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Lot Essay
This magnificent kovsh is a wonderful example of Feodor Rückert's production for Pavel Ovchinnikov's firm, one of the biggest suppliers to the Imperial Court. From the end of the 1890s to the beginning of the 1900s, Ovchinnikov was the main client of Feodor Rückert (T. Muntian, Feodor Rückert & Carl Fabergé, Moscow, 2016, p. 53).
Ovchinnikov’s firm was at the forefront of the revival of exquisitely enamelled works in the old Russian style. Such items included kovshes, charkas, and bratinas, which were often presented as souvenirs to diplomats and foreign guests. Decorated with enamels in various techniques and of high complexity, these items were usually commissioned to Feodor Rückert, the best enameller of the time. The combination of cloisonné and en plein enamel, as well as matt colours with glossy enamels, which can be observed on the present kovsh, is synonymous with Rückert’s style of the late 19th/early 20th century.
Whilst working on items drawn from the medieval objects, Feodor Rückert also liked to add native Russian folklore elements, such as images of wedding celebrations, feasts, and peasants in traditional costume. The present kovsh represents wedding scenes, which can be referenced to popular paintings by Konstantin Makovsky (1839-1915), in particular A Boyar Wedding Feast of the 17th Century (Hillwood Museum & Gardens, Washington D.C.), often reproduced by Rückert.
An almost identical kovsh by Feodor Rückert, retailed by Ovchinnikov, was sold Sotheby's, New York, 4 November 2010, lot 17. For another comparable kovsh, see T. Muntian, Feodor Rückert & Carl Fabergé, Moscow, 2016, pp. 128-129.
Ovchinnikov’s firm was at the forefront of the revival of exquisitely enamelled works in the old Russian style. Such items included kovshes, charkas, and bratinas, which were often presented as souvenirs to diplomats and foreign guests. Decorated with enamels in various techniques and of high complexity, these items were usually commissioned to Feodor Rückert, the best enameller of the time. The combination of cloisonné and en plein enamel, as well as matt colours with glossy enamels, which can be observed on the present kovsh, is synonymous with Rückert’s style of the late 19th/early 20th century.
Whilst working on items drawn from the medieval objects, Feodor Rückert also liked to add native Russian folklore elements, such as images of wedding celebrations, feasts, and peasants in traditional costume. The present kovsh represents wedding scenes, which can be referenced to popular paintings by Konstantin Makovsky (1839-1915), in particular A Boyar Wedding Feast of the 17th Century (Hillwood Museum & Gardens, Washington D.C.), often reproduced by Rückert.
An almost identical kovsh by Feodor Rückert, retailed by Ovchinnikov, was sold Sotheby's, New York, 4 November 2010, lot 17. For another comparable kovsh, see T. Muntian, Feodor Rückert & Carl Fabergé, Moscow, 2016, pp. 128-129.