Eastern Europe, Russia, Imperial Period, ca. 19th to 20th century CE. A remarkable ensemble of 5 silver cloisonne dishes, all elegantly adorned in with navy, cyan, powder blue, emerald, scarlet, orange, mint green, and violet enamel arranged in gorgeous abstract geometric and floral motifs. The first dish is a spoon boasting a double-headed eagle finial, a twisted handle, a slender stem, and a circular bowl. The second example is a teardrop-shaped flask featuring a screw-on lid connected via a petite chain. Next, the third piece is a beautiful rectangular box with a hinged lid. The final 2 dishes are both circular vessels with hinged lids, though 1 displays straight walls and a flat lid and base, while the other shows curved walls and a convex lid and base. The box with curved walls additionally features a mirror on the interior of the lid. Note the fine details that embellish each piece, such as the slender twists of silver that line the rims of the circular boxes and the teardrop flask. Size (of spoon): 1.375" L x 0.5" W (3.5 cm x 1.3 cm); Size (of largest vessel): 2.125" L x 1.125" W (5.4 cm x 2.9 cm); Silver quality: spoon: 92%, flask: 72%, larger circle box: 95%, smaller circle box: 89%, box: 98%; Weight: spoon: 3.9 grams, flask: 23.3 grams, larger circle box: 25.8 grams, smaller circle box: 36.9 grams, box: 45.8 grams

There are several hallmarks found throughout these pieces. The spoon has a head in profile facing left for the Russian silver purity standard, known as the Kokoshnik mark, and 2 letters in Cyrillic. The box with the hinged lid has "No84" and "S925" hallmarks on the front periphery beneath the lid, both also indicating the silver purity. The base of the larger circular box displays a "925" hallmark for silver purity. Last, the interior of the smaller circular box shows a hallmark in Cyrillic script, as well as an indecipherable mark with the numbers "976." The teardrop flask has no hallmarks.

From the mid-19th century to the early 20th, Russian art of all kinds experienced a renaissance that is known as the Silver Age. Russian artisans were inspired by the Gothic, the Moresque, Chinoiserie, the Baroque, the Rococo - all ornate styles, replete with scrolling vines and flourishing arches. They combined this with the bright colors and rich ornament of Old Russian applied art to create a unique style of which silver items like this vessel, are some of the most enduring. Later Russian artists in the 20th century recreated the styles pioneered by famous Russian silversmith firms like Ovchinnikov, Kurlyukov, the Grachev Brothers, and Faberge.

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

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#163646

Some loss to enamel on smaller circular vessel. Some stable hairline fissures to flask. Otherwise, all are excellent with lovely patina.