19th century.
Among the precious items displayed in the Kremlin museums there is a cup and saucer, their lacelike shells filled with a bright translucid enamel.
The cup's handle juts out on a horizontal plane in the manner of old-time wine-cups; the small size of the vessel also corresponds to that of its 16th—17th century counterparts.
In the second half of the 19th century there was a sharp rise in the production of enamel wares, also the result of the mounting interest in Old Russian applied arts, especially 17th-century pieces with their multicoloured ornamental decor.
There existed several techniques of ornamenting silver with enamels of the most diverse hues.
One observes a splendid specimen in the cup and saucer worked in the enamel technique on filigree by the Moscow firm of Yegor Samoshin. Filament-like silver wire has been soldered onto surface to produce a diversity of designs in the shape of herbs, flowers and trefoils filled in with pink, sky-blue, cherry, torquoise and lemon-coloured enamels.

The artists were often attracted by...

2008-11-06T10:15:00.001-08:00

Clock.St.Petersburg,1908-1917.
Karl Faberge firm,
MasterHenrik Wigstrem.

The artists were often attracted by zoomorphic motifs, devoting special attention to the elegant lines of swan wings, the fanciful colour pattern of butterflies, the subtle fragility of dragon-flies. Brooches and pendants made to represent different insects, birds and sea animals were decorated with semi-precious stones, gems, minuscule diamonds of special cut (so-called "roses") and multicoloured enamels.
The collections of the Kremlin museums boast a pendant-watch in the shape of a beetle covered with deep-blue enamel and studded with a spray of sparkling diamonds. Concealed under the beetle's wings is a minuscule dial.
The reverse of the pendant is also a model of subtle workmanship giving the exact picture of the beetle's underside with its legs folded.
No less interesting is the brooch in the shape of a stag-beetle cut from a large-sized almandine and a number of opals in St. Petersburg between 1899 and 1908.
The "beetle's" eyes are made of sapphires and its entire "body" is studded with tiny "roses".
Two brooches produced at the close of the 19th century resemble fluttering butterflies.
One is studded densely with turquoise, the other — with tiny pearls and gems.
There is an original brooch depicting and eagle perched on a bough.
The volumetric form and the combination of turquoise and pearl impart a highly decorative effect to this piece of jewelry.

Monkey

2008-10-28T04:40:00.000-07:00

Monkey.St.Petersburg,
late 19th-early 20th cc.
Karl Faberge firm.

Easter Egg

2008-10-21T12:42:00.001-07:00

Easter Egg.St.Petersburg,
1902.Karl Faberge firm,
Master Mikhail Perkhin.

Artists working in the Art nouveau style created decor of a new type where the goal was to achieve the integral fusion of form and design.
A peculiarity of this style was the broad use of floral motifs (which earned it the name of "floral" or "flourishing").
This led to the revival of vegetation symbols where priority belonged to the poppy as the symbol of sleep and oblivion, the thistle denoting evil, aquatic and marsh plants as erotic symbols, and the exotic orchids.
Afine example of decorative and applied arts of that period is the service made at the factory of Nikolai Nemi-rov-Kolodkin: its plastic relief decor in the shape of undulating aquatic flowers accounts for the form of the items which repeat the floral contours.
Characteristic of the/Arfnouveaustyle is the glass-holderfrom the workshop of Nikolai Zverev ornamented with flowers that seem to pierce through the thick surface of the metal, and the vase by the St. Petersburg master N. G. Vladimirov executed in the form of a bouquet of irises.
At the turn of the 20th century jewelry pieces resembling sprays of blossom, bouquets and bunches of grapes were the height of fashion. Light-coloured chrysolite and glowing red rubies conveying the succulent greenery of the foliage and flower petals were widely used for this work.

Pendant.Moscow,1899-1908.

2008-10-15T04:28:00.000-07:00

Pendant.Moscow,1899-1908.
Karl Faberge firm,
Master Julius Rappoport.

At the turn of the 20th century Faberge masters turned to the new, Art nouveau style.

One of them, Mikhail Perkhin, was the author of an Easter egg made of open-work clover blossoms and leaves filled in with translucent light-green enamel.

The extraordinary delicate item rests on a finely-wrought support of coloured gold.

The slender delicate contours of the stand and the peculiarities of its decor show the item to be a typical example of the Art nouveau style.

In tune with this style is the gold pendant with pink enamel by master Julius Rappoport.The Art nouveau style that received its Russian name from the French "moderne" meaning "newest".
"contemporary", emerged as a counterbalance to the eclecticism of the 19th century.

The problem of creating a single stylistic trend went hand in hand with that of achieving a synthesis of arts.

Architecture and paintings, works of sculpture and decorative and applied arts were contemplated as elements of a single ensemble contributing to a peculiar artistic environment that was to exert a direct influence on man's frame of mind.

Theorists of the Art nouveau style developed ideas of perfecting society through art and handled the practical tasks of introducing aesthetics into everyday life.

Female figurine.

2008-10-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

Female figurine.St.Petersburg,late 19th-early 20th cc.Karl Faberge firm.

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There is te he figurinof a clumsy...

2008-10-07T05:37:00.000-07:00

Hippopotamus.
St.Petersburg,1908-1917
Jewelry.

There is the figurine of a clumsy-looking hippopotamus cut in jade and those of a dog and piglets of rock crystal. A fish and a fly are beautifully executed in cornelian.

Quite often the masters combined several semiprecious stones in a single item. Such is the figurine of a woman in peasant dress and "kokoshnik" head-dress executed in brilliant Russian semi-precious stones which have been employed to the best advantage.

The collections of the Moscow Kremlin include items of daily use that are also the work of the famous Faberge firm: cigarette-cases of an austere shape with enamel decor, clocks ornamented with finely-wrought garlands influenced by the classical style — all the work of master Henrik Wigstrom.

Egg with model

2008-09-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

Egg with model of the yacht"Standart".

St.Petersburg,1909.

Karl Faberge firm,

Master Henrik Wigstrom.

The enterprise employed short of 200 people and its yearly turnover reached 300.000 roubles.

The factory was installed with up-to-date equipment and had its own art school where future masters were trained for the trade.

Items bearing the Khlebnikov trademark were sought both in Russia and abroad. The firm's masters wielded the most diverse metal-working technologies, among them the secret of window-pane enamel, called so for its translucence.

The enamel, amply suffused with water, was poured into the tiny cells of a silver lacelike cast for the future item. In the kiln the water would evaporate, the enamel fused with the metal and acquired translucid properties.

Multicoloured window-pane enamel with its stained glass lustre ornaments the convex petal-like sides of a confectionery-dish resembling a luxuriant blossom.

This form was often used in the 17th century and can be observed in the famous Chalice of Patriarch Nikon, also in the Armoury.

Flower "Pansies".

2008-09-03T00:25:00.000-07:00

Flower "Pansies". St. Petersburg,
1904. Karl Faberge firm,
Master Henrik Wigstrom .

Egg-globe. St. Petersburg, 1913.
Karl Faberge firm,
Master Henrik Wigstrom

Other Easter eggs of gold, silver, rock crystal and semi-precious stones contain no less remarkable surprises: gold models of the yacht "Standard" and the cruiser "Memory of the Azov" reproducing down to the minutest detail the vessels' rigging, a miniature model of the Alexandrovsky Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, and the gold model of the monument to Alexander III in St. Petersburg.

Unusually beautiful is the small-sized globe of blue steel: the deep blue colour of the metal has been used to lay out the seas and oceans, while the continents are executed in coloured gold.

Quite unusual is the secret of the flower "Pansies" by master Henrik Wigstrom, which is made of gold and ornamented with enamels of the most delicate hues.

A slight pressure on the button concealed among the leaves in the middle of the stem opens up the petals disclosing miniature portraits of the children of tsar Nicholas II painted by Vasili Zuyev.

The flower is inserted into a vase of rock crystal whose superb workmanship creates the full illusion of a vase being filled with water.

Among Faberge creations exceedingly popular were figurines of animals worked from semi-precious stones, which earned credit not only for their fine workmanship and high quality buffing but also for their remarkable likeness to the depicted animals and their habits: the agate monkey is shown at a moment of self-satisfied scratching, the bulldog of golden-coloured topaz proudly displays the medal on its collar.

Cup and Saucer.Confectionery-dish.

2008-07-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Cup and saucer.Moscow,late 19th-early 20th cc/
Factory of Pavel Ovchinnikov.

Confectionery-dish.Moscow,1908-1917.
Ivan Khlebnikov firm.

Apart from items produced on a mass scale there are many truly unique pieces, and these command the greatest interest.

The best part of the collection is the ten Easter eggs set up on special stands that were made on a commission from the Royal Court.

Each took nearly a year to make. Several items are installed whith subtle and complicated mechanisms.

In 1899 the firm's leading master Mikhail Per-khin produced a superb egg-clock coated with golden enamel and crowned with a bouquet of lilies executed from onyx and having diamond stamens.

On the egg there was a white enamel dial that rotated on a horizontal plane and an immobile hand that showed the time.

In 1904 the Faberge firm produced a model of the Moscow Kremlin: over the numerous towers mounted on a support loomed the massive gold dome of a stylized model of the Cathedral of the Assumption.

Through a window cut in the cathedral's wall one could see the interior painted on a glass plate. The entire arrangement was also a music box.Among the firm's most remarkable items is a mechanical toy train of gold and platinum executed by Mikhail Perkhin in 1900 to commemorate the completion of the railway mainline between Moscow and Vladivostok.

The model which is an exact replica of the first Trans-Siberian express consists of a locomotive with diamond headlights and a ruby lantern, and five gold carriages with windows of rock crystal and the inscriptions "For Ladies", "For Smokers", "For Non-Smokers" which can be discerned only through a magnifying glass.

The model fits into a massive silver egg, its central part engraved with the map of the Russian Empire and the route of the Great Siberian Railway Line.

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At the end of the 19th century it became ever more popular...

2008-06-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

Cup and sauser.
Moscow,1908-1917.
Master Yegor Samoshin

Inspired Silver
Tankard.St.Petersburg,
1882.Master F.E.Genriksen

At the end of the 19th century it became ever more popular to bring together elements of different styles in one and the same item. This was especially observed in the work of the famous Faberge firm. In 1880 Peter Karl Faberge, a connoisseur of Russian and West European art and a talented entrepreneur took over from his father and engaged the services of the most prominent jewelers of St. Petersburg: Mikhail Perkhin, Henrik Wigstrom and Erich Kollin.The Faberge masters employed the most diverse artistic techniques which enabled them to achieve an exceedingly vivid decorative effect. Their items are noted for their highly original ideas, virtuoso technique, a remarkable selection of materials and a most scrupulous treatment of detail. The firm's produce won great fame both in Russia and abroad and was honoured with numerous awards at different exhibitions. The high artistic merits of these items are confirmed by the continuing un-abating interest for their exclusive workmanship.The Kremlin museums' collections include many items bearing the Faberge trademark among them jewelry of gold and precious stones, clocks, cigarette-cases; vases, cups and figurines of people and animals chiselled from semi-precious stones; silverware and small-sized sculptures.

The design of big and small curlicues was often...

2008-06-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

The design of big and small curlicues was often enhanced with filigree thistle-buds and silver granulation.
In the second half of the 19th century a special branch of filigree applied art was concerned with the production of diminutive toy vehicles. Coaches, phaetons and carriages, often ornamented with semi-precious stones or stained glass, are noted for their original workmanship combining intricate openwork design with true-to-life execution down to the minutest parts. The silver toy motorcar, a tribute to the turbulent industrial progress of those times, commands particular interest. It was produced in St. Petersburg at the outset of the 20th century.
At the end of the 19th century it became the fashion to produce large-sized ceremonial dippers, beakers, "bratina" loving cups and cups that served as prizes and gifts to be presented on different occasions. Atypical example of such gift wares is the massive amethist-studded dipper by the St. Petersburg master N. M. Bobir, and the beaker by master Stefan Vekeva of the Faberge firm. The large cylinder-like beaker, with its slightly widened opening resembles its counterparts dating to the late 17th — early 18th centuries. This work, however, shows a distinctive mixture of styles. Thus the chubby foreshortened figurine of Cupid atop the lid pays tribute to the flamboyant rococo, while the chased ornament is a kind of counterbalance between the Old Russian and Byzantine patterns. The beaker's decor also comprises elements of the classical style — medallions with soldered-in 18th-century silver coins.

The trend testified both to the masters' virtuoso workmanship...

2008-05-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

Biscuit-dish.Moscow,1878.
Ivan Khlebnikov firm.

Tray.Moscow,1887
Factory of Pavel Ovchinnikov

The trend testified both to the masters' virtuoso workmanship and to technological progress. The market was invaded with silver inkstands in the form of round fur hats, salt-cellars resembling baskets and small barrels, teapots and milk-jugs topped by ornamental tassel-edged napkins where chasing produced a virtuoso imitation of soft textures.

Many of such items came from the Ivan Khlebnikov firm that had been operating up to 1867 in St. Petersburg and in 1870 was already functioning in Moscow. The enterprise employed short of 200 people and its yearly turnover reached 300.000 roubles.

The factory was installed with up-to-date equipment and had its own art school where future masters were trained for the trade. Items bearing the Khlebnikov trademark were sought both in Russia and abroad.

The firm's masters wielded the most diverse metal-working technologies, among them the secret of window-pane enamel, called so for its translucence. The enamel, amply suffused with water, was poured into the tiny cells of a silver lacelike cast for the future item.

In the kiln the water would evaporate, the enamel fused with the metal and acquired translucid properties.
Multicoloured window-pane enamel with its stained glass lustre ornaments the convex petal-like sides of a confectionery-dish resembling a luxuriant blossom. This form was often used in the 17th century and can be observed in the famous Chalice of Patriarch Nikon, also in the Armoury.

The same technique was practiced by the masters of the Pavel Ovchin-nikovfirm, one of the biggest enterprises of this kind in the late 19th century. Among the precious items displayed in the Kremlin museums there is a cup and saucer, their lacelike shells filled with a bright translucid enamel.

The cup's handle juts out on a horizontal plane in the manner of old-time wine-cups; the small size of the vessel also corresponds to that of its 16th—17th century counterparts.
In the second half of the 19th century there was a sharp rise in the production of enamel wares, also the result of the mounting interest in Old Russian applied arts, especially 17th-century pieces with their multicoloured ornamental decor.

There existed several techniques of ornamenting silver with enamels of the most diverse hues. One observes a splendid specimen in the cup and saucer worked in the enamel technique on filigree by the Moscow firm of Yegor Samoshin. Filament-like silver wire has been soldered onto surface to produce a diversity of designs in the shape of herbs, flowers and trefoils filled in with pink, sky-blue, cherry, torquoise and lemon-coloured enamels.

Imitation of Old Russian art was also expressed in the passion for old-time shapes of vessels—dippers, "bratina" loving cups and small wine-cups. But in distinction to old vessels their 19th-century counterparts were exceedingly small in size and were intended for use as salt-cellars, small drinking vessels and souvenirs.

Alongside enamel wares the second half of the 19th century witnessed the growing popularity of items made of fine silver wire worked in filigree technique. In the 1860s—1880s there appeared in Russia delicateopen-work confectionery-dishes, vases, cigarette-cases and caskets made to resemble old-time chests and trunks. They were all distinguished for their small size and delicate form.

Jewelry Sample

2008-05-14T03:45:00.000-07:00

Small sculptural figurines of silver brought great fame to the Sazikovs' firm.

2008-05-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

Beaker.St.Petersburg,1899-1908.
Karl Faberge firm,Master Stefan Vekeva.

Small sculptural figurines of silver brought great fame to the Sazikovs' firm. In 1852 it produced the sculptural group "Knight on Patrol" showing
a dismounted warrior in old Russian armour. The figure is a typical example of the revival of Russian historical themes that became popular in the mid-19th century along with the "new rococo" style. The conditional treatment of the warrior's image, the rather dry execution and naturallike specification of his weapons—all point to the sculptor's academic manner, where the technique prevails over the artistic merits. The "Knight on Patrol" is among the first models showing the quest for the "Russian style" in the art of that period.The upsurge of national consciousness in 19th-century Russia prompted the universal interest in national history and culture. This was also reflected in art and did not bypass the applied and decorative arts. Silversmiths turned to the forms and decor of old Russian art and even used old-time inscriptions as one of its elements. A massive tankard dating to 1882. the work of master F. E. Genriksen on a commission from Prince L. A. Lvov, depicts the edict of 1661 by Tsar Alexei Mikhailo-vich. The gilt letters were framed in a cartouche executed in the form of an unfurled scroll girdled by laurel and oaken boughs entwined by a ribbon with the following inscription: "Drink to the bottom in the Tsar's honour". The tankard is set with 24 silver coins and medals, among them old-time roubles with Emperors' portraits, medals chased to commemorate the Battle of Poltava and the siezure of Paris in 1814, and a symbol confirming the payment of "beard tax" dating to the times of Peter the Great. Two massive volutes supporting a cast figurine of a woman in Russian costume serve as the handle.Numerous items in the national romantic style were brought out by many of Moscow's jewelry factories and workshops. The factory of Vasili Sem-yonov founded in 1873 specialized chiefly in niello wares noted for their exclusive workmanship. Such is the service from the Armoury's collection with a decor of subtle pattern of intertwined grasses coupled with engravings of Moscow's architectural monuments. The ancient capital with its picturesque skyline, age-old temples and chambers, becomes a symbol of all that is purely Russian. And it is not by chance that views of Moscow are so frequently observed on items of porcelain, glass and silverware dating to the late 19th century.Items boasting niello technique were also manufactured by other jewelry firms and factories. One of them is the tray dating to 1887, the work of the Pavel Ovchinnikov firm, which is decorated with medallions depicting the Kremlin towers, St. Basil's Cathedral and the Grand Kremlin Palace girdled by a climbing herbal ornament reminiscent of that of the 16th—17th centuries. Not always, however, was the depicted architectural monument in tune with the character of the object. A case in point is the silver biscuit-dish produced in 1878 by the Ivan Khlebnikov firm in the form of a woven basket. The majestic view of the Grand Kremlin Palace and its towers is depicted on what is supposed to represent a crumpled napkin carelessly thrown over the biscuit-dish. The silver was made to look like bast and fine lace-edged cloth. The endeavour to convey the texture of wood, fur, birch-bark and a host of other materials in precious metals, springing up in the 1860s found a prominent place in the art of jewelry-making in the 1870s—1880s.

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In the mid-19th century jewelers in possession of small

2008-05-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Sauce-boat.Moscow,1854.
Factory of Ivan Gubkin.

Biscuit-dish.St.Petersburg,1855.The Sazikovs firm.

In the mid-19th century jewelers in possession of small workshops began to give way to merchant-dealers like Ivan Gubkin. Russian gold and silver crafts reorganized their work, introducing machines where manual labour had been previously employed. The commercial nature of the enterprises as well as the fusion of old and new technologies did not fail to affect the artistic merits of the new items. This in part explains the appearance of inexpressive objects that often lacked taste. Yet these eclectic articles made "to suit the tastes of every period" found their customers. The numerous souvenirs and utensils adorned the interiors of merchants' homes, aristocratic salons, and palace chambers. The interiors of the eclectic period were overburdened with objects that lacked a uniform style. Brightly-coloured oriental rugs could be discovered in rooms whose walls were painted in the "neo-Greek" style, Gothic-type glass services found themselves in the company of porcelain ornamented with luxuriant roses, ears of wheat and wild flowers. And all this coexisted side by side with lavishly-worked silver utensils, like the huge, effective biscuit-dish of virtuoso workmanship produced in 1855 in the form of a brilliant seashell that was gilded inside. Intricately worked lines and a flamboyant chased ornament in the form of curlicues, shells and flowers decorate a bouillotte(a teapot heated by an alcohol lamp)—the work of one of the country's biggest jewelry firms that provided for the needs of the royal court and was allowed to stamp its wares with the state coat of arms. It was founded by Pavel Sazikov and took its beginning from a workshop and shop which he opened in Moscow in 1810. Its work was continued by his heirs. His son Ignaty Sazikov opened a branch of the workshop in St. Petersburg and, as evidenced by documents, was honoured with a gold medal with the inscription "For fine service" for his "unquestionable services... and the zeal with which he maintained the honour of his firm which held precedence throughout Russia in the production of items of gold and silverware, earning fame not only inside the country but also beyond its borders." The firm's produce which was exhibited at national manufactory shows was marked with a small and large gold medals; Ignaty Sazikov received a First Grade Medal at the London exhibition of 1851.

In the mid-19th century the tradition of producing ...

2008-04-28T01:48:00.000-07:00

Milk-jug. St.Petersburg.1847.
Workshop of Karl Seipel.

Teapot.St.Petersburg,1843.
Master Adolf Shper.

In the mid-19th century the tradition of producing vessels resembling diverse fruit typical of the rococo period was revived. Such is the sauce-boat from Ivan Gubkin's factory in Moscow executed in the shape of a pumpkin resting on a magnificent leaf. The life-like impression is enhanced by a tiny cast bug that the master has imposed on the pumpkin.

Plan the Moscow Kremlin.

2008-04-23T01:38:00.000-07:00

The Moscow Kremlin is the country's largest museum ensemble.

It preserves unique monuments of Russian history and culture spanning eight centuries, such as the Cathedral of the Assumption, the Archangel Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Annunciation, the Church of the Deposition of the Robe, the Bell-tower of Ivan the Great with a Belfry, the Patriarch's Palace with the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles, the Faceted Hall, the Terem Palace, the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Armoury and the Arsenal.

Some of them have been turned into museums displaying masterpieces of early Russian monumental and easel painting and pieces of decorative and applied arts.

Apart from permanent exhibits, displays of specimens from the stocks of the Kremlin museums are, arranged in the Belfry.

The so-called "new rococo" which reached its peak in the 1840s— 1850s...

2008-04-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Bouillotte.Moscow,1849.
The Sazikovs firm.

Egg-clock.StPetersburg,1899.Karl Faberg firm,
Master Mikhail Perkhin.

The so-called "new rococo" which reached its peak in the 1840s— 1850s is represented in the Armoury by a large group of items that repeat the forms and ornamentation of 18th-century objects. These are milk-jugs, teapots and coffee pots, sauce-boats and biscuit-dishes decorated with chased relief and ribbon designs comprising stylized shells, convolutions and leaves along with imposed cast details in the form of buds, flowers and fruit. Such is the ornamented teapot, the work of the St. Petersburg master Adolf Shper, which boasts a decor of fan-shaped shells at the base, finished off by a luxuriant rose on the lid. From the St. Petersburg shop of Karl Seipel came the milk-jug with a handle in the form of a spray of blossom. Such decor was in splendid harmony withthe plastic form of the vessels. The same style is observed in the work of a toilette box from Karl Teghelsten's factory in St. Petersburg, showing a rare combination of materials—the semi-translucent, smoke-coloured jadeite and the silver filigree case in the form of a winding grape-vine with succulent clusters.All these items, like their mid-18th-century counterparts, are distinguished for their small size and unity of form and decor.

The so-called "new rosso" which reached its peak...

2008-04-18T02:28:00.000-07:00

Box.St.Petersburg,1852.Factory of Karl Teghelsten.

The so-called "new rococo" which reached its peak in the 1840s— 1850s is represented in the Armoury by a large group of items that repeat the forms and ornamentation of 18th-century objects. These are milk-jugs, teapots and coffee pots, sauce-boats and biscuit-dishes decorated with chased relief and ribbon designs comprising stylized shells, convolutions and leaves along with imposed cast details in the form of buds, flowers and fruit. Such is the ornamented teapot, the work of the St. Petersburg master Adolf Shper, which boasts a decor of fan-shaped shells at the base, finished off by a luxuriant rose on the lid. From the St. Petersburg shop of Karl Seipel came the milk-jug with a handle in the form of a spray of blossom. Such decor was in splendid harmony withthe plastic form of the vessels. The same style is observed in the work of a toilette box from Karl Teghelsten's factory in St. Petersburg, showing a rare combination of materials—the semi-translucent, smoke-coloured jadeite and the silver filigree case in the form of a winding grape-vine with succulent clusters.All these items, like their mid-18th-century counterparts, are distinguished for their small size and unity of form and decor.

Jewelry Firms and Factories of Russia.

2008-04-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

1840s-Early 20th Century.

Jewelry Firms and Factories of Russia.

Dipper.Moscow,1913-1914.Fourteenth Artel.

Russian jewelry-making of the mid-19th—early 20th centuries has inscribed a remarkable page in the history of decorative and applied arts.

The museums of the Moscow Kremlin have a large collection of works dating to that period, among them, ornaments, silverware and souvenirs of semi-precious stones.

Owing to contradictory opinions among specialists on jewelry art of that period many of the works were unjustly forgotten.

Only lately they have once again caught the attention of investigators.In the mid-19th—early 20th centuries jewelry-making in Russia was switching over to industrial lines.

Numerous workshops, factories and firms sprang up; they were often installed with up-to-date equipment and employed large numbers of masters and artists.

The produce of Russian jewelry factories and firms won fame far beyond the country's borders and was merited with numerous diplomas, medals and other awards at significant exhibitions abroad.

At the turn of the 1830s eclecticism (from the Greek "ek" and "lego"—to choose) which had stepped in for classicism (an austere and rational style based on ancient traditions) became widespread in Russia.

Its noteworthy feature was interest for the most diverse artistic styles: Gothic, Renaissance, and that of Oriental art.

The architects, painters and masters of decorative and applied arts adhering to the eclectic style seemed to invite their contemporaries on a visit to the distant past.

The streets were built with houses resembling Renaissance palaces, and temples and belfries executed in the Old Russian style; fairs, jeweler's shops and other premises where trade was conducted displayed wares that were made to look like their old-time counterparts.

In the late 1830s silversmiths continued to join motifs pertaining to different styles with elements of classicism.

Gradually, however, the lead was taken by the rococo style which had made its appearance in Russia as early as the mid-18th century.

This flamboyant style with its elaborate forms and diversified ornamentation was the complete antipode of the austere and restrained classicism.

Rococo's main ornamental element was the spiral shell, which often assumed the most fanciful forms, embellished with flowing ribbons, scrolls and naturalistic elaborations of floral motifs.