SILVER KOVSH BY PAVEL OVCHINNIKOV, EXECUTED AFTER DESIGNS BY SERGEI

A rare silver kovsh by the Moscow firm of Pavel Ovchinnikov, Purveyor to the Imperial Court, made at the turn of the 20th century in the Neo-Russian style. The artistic conception of the piece is associated with the ornamental designs of Sergei Ivanovich Vashkov, one of the most significant figures in Russian decorative art of the Art Nouveau period. The low rounded body, with a broad everted rim, is articulated by applied vertical ribs that lend the form a distinctly architectural character. A broad ornamental frieze encircles the body, composed of a rhythmically repeated geometric pattern combining lozenges, circles and stylised vegetal elements. The engraved ornament is accentuated with niello and enriched with red cabochon-cut stones set in smooth circular bezels. The interior of the kovsh is gilded. The flat, paddle-shaped handle continues the geometric structure of the object and terminates in an openwork circular medallion containing a stylised bird. The treatment of the ornament, the pronounced structural character of the form and the reference to motifs derived from the artistic heritage of medieval Rus` allow the decorative language of the object to be compared with designs by Sergei Vashkov published in Religious Art. A Collection of Works of Ecclesiastical and Secular Objects Executed by the Partnership of P. I. Olovyanishnikov`s Sons (Moscow). Hallmarks: The underside bears the firm`s mark P. OVCHINNIKOV beneath the Imperial double-headed eagle; the Moscow state assay mark for 84 zolotnik silver with a woman`s head in a kokoshnik; and the mark IL of Moscow assay inspector Ivan Sergeevich Lebedkin. Taken together, the hallmarks date the object to 1899–1908. Dimensions: Length 14.5 cm. Height 3.5 cm. Diameter 9 cm. Weight: 145 g. Condition: Good. Minor traces of natural use and localised tarnishing to the silver. The gilding to the interior is preserved. The decorative stone settings are preserved. Provenance: Private collection.

Estimate:£669.37

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