Lot 0117
Figurine of a French Sphinx by M. Ovchinnikov
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Figurine of a French Sphinx by M. Ovchinnikov
. Silver, casting, chasing, white material, jasper. Makers mark of M. Ovchinnikov with the Imperial warrant. Petersburg, 1908-1917.
The sphinx is shown in the traditional pose of a reclining lion with a female head. The face and neck are carved from ivory, with the hair tied back with a ribbon. The body, enveloped in drapery, is cast in silver, with finely detailed folds and leonine paws. The figure rests on a rectangular jasper (?) base.
The revived Mannerist sphinx of the late 15th century is sometimes thought of as the “French sphinx”. Her coiffed head is erect and she has the breasts of a young woman. The motif of women sphinx during Art Deco period can also be connected to the motif of the “femme fatale” figure in decorative art in which a typically female-like figure or beast seduces men. This could be a depiction of either Madame Pompadour or Madame DuBarry, who were both mistresses to Louis XV, and often had their likenesses depicted atop the robed body of a sphinx.
The use of the chryselephantine technique — a combination of precious metal and ivory — has its origins in antiquity and enjoyed renewed popularity in European decorative arts during the Art Deco period.
Mikhail Pavlovich Ovchinnikov (1855–1915)
Son of the firm’s founder, Pavel Akimovich Ovchinnikov. Supplier to the Imperial Court, and patron of the arts. Co-founder and member of the Council of the Imperial Stroganov School. After his father’s death in 1888, he continued the family business, becoming head of the trading house and director of the firm’s St. Petersburg branch.
In 1902 he supported the establishment of an enamel workshop at the Stroganov School, followed in 1909 by a jewelry workshop. He provided financial donations for the Whole Russian Design Competition of decorative arts and revived the jewelry school at the factory originally founded by P.A. Ovchinnikov.
Dimensions: 14 x 17,8 x 7,5 cm. Total weight: 1106,2 g.
Starting price: 5000€
Estimate: 6000-8000€
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Evgeny Alexandrovich Lanceray (1848–1886)
Born in Morshansk, Tambov province, into a French family that had settled in Russia, Lanceray was the son of a railway engineer. He studied law at St. Petersburg University but received no formal artistic training, instead learning sculpture independently and working from life. He visited workshops of established sculptors, including Nikolai Liberich, and undertook study trips to Paris in 1867 and 1876, where he studied bronze casting and became acquainted with European art.Lanceray traveled widely across Russia, Ukraine, the Caucasus, the Crimea, Bashkiria, and Kyrgyz lands, and in 1883 visited Algeria. His wax models, later cast in bronze, gained great popularity. Many of his works carried strong national, historical, or ethnographic character, and he also created pieces devoted to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. In addition, he designed table services and desk sets.
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A master of narrative plastic miniatures, Lanceray brought international recognition to Russian sculpture. His works were shown at the World’s Fairs in London (1872), Vienna (1873), Paris (1873), Antwerp (1885), and other cities. His bronzes were cast at all major Russian foundries and by private firms such as Chopin, Stange, Moran, and Berto, as well as at Ural ironworks. Today his works are preserved in the State Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, and other major collections. Karl Berto (Charles Auguste Bertault) Foundry. Studied under Barbedienne, Paris.
Period: 1889 – 1903.
In 1889 – 1890 the products were marked as Chopin & Berto.
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