Eastern Europe, Russia, Imperial Period, ca. late 19th century CE. A beautiful cloisonne and high-quality silver vessel known as a kovsh and a cloisonne and gilt teaspoon. The kovsh balances on a ring base which is stamped with the assay marks on the exterior rim; the Cyrillic script initials for the silversmith Pavel Ovchinnikov (1830-1888) and the kokoshnik mark with the face in profile to the left of "84." The vessel is an oblong profile with the walls tapering upward at the back to form a curved handle. The exterior and interior are adorned with cobalt blue cloisonne ground with foliate patterns and scrolling twist borders. The spoon is decorated on the back of the bowl with pastel and red shades of enamel with gilt surrounding the patterns. The neck is stamped with several marks, including the initials "AP" over the year "1887" for an unknown maker or assayer, next to the "88" silver purity mark. The last two marks are faint, and one may be the city mark of St. George for Moscow. The tip of the handle is capped by an enamel finial. Size of kovsh: 7" L x 4.6" W x 4.25" H (17.8 cm x 11.7 cm x 10.8 cm); spoon: 5.3" L x 1.2" W (13.5 cm x 3 cm); quality of silver: 86% for spoon, 96.5% for kovsh; total weight of both: 325.9 grams

Provenance: ex-collection of James Farmer, Maryland, USA, collected from major galleries and auction houses between 1995 and 2005

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#163640

Discoloration to interior surface of kovsh but cleanable. Some nicks to enamel but overall excellent and brightly colored. Marker mark on base is clear. The spoon has nicks and chips to enamel and cleanable patina on the bowl. Maker marks are mostly legible with softening to two.