St. Petersburg maker, first half of the 18th century
An important Russian Imperial presentation parcel-gilt silver kovsh, of traditional oval shape with raised prow and handle, first-mentioned cast with the Russian Warrant, last-mentioned also cast and punched with the Russian Warrant, interior adorned with a circular armorial punched with the Imperial Russian double-headed eagle surrounded by chased scrolling foliage, the exterior sides chased with a band with an Old Russian dedication and inscription: “Her Highness Tsaritsa Anna Ioannovna, Autocrat of all of Russia, presented this kovsh to ataman Ekim Petrov of the Astrakhan Voisko at the Winter Stanitsa on 9 April 1737.” Maker's mark MO, assay scrape, Cyrillic assay mark G Sjtj 1737, St. Petersburg town mark, French import mark. Weight c. 576 g. H. 13 cm. L. 30.5 cm.
The kovsh was presented 1737 from the Russian Tsaritsa to the ataman Ekim Petrov, when the Russian government relocated a number of the Volga Cossacks to Astrakhan and formed a Cossack unit used for escortning couriers and correspondence as well as guard duty. Ekim Petrov was one of the first atamans of the Astrakhan Cossack Voisko.
An ataman is a cossack leader and hereby a supreme military commander of a cossack army. A voisko is a self-governing administrative cossack community, while a stanitsa is a cossack village in Russia.
Similar mentioned and reproduced: Alexander von Solodkoff, “Russian Gold and Silver”, Fribourg 1981, p. 84–87 and figure 80, 84, 85 and 86.
Provenance: Christie's, Geneva, 30 November 1982, lot 138. Later European private ownership.
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Please contact Bruun Rasmussen regarding this via email: bids@bruun-rasmussen.dk or tel.: +45 8818 1013.
Condition report on request. Please contact russian@bruun-rasmussen.dk
The submission of bids on this lot number requires the prior registration of a valid debit/credit card, presentation of photo ID and the payment of a deposit of 50.000 DKK on request. Registration of debit/credit card, photo ID and deposit is due no later than Friday 25 May. Please contact Bruun Rasmussen regarding this via email: bids@bruun-rasmussen.dk or tel.: +45 8818 1013.
Russian art & icons, 8 June 2018