Enameled Silver Tea Cup Holder With Cloisonné Work. Fiodor Ruckert, Russia, Moscow.

A superb silver tea glass holder crafted using the cloisonné enamel technique, representing a characteristic and exceptionally high-quality example from the Moscow workshop of Fyodor Ruckert, and standing as a true benchmark of Russian jewelry art at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The cylindrical body is adorned with a complex polychrome composition consisting of multi-lobed medallions featuring stylized geometric and botanical motifs on a cream background, accented with translucent red enamel. The decoration is enriched with elegant floral and foliage scrolls on a sky-blue enamel background, forming a dense and harmoniously rhythmic decorative surface.

The stepped pedestal is decorated with a vegetal frieze in polychrome cloisonné enamels on a cobalt blue background, emphasizing the architectural clarity and formal balance of the piece as a whole. The handle, with its complex poly-lobed profile, is entirely cloisonné-enameled and crafted in perfect stylistic harmony with the body. The interior is gilded silver, in accordance with the highest aesthetic and practical standards of the Moscow silversmith workshops of that period.

Hallmarks: “FR” master’s mark in a rectangular cartouche—the hallmark of Fyodor Ruckert’s workshop; official hallmark of the Moscow Assay Office depicting a woman’s head wearing a kokoshnik turned to the left, in an oval cartouche, with the fineness mark “88” and the initials of the assay master “ИЛ ”—Ivan Lebedkin, a type used between 1899 and 1908.

Dimensions: Height—10 cm; Diameter—7.5 cm.

Weight: 196 g (gross).

Condition: Good. Slight localized losses and minor enamel chips consistent with age and use. Interior gilding shows natural and even wear. No deformation.

Provenance: Private European collection.

ID-ANTQ-16342