Lot 0186
Pair of Russian Commemorative Silver Goblets with Views of Moscow and St Petersburg, Y. Rabinovich, Vilnius, 1896
Estimate: 12000-15000€
Pair of Russian commemorative goblets with views of Moscow and St Petersburg
Wilna (Vilnius) , workshop of Y. Rabinovich, 1896
Silver, gilding, guiloche enamel; casting, chasing, engraving.
Marked: maker’s mark “Ю. РАБИНОВИЧЬ”; 84 standard silver mark; assay mark. Total weight: 1182 g. Height: 26,5 cm. Diameter: 12,8 cm.
A striking pair of commemorative silver goblets modeled in the Pseudo-Russian style, their forms combining late nineteenth-century historicism with motifs drawn from the ornamental vocabulary of seventeenth-century Russian silverwork. Each goblet is raised on a broad lobed foot and a slender stem enriched with openwork foliate ornament, while the lower body is articulated by bulbous gadroons recalling the plastic, spoon-like chased decoration characteristic of old Russian ceremonial plate (potirs).
The principal decorative field of each vessel is occupied by finely chased panoramic city views. One goblet is dedicated to Moscow, the other to St Petersburg, as indicated by the engraved inscriptions (in German) on the foot rims and by the applied enamelled shields bearing the respective civic emblems. The relief views are rendered with notable topographical clarity, translating urban silhouettes and monumental architecture into a continuous frieze encircling the cups. These commemorative images are paired with scrolling ornamental frames and stylised floral details that reinforce the historicising character of the design. The pair also belongs to a broader and important tradition of Jewish silversmithing in Eastern Europe. Writing on Jewish jewellers of the region, the Ukrainian art historian Pavlo Zholtovsky noted that their works were distinguished by delicacy, elegance, and, above all, harmony of form and ornament. That observation is especially apt here. Jewish masters across the lands of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were celebrated for their command of chasing, filigree, and engraving, producing both secular luxury objects and ritual silver. Often working outside the formal guild structure, they preserved workshop practices marked by technical finesse and ornamental sensitivity. In this context, the work of Rabinovich stands within a long and distinguished lineage of Jewish metalworkers active in Vilna and throughout Eastern Europe.
These goblets are therefore significant not only as examples of late Imperial commemorative silver, but also as works that embody several intersecting histories: the Russian national revival in the decorative arts, the representation of the empire’s two capitals, and the enduring contribution of Jewish silversmiths to the artistic culture of Eastern Europe.
Starting price: 10000€
Estimate: 12000-15000€
Hammer Price: €
Related Lots
-
Lot 0185
Fabergé Silver Neoclassical Vase, Moscow, 1899–1908
Estimate: 3500-4500€
Lot 0185
Fabergé Silver Neoclassical Vase, Moscow, 1899–1908
Estimate: 3500-4500€A Fabergé Silver Neoclassical Vase
Moscow, firm of Karl Fabergé, 1899-1908.
Silver, gilding; casting, chasing, engraving.
Dimensions: 13 × 11.5 cm.
Total weight: 328 g.
Marks: firm mark К. ФАБЕРЖЕ beneath the Imperial warrant; Moscow assay mark; 84 zolotniki silver standard.
A refined Fabergé silver vase in the Neoclassical taste, formed as a shallow circular bowl raised on an architectural tripod support. The plain, gently rounded upper bowl has a softly gilded interior and is bordered by a fine beaded rim. Its restrained surface contrasts with the elaborately worked stem and base, where curved supports are enriched with laurel garlands, palmettes, Greek-key ornament and delicate engraved foliage.
The three supports terminate in lion-paw feet, a classical motif that gives the object a ceremonial and sculptural presence.
The Moscow branch of Fabergé was especially renowned for silver objects, tableware and decorative works in historical and national styles. Unlike the more discreet St Petersburg establishment, the Moscow branch responded to the taste of a wealthy merchant and cosmopolitan clientele, producing objects that combined technical refinement with visual richness. By the turn of the century, Fabergé’s Moscow factory had become one of the largest jewellery and silver workshops in the Russian Empire.Starting price: 3000€
Estimate: 3500-4500€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0187
Fabergé Rare Silver Kovsh in Historicist Style, Moscow, 1898–1908
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Lot 0187
Fabergé Rare Silver Kovsh in Historicist Style, Moscow, 1898–1908
Estimate: 6000-8000€Faberge. A Rare Russian kovsh in historism style. Silver, chasing, gilding, cloisonné enamel, purpurine. Makers mark of «K. Faberge» with Imperial warrant. Moscow, 1898-1908. Of traditional boat-shaped form (ladya) with a handle, the exterior decorated with a frieze of opaque cloisonné enamel in tones of blue, green, and orange against a gilded ground. At the turn of the 20th century, Moscow branch of Fabergé firm embraced the Russian Revival, creating kovshi, cups, icon covers, and tableware inspired by medieval and folk traditions. Silver with filigree, en-plein and polychrome enamels reproduced stylized plant and geometric motifs reminiscent of embroidery and woodcarving. These pieces combined national forms with refined craftsmanship, appealing to the Imperial court and aristocracy. Comparable high-quality silver and enamel kovshes s have been offered at major auctions—see for example a related work in the 2013 Sotheby’s Russian Works of Art & Silver sale, lot 82, and a later example in Sotheby’s 2007 Russian Art sale, lot 570. Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.5 x 7.5 cm. Total weight: 131.2 g.
Starting price: 5000€
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0188
Bragin Covered Jar in the Form of an Ushat, St Petersburg, 1892
Estimate: 4500-6000€
Lot 0188
Bragin Covered Jar in the Form of an Ushat, St Petersburg, 1892
Estimate: 4500-6000€Bragin. Covered jar in the form of ushat.
Silver, casting, chasing, gilding, copper-ruby glass.
Makers mark of «A.B. Bragin». Petersburg, 1892.
This leaded casket combines deep red copper-ruby glass with finely crafted silver mounts. The lid is topped with a cast silver cauliflower and leaves, serving as both handle and decoration. The transparent red glass body highly like produced by Imperial glass manufactory, shaped in the form of a traditional Russian ushat (water pail).
Andrei Stepanovich Bragin (active late 19th – early 20th century)
A respected St. Petersburg silversmith, Bragin opened his workshop in 1888, producing high-quality silver tableware, flatware, and decorative objects. His pieces, often in the Modern style with Pan-Slavic and natural motifs, gained particular fame for enamelled tea sets inspired by Russian folk embroidery. Though smaller than Fabergé’s firm, Bragin’s workshop earned wide recognition, exhibiting in St. Petersburg and Brussels, and his works are now preserved in major museums and collections. Dimensions: 16.5 x 14.5 x 14.5 cm. Total weight of the lid: 430 g.Starting price: 3500€
Estimate: 4500-6000€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0184
Russian Silver Tea Service in Original Fitted Case, Pavel Ovchinnikov, St Petersburg, 1895
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Lot 0184
Russian Silver Tea Service in Original Fitted Case, Pavel Ovchinnikov, St Petersburg, 1895
Estimate: 6000-8000€A Russian Silver Tea Service in the Original Fitted Wood Case
Maker’s mark of Pavel Ovchinnikov with Imperial Warrant
St. Petersburg, 1895
Total silver weight: 1302 g
Height of teapot: 14 cm
Dimensions of the box: 30.5 × 50.5 × 14 cmComprising a teapot, sugar bowl, cream jug, tea strainer, sugar tongs, and twelve spoons, all finely crafted in silver and preserved in the original velvet-lined wooden traveling case, the interior of the lid stamped in gilt with the Imperial double-headed eagle and the Cyrillic inscription Iz magazina fabrikanta P. Ovchinnikova (“From the shop of the manufacturer P. Ovchinnikov”).
Pavel Akimovich Ovchinnikov (1830–1888) was one of the most distinguished Russian silversmiths and enamel artists of the nineteenth century. Born a serf, he trained in Moscow and, after purchasing his freedom in 1850, founded his own workshop in 1851. By the 1860s, his factory had become one of the largest in Russia, employing over a hundred craftsmen and gaining recognition as the leading innovator of the Neo-Russian style.
Appointed official supplier to the Imperial Court in 1865, Ovchinnikov mastered and revived ancient Russian techniques in silver creations, often decorated with folkloric motifs, became symbols of Russian national identity and artistic revival.
Today, works by Ovchinnikov are represented in the State Hermitage Museum, the State Historical Museum, and the Russian Museum, as well as in major private collections worldwide.
Starting price: 5000€
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Hammer Price: €