Lot 0154
Russian Art Nouveau Silver and Porcelain Salt Cellar in the Form of a Throne, Moscow, 1908–1917
Estimate: 2500-3500€
A Russian Art Nouveau Silver and Porcelain Salt Cellar in the Form of a Throne
Moscow, firm of Nemirov-Kolodkin,made by the 3rd Moscow Artel, 1908-1917.
Silver, porcelain, polychrome glaze; casting, chasing, repoussé, engraving, moulding, glazing.
Dimensions: 13 × 11 × 11.5 cm.
Marks: retailer’s mark of Nemirov-Kolodkin; mark of the 3rd Moscow Artel; Moscow assay mark; 84 zolotniki silver standard.
A rare Russian Art Nouveau salt cellar designed in the form of a traditional russian throne “sthool”. The body is made of richly glazed porcelain, with deep cobalt-blue borders and brightly coloured geometric ornament in green, yellow, red and pale blue. The architectural structure, with raised back, side supports and stylised panels, evokes a miniature princely seat or a fairy-tale terem throne.
The hinged silver cover is decorated in relief with a proud cockerel standing among engraved spiral ornament. The bird, rendered with finely chased plumage and a high tail, introduces a distinctly Russian folkloric note.
The firm of Nemirov-Kolodkin was one of the important Moscow suppliers of silver objects in the late Imperial period. Its founder, Nikolai Vasilievich Nemirov-Kolodkin (1819-1886), a merchant of the first guild, jeweller and philanthropist, established a successful firm that continued after his death under his relatives and successors. From 1876 the firm supplied silver tableware for the Imperial kitchen, selecting individual workshops and artels according to the level and nature of each commission.
The object was executed by the 3rd Moscow Artel, whose mark appears on the silver element. The artel form of production emerged in Moscow silverwork in the early twentieth century and is closely connected with the flourishing of the Art Nouveau style. The 3rd Moscow Artel is known for highly accomplished works, including pieces retailed by leading firms and connected with the circle of craftsmen who had worked for or supplied Fabergé, Ovchinnikov, Khlebnikov and other major houses.
Starting price: 2000€
Estimate: 2500-3500€
Hammer Price: €
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Lot 0153
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Estimate: 6000-8000€
Lot 0153
Russian Silver and Porcelain Caviar Bowl for the Eliseev Brothers Trading Firm, Moscow, Late 19th–Early 20th Century
Estimate: 6000-8000€A Silver and Porcelain Caviar Bowl dedicated to Moscow branch of “Eliseev Brothers” trading firm
Moscow, workshop of Matvei Mikhailovich Lombardo, late 19th – early 20th century.
Silver, porcelain; casting, chasing, engraving, lithograph painting on porcelain.
Dimensions: 7 × 12 × 12 cm.
Total weight: 494 g.
Marks: maker’s mark of “ФС” and M. Lombardo as trade firm; Moscow assay mark; 84 zolotniki silver standard.
The caviar bowl is formed as a circular porcelain container with a silver lid, surmounted by a naturalistically modelled figure of a sturgeon. The white porcelain body is decorated with printed inscriptions of the trading partnership “Eliseev Brothers” and the Russian Imperial double-headed eagle. The body bears the inscription: “Торговое товарищество Братья Елисъевы, Московское отделение” — “Trading Partnership Eliseev Brothers, Moscow Branch.”
The silver lid is conceived as both a decorative and advertising emblem. Around the rim is engraved the inscription “Trading House ‘Eliseev Brothers’,” while the centre is applied with a sculptural sturgeon curled into a ring. The fish is finely rendered, with chased details of the dorsal scutes, elongated head, fins and tail. T==
Matvei Mikhailovich Lombardo was one of the well-known Moscow silversmiths of the late Imperial period. Active from the 1880s until 1917, he owned both a workshop and a jewellery shop on Kuznetsky Most in Moscow.
The trading house Eliseev Brothers was among the most celebrated gastronomic enterprises of the Russian Empire. Its shops in St Petersburg and Moscow were not merely commercial premises, but splendid urban showcases of refined taste and modern retail culture. The famous St Petersburg store on Nevsky Prospect, opened in 1902, became one of the architectural and social landmarks of the city, while the Moscow branch on Tverskaya continued the same tradition of theatrical and luxurious presentation.Starting price: 5000€
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Lot 0156
Russian Silver-Gilt and Cloisonné Enamel Beaker Set in Case (2 pcs), Moscow, 1908–1917
Estimate: 12000-15000€
Lot 0156
Russian Silver-Gilt and Cloisonné Enamel Beaker Set in Case (2 pcs), Moscow, 1908–1917
Estimate: 12000-15000€A rare Russian silver-gilt and cloisonné enamel beaker set, in the original fitted case.
Moscow, Third Moscow Artel, retailed by the firm of N. V. Nemirov-Kolodkin, 1908-1917.
Silver, gilding, cloisonné enamel; repoussé, filigree, enamelling, gilding.
Height of each beaker: 7.5 cm.
Total silver weight: 282.6 g.
Marks: maker’s mark of the Third Moscow Artel, “3МА”; Moscow assay mark with 88 zolotnik silver standard; retailer’s mark “Немировъ-Колодкинъ”.
Case: original fitted wooden case, the interior stamped in Cyrillic: “Фабрика и магазинъ Товарищества Н. В. Немирова-Колодкина въ Москвѣ”.
A pair of cylindrical silver-gilt beakers, richly decorated in polychrome cloisonné enamel and holds in the original fitted presentation case.
The principal reserve is made by a stylised sunrise over rolling hills, its radiating rays rendered in red, cream, pale blue and amber enamel. The reverse side is decorated with a poetic naturalistic scene: a white bird standing among flowering branches and broad green leaves, with a small frog below. The composition combines the ornamental language of the neo-Russian style with the decorative refinement of Moscow Art Nouveau. The upper and lower borders are formed by repeated scalloped and arched enamel motifs in white, red, turquoise and dark blue, creating a rhythmic frame around the central scenes.
The set was produced by the Third Moscow Artel, one of the most accomplished Moscow silver workshops of the late Imperial period. Artel production occupied a significant place in Russian decorative art of the early twentieth century, particularly in the field of enamelled silver. Many such workshops were connected with the same professional milieu that supplied or had previously worked for the great Moscow and St Petersburg firms, including Fabergé, Ovchinnikov and Khlebnikov.
The retailer, N. V. Nemirov-Kolodkin, belonged to the important circle of Moscow suppliers of silver and luxury objects. Founded by Nikolai Vasilievich Nemirov-Kolodkin, merchant, jeweller and philanthropist, the firm became known for high-quality silver tableware and presentation pieces. From the late nineteenth century it supplied silver objects for the Imperial household, commissioning work from selected Moscow workshops and artels according to the character of each order.Starting price: 10000€
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Lot 0155
Russian Fabergé Jewelled Silver-Mounted Ceramic Kovsh, Moscow, 1908–1917
Estimate: 9000-12000€
Lot 0155
Russian Fabergé Jewelled Silver-Mounted Ceramic Kovsh, Moscow, 1908–1917
Estimate: 9000-12000€A Rare Fabergé Jewelled Silver-Mounted Ceramic Kovsh
Moscow, firm of Karl Fabergé, ceramic body attributed to the Imperial Stroganov School, 1908-1917.
Ceramic, silver, cabochon stones; moulding, glazing, casting, chasing, repoussé, stone setting.
Dimensions: 5.4 × 14.2 × 9 cm.
Marks: firm mark К. ФАБЕРЖЕ beneath the Imperial warrant; Moscow assay mark; 84 zolotniki silver standard.
A rare kovsh of rounded bowl form with a broad flat handle, combining a dark glazed ceramic body with a richly worked silver mount. Around the upper register runs an applied silver band with dense relief ornament of scrolling tendrils, stylised geometric motifs and small cabochon stones, including green and red accents. The handle continues the same ornamental language, with raised silver scrolls and inset green cabochons.
The form refers to the traditional Russian kovsh, a ceremonial drinking vessel deeply associated with Muscovite court culture and national decorative idioms. Here, however, the type is reinterpreted through the artistic language of the early twentieth century: heavy ceramic mass, dark glaze, abstracted ornament and jewelled silver mounts create an object that belongs equally to the world of historical revival and Russian Art Nouveau.
The ceramic body associated with the production of the Imperial Stroganov School, whose workshops played an important role in the renewal of Russian applied arts around 1900. Such ceramic objects were sometimes mounted in silver by leading Moscow workshops, among them the firm of Fabergé.
The Moscow branch of Fabergé differed from the St Petersburg establishment in its stronger engagement with Russian national style and silver production. This was partly due to Moscow’s long-standing position as a centre of silversmithing and decorative metalwork. The firm employed and collaborated with artists and craftsmen connected with the Stroganov School, whose training combined drawing, modelling, metalwork, enamel and practical workshop experience. Students and teachers of the school worked with major Moscow firms, and the influence of the Stroganov artistic environment is clearly felt in the national-romantic and ornamental character of many Fabergé Moscow objects.
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Lot 0152
A Russian Enamelled Copper Bowl Usolye (Solvychegodsk), 18th century
Estimate: 8000-12000€
Lot 0152
A Russian Enamelled Copper Bowl Usolye (Solvychegodsk), 18th century
Estimate: 8000-12000€A Russian Enamelled Copper Bowl
Usolye (Solvychegodsk), 18th century
Dimensions: 2.5 х 10 х 10 cm.Painted in vibrant polychrome enamel with a central medallion depicting a dancing figure among tulips and foliage, the interior framed by scrolling floral ornament on a white ground. The exterior is richly decorated with floral motifs in circular reserves against a deep cobalt-blue background.
This bowl exemplifies the artistic excellence of the Usolye (Solvychegodsk) enamelling tradition of northern Russia, which flourished in the seventeenth century under the patronage of the Stroganov family. Originating from workshops established by Novgorod craftsmen in the mid-sixteenth century, the Usolye style is distinguished by its vivid palette, strong contour lines, and decorative rhythm derived from folk and wooden carving traditions.
By the second half of the seventeenth century, Usolye masters perfected the technique of painted enamel on copper, covering entire surfaces with colorful floral designs, birds, and narrative scenes. The favorite motifs included tulips, sunflowers, and whimsical figures inspired by both Russian folklore and Western engravings.
Comparable examples of Usolye enamelled wares are preserved in the State Historical Museum, Moscow, and the Armoury Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin.
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