RARE LARGE ANTIQUE RUSSIAN SILVER NIELLO SPOON, MARKED
Gilt-silver spoon with niello depicting Moscow, Kremlin.
Hallmarked: '84' silver standard, master's stamp with the initials 'BC' for Vasily Semyonov - please see informatin below.
LARGE SIZE: 6 1/4 inches long (16 cm). Weight: 1.5 oz (42 grams).
CONDITION: Very good for age. Showing some wear. The item is described to the best of our knowledge. Please refer to pictures and email with any questions.
Property from the Collection of Mr. James Lee Soffer, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
ESTIMATE PRICE: $1,500 - $2,000.
HISTORY of SALES: A few years ago Russian niello silver spoons were sold on Live Auctioneer for $2,250, $2,400, $2,600 and $5,100 - please see the screenshots.
OFFER: If an item is NOT SOLD, you can still give us a reasonable offer - please save the link of this page.
SALE: For some reason, 90% of all our items are GOING DOWN in PRICE. Please make a BID.
PAYMENT: Payment can be made with PayPal, Credit Card (via PayPal), Zelle, Wire transfer, Check or Money Order.
PAY in PARTS: You can pay for any item during 3-6 months. Just make a deposit 10% and the item will wait for you.
SHIPPING: Let us Handle Your Shipping. We are one of the few places that offer full service shipping. For your convenience we will ship your item - shipping costs will be included in the invoice. Combined shipping is available - next item will be ONE DOLLAR for shipping.
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WELCOME: We welcome bidders from ANY country in the WORLD. We will send the item according YOUR instruction.
NEW: Returning customers will have 50% DISCOUNT on shipping.
HISTORY: Vasily Semyonov was born in the family of Semyon Semyonov (first half of 19th century). Lived and worked in Moscow, where he founded a silverware factory (1852), which employed forty people (1873). Collaborated with Pavel Ovchinnikov and specialised in souvenirs with niello engravings of famous landmarks in Moscow (second half of 19th century). Died in Moscow (1896), where his work was continued by his daughter Maria (1896-1917), who employed a hundred people (1905). Contributed to exhibitions, including the Pan-Russian Manufacturing Exhibition at Solyanoi Gorodok in St Petersburg (1870, silver medal), Russian Silver of the 18th-20th Centuries from the Collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums at the Samara Regional Museum of Art in Samara (2007-08), World of Faberge at the Shanghai Museum in Shanghai (2012-13) and Faberge: Legacy of Imperial Russia at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Hong Kong (2013).

WIKIPEDIA: Niello is a black mixture, usually of sulphur, copper, silver, and lead, used as an inlay on engraved or etched metal, especially silver. It is added as a powder or paste, then fired until it melts or at least softens, and flows or is pushed into the engraved lines in the metal. It hardens and blackens when cool, and the niello on the flat surface is polished off to show the filled lines in black, contrasting with the polished metal (usually silver) around it. It may also be used with other metalworking techniques to cover larger areas, as seen in the sky in the diptych illustrated here. The metal where niello is to be placed is often roughened to provide a key. In many cases, especially in objects that have been buried underground, where the niello is now lost, the roughened surface indicates that it was once there. Niello was used on a variety of objects including sword hilts, chalices, plates, horns, adornment for horses, jewellery such as bracelets, rings, pendants, and small fittings such as strap-ends, purse-bars, buttons, belt buckles and the like. It was also used to fill in the letters in inscriptions engraved on metal.

Used