RUSSIAN ANTIQUE SILVER KOVSH, IVAN KHLEBNIKOV, 1896
A traditional Russian vessel for water - kovsh, made of 84 silver with an admirable exterior made in a trompe-l'oeil with braiding base and two twisted ropes on a front side and handle.
HALLMARKS: with Russian hallmarks: IVAN KHLEBNIKOV in Cyrillic (more information below), '84' Silver mark, Kokoshnik, Imperial Eagle, 1896 mark, and other marks.
ASSAYER: ‘A.C’ in Cyrillic for Aleksandr Vladislavovich Skovronsky, 1896, Moscow 1895-1898 (Postinikova-Loseva # 2112).
CONDITION: Overall condition is good. The item is described to the best of our knowledge. Please refer to pictures and email with any questions.
DIMENSIONS: L: 4 in., H: 2 3/4 in. Weight: 78 grams.
ESTIMATE PRICE: $300 - $3,000.
CHANCE: You have a GREAT CHANCE to purchase a unique item for your collection - over the years it will only INCREASE in price.
HISTORY of SALES: A few years ago Russian kovshs were sold on Live Auctioneer for $10,000, $12,000, $15,200 and $15,400 - 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, 70% of all our items are GOING DOWN in PRICE. Please make a BID. The reserve price is very LOW.
PAYMENT: For this particular item please use Wire transfer, Zelle, Certified Check or Money Order as a method of payment.
PAY in PARTS: You can pay for any item during 3-6 months. Just make a 10% deposit and the item will wait for you. We have been offering a possibility of deferring a payment for more than a year now and many people like it and have taken advantage of it.
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.
SHIPPING COST: This is the actual delivery cost. Choose a shipping carrier and a mail service of your preference. Combined shipping is available - next item will be ONE DOLLAR for shipping.
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.

WIKIPEDIA: The Kovsh is a traditional drinking vessel or ladle from Russia. It was oval-shaped like a boat with a single handle and may be shaped like a water bird or a Norse longship. Originally the Kovsh made from wood and used to serve and drink mead, with specimens excavated from as early as the tenth century. Metal Kovsh began to appear around the 14th century, although it also continued to be carved out of wood and was frequently brightly painted in peasant motifs. By the 17th century, the Kovsh was often an ornament rather than a practical vessel, and in the 19th century it was elaborately cast in precious metals for presentation as an official gift of the tsarist government.

WIKIPEDIA: Khlebnikov was an Imperial Russian jewelry firm, founded ca. 1867 by Ivan Khlebnikov in Saint Petersburg, but transferred to Moscow in 1871. The business was highly successful and received the Imperial Warrant producing work of originality and highest quality using decoration in the traditional Russian style on many pieces. Enamel was a speciality especially plique-a-jour, but also cloisonne. Demand for its work was high and in 1882 it employed 200 craftsmen. The business succumbed at the time of the Russian Revolution. Sazikov's successor, Khlebnikov, who opened his Moscow workshop about 1870, won prizes at the great European exhibitions and achieved international fame for enamelled silver. Among the Khlebnikov specialties were silver chasing and casting to simulate wood, birch bark, and fabric. This kind of trompe-l'oeil design was an extremely popular aspect of the pan-Slavic style, and in addition to boxes and cigar cases engraved to look like actual cigar boxes, including their labels and tariff stamps, Khlebnikov and other makers also produced trays and salvers in the form of woven reed fruit baskets, sometimes with a draped napkin and occasionally a leafy fruited twig, entirely done in chased and wrought silver. These were so popular abroad that Tiffany and Company in the United States retailed IMPORTED examples, and firms like Gorham COPIED them for their own market.

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