Pavel OVCHINNIKOV (1830–1888)
Vermeil silver sugar bowl (84 zolotniks gilt silver) of bulbous form with an articulated movable handle, with chased relief decoration in a Japonist style of a vegetal motif of ferns, foliage and a small insect.
Moscow, Imperial Russia, 1893.
Hallmarks: Double-headed eagle (Supplier to the Imperial Court), Silversmith P. OVCHINNIKOV (Pavel Ovchinnikov), 84 zolotniks standard, Moscow city mark (Saint George turned to the left), Assay master, 1893 (Lev Oleks).
H 6 cm – W 9 cm (Weight: 220 g)
Very good condition.
Official supplier to the Imperial Court of Russia from 1872, the Pavel Ovchinnikov house ranks among the most prestigious Moscow silversmithing workshops. In the late 19th century, influenced by the Art Nouveau movement and the Japonism then in vogue throughout Europe, the manufactory created pieces with refined lines adorned with highly subtle naturalist details. This type of sugar bowl with a removable handle, combining vermeil work and botanical motifs of Oriental inspiration, illustrates the technical perfection and elegance of prestige productions intended for the Russian aristocratic elite.
Our vermeil silver sugar bowl by Pavel Ovchinnikov, part of the remarkable output of 19th-century Russian imperial silverware, testifies to the virtuosity of Moscow’s master gilders and chasers, combining the balance of its form with the delicacy of its Japonist decoration.
