Ovchinnikov: A Tale of Two Silver Age Cities

The last quarter of the 19^th century saw Russia’s ‘Golden Age’ of arts and culture give way to a new era of artistic achievement: the Silver Age. This was a time of burgeoning artistic creativity and prosperity that saw some of Russia’s most important jewellery and silver manufacturers make their mark on the world: Faberge, Khlebnikov, the Grachev Brothers, Sazikov, Kurlyukov and Ovchinnikov.

In the second half of the 19^th and early 20^th century, Moscow and St Petersburg were the main centres of Russian jewellery and silverware production. These two cities had markedly different characters and artistic traditions, and these differences manifested in the design of silverware and artworks produced by their craftsmen and artists. The artistic school of thought in Moscow - the historic capital - tended towards ancient traditions and folk art, and it was these ideas that inspired the subject, form and ornamentation of pieces by its artisans. The relatively new city of St Petersburg, which had been founded by Peter the Great in 1703, leaned towards western culture and found inspiration in western fashion and ideas. 

Price Realised: £16,900

The leader of the Moscow school in the late 19^th century was Pavel Ovchinnikov. He was unusual in that rather than inheriting his business - as did many of his rivals - he built it from scratch. Born in 1830 in a small hamlet on Prince Volkonsky’s estate in the Moscow governorate, his intellect and artistic talent brought him to the attention of the Prince at an early age. Volkonsky sent the young Pavel to Moscow to develop his skills, and he worked his way up from an apprentice to become a master of gold and silversmithing.

Price Realised: £598

Up until the mid-19^th century the craft of enamelling had been in decline in Russia. Ovchinnikov sought to redress this. He led the rebirth of colourful polychrome enamelling and is credited for honing and developing this craft to the extent that the late 19^th and early 20^th century is now considered to be the best period in history for Russian enamel art.

Pavel married in 1850, and he made use of his wife’s one thousand rouble dowry to open his own business in Moscow. It was a marker of his remarkable business acumen and creative talent that just five years later the business was turning over half a million roubles annually. Ovchinnikov felt it was essential that his craftsmen not only had excellent technical skills, but also intellectual strength, an understanding of art and its history, and a degree of spiritual awareness. They needed to understand ‘old’ art and its cultural roots, as well as contemporary art and fashions. To this end, he opened a school in 1871 to nurture and prepare would-be jewellers and silversmiths for a career at the Ovchinnikov factory. The idea was to revitalise art by inspiring masters capable of designing and crafting exceptional jewels and silverware that would set the firm apart from its rivals. The plan worked: at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris an observer noted that ‘the public only had eyes for the windows of Ovchinnikov and Khlebnikov’.

In 1872 Ovchinnikov became an official supplier to the Imperial Court of Russia, and his works adorned various Imperial residences including the opulent Peterhof Palace. The prestige of the firm grew, and before long Ovchinnikov was supplying numerous wealthy patrons including members of the Royal courts of Europe.

Following the death of Pavel Ovchinnikov in 1888, the business passed to his sons – Mikhail, Alexander, Pavel and Nikolai – under whom the business continued to flourish until the Russian Revolution of 1917 brought about its closure. Over the last century, many pieces from the Ovchinnikov firm have found their way to auction, where their quality and artistry continues to see them command high prices.

LOT 222: A Russian silver-gilt and cloisonné enamel travelling icon, 1899-1908, maker's mark of Pavel Ovchinnikov (Fine & Decorative, November 2022)

 Price Realised £18,200