FINE RUSSIAN SILVER AND ENAMEL CIGARETTE CASE
c. 1880, Hallmark: П.Овчинниковъ
the interior stamped twice with master goldsmith's mark, Ovchinnikov (Pavel Akimov Ovchinnikov, 1830-1888) St. Petersburg
the enamel cover depicting a gentleman on a perilous seaside cliff path reaching for a flower for a lady with her dog, sgn. lower center in Cyrillic, Grubnitski
3.75" by 2.25"; 155 grams
Ovchinnikov was a jeweler, silversmith, goldsmith, enameler, merchant, and industrialist. Born in 1830 into the family of a serf in the village of Otradnoe, in1842 he was sent by Prince Dmitry Volkonsky to study in Moscow where he served as apprentice in the jewelry workshop of his brother Andrei from 1844–50. Emancipated from serfdom in 1850, married in the same year. With his wife's dowry of 1000 rubles, he opened his own workshop in 1851, and in 1853 he acquired his brother's workshop and opened a factory in Taganka employing a staff of four hundred. By 1855 he had six hundred craftsmen and apprentices. He was appointed official purveyor to the future Tsar Alexander III in 1865, King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (1873), Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich (1878) and King Christian IX of Denmark (1888). He was awarded the Légion d'honneur (1867) and the Order of the Iron Crown (1873). He founded a school for goldsmiths and silversmiths in 1871. In 1873 he opened a factory and shops in St. Petersburg at 35 Bolshaya Morskaya Street. He died and was buried in Moscow in 1880.
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000
Realized: $4,000 - Excluding Buyer's Premium
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Lot 66 : FINE RUSSIAN SILVER AND ENAMEL CIGARETTE CASE
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