Pavel Ovtchinnikov (1830-1888), Gilt Silver Travel Icon With Cloisonné Enamels, 1893

Pavel Akimov OVCHINNIKOV (1830–1888) (П. ОВЧИННИКОВъ),
Small travel icon depicting the mother of God of Tobolsk (Tobolskaya mother of God)  in vermeil silver (84 zolotniks) with polychrome cloisonné enamels featuring a motif of foliage, palmettes and Neo-Russian volutes; the central painted panel depicts the Virgin and Child.
Russia, Moscow. Dated 1893.
Hallmarks of master goldsmith Pavel Ovchinnikov under imperial privilege (П. ОВЧИННИКОВъ), of assayer Lev Oleks (Л.О 1893), of fineness 84 zolotniks and of the city of Moscow on the reverse and on the bail.
L_9.5 cm
Very good overall condition. .

This icon, with its shoulder-shaped, four-lobed form, is distinguished by the remarkable quality of its cloisonné enamelling and the delicacy of its miniature painted decoration – characteristics typical of the most sumptuous private devotional pieces of 19th-century Russia.

Our item is part of the finest work produced by the Ovtchinnikov workshop, one of the most important suppliers to the Imperial Court of Russia, renowned for its unrivalled mastery of traditional enamels and its major role in the revival of the Neo-Russian style during the reign of Alexander III.