Eastern Europe, Russia, ca. late 19th century CE. An incredible set of six matched filigree-shaded cloisonne enamel gilt silver spoons, each with the back of the bowl decorated with a motif of a budding flower. The handles have cloisonne flowers in bloom on both flattened sides; the rest of the spoons are bright gilt with twisted handles. The enamel features amazing bright colors - red, navy blue, cerulean, cornflower blue, pink, green, cream… with some areas of shading on the flower petals. Size: 6.15" L x 1.05" W (15.6 cm x 2.7 cm)
Each is stamped on the back of the neck with the assay mark "84", which indicates either a St Petersburg or a Finnish origin (Finland was part of Russia from 1810 to 1917).
From the mid-19th century to the early 20th, Russian art of all kinds experienced a renaissance that is known as the Silver Age. Russian artisans were inspired by the Gothic, the Moresque, chinoiserie, the Baroque, the Rococo… all ornate styles replete with scrolling vines and flourishing arches. They combined this with the bright colors and rich ornament of Old Russian applied art to create a unique style of which silver items like these spoons are some of the most enduring.
Silverware was produced mainly in St Petersburg (which had more western European influence and therefore a more European style) and Moscow (where a more pure Old Russian-inspired style came from), but other cities like Kiev, Odessa, and even places as far afield as Archangelsk had silversmiths creating beautiful objects of art. The industry grew quickly, aided by art exhibitions held from the mid-1850s onward and the public excitedly snapped up the beautiful objects they produced. An exhibition in London in 1851 showcasing silver made in Moscow introduced the Old Russian style to western Europe and the renown of Russian silversmiths increased, with firms like Ovchinnikov, Kurlyukov, the Grachev Brothers, and Faberge attaining national and international renown.
Provenance: ex-collection of James Farmer, Maryland, USA, collected from major galleries and auction houses between 1995 and 2005
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#120554
Condition
Three spoons are in perfect condition; one has light stain to side of bowl; the other two have slight bends to the narrow, center part of their handles.