I've looked everywhere and cannot identify a Russian CITY MARK on a small 5 inch high silver/enamel vase. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.
Admin Edit See photos below
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Need Help Identifying Russian City Mark
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Reddleader68
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:00 pm
- Location: North Carolina
In order to get a correct answer it is essential to show the whole object and not only the marks. That will give a better overview of the situation.
Anyway, based on the shown information, the object is made in Moscow (Riding St George) 1896 and assayed by Aleksandr Vladislavovitch Skovronsky 1895-1908 (Cyr. AC). The maker (Cyr. HA) is Nikolai Vasilievich Alekseev.
Happy Easter to all
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Anyway, based on the shown information, the object is made in Moscow (Riding St George) 1896 and assayed by Aleksandr Vladislavovitch Skovronsky 1895-1908 (Cyr. AC). The maker (Cyr. HA) is Nikolai Vasilievich Alekseev.
Happy Easter to all
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Hi -
I am always astouned when I see new designs. The shown object is a so called Каркара (Karkara), something like a carafe or decanter for wine - they exist with and without twistet necks. It was used and produced in the caucasus region, mainly in Georgia. Enamel clausonné was not the taste of this people - personally I have never seen one "in the wild" or museums. The Karkaras I have seen are mostly silver or silver/niello with the for this region typical designs and patterns.
The photos show an absolute unused exemplar (we speek about 114 years!) and marks, which fit on the first glance - but if you look closer you see some chemical ageing, enamel colours which were not used and two different master punches, etc. which depart from the known one.
Now make your own conclusions....
Regards
Postnikov
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I am always astouned when I see new designs. The shown object is a so called Каркара (Karkara), something like a carafe or decanter for wine - they exist with and without twistet necks. It was used and produced in the caucasus region, mainly in Georgia. Enamel clausonné was not the taste of this people - personally I have never seen one "in the wild" or museums. The Karkaras I have seen are mostly silver or silver/niello with the for this region typical designs and patterns.
The photos show an absolute unused exemplar (we speek about 114 years!) and marks, which fit on the first glance - but if you look closer you see some chemical ageing, enamel colours which were not used and two different master punches, etc. which depart from the known one.
Now make your own conclusions....
Regards
Postnikov
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Reddleader68
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:00 pm
- Location: North Carolina
Were there fakes circulating back in the 1940's -50's?
This piece was willed to my friend from Her Grandmother. Her grandfather was a Colonel that had an extensive collection of pieces. Below is the quote I have from her in an email she recently sent me:
"I inherited it from my Dad when he passed away, it was my Grandmothers...and
she got it from her significant other when she lived in California. He was
a Colonel in the US Army and traveled the world. My guess is as good as
yours where he bought it, but I do not believe it is a fake due to the
similarity of the items we saw on the website (the first link) you sent.
And it is exquisite - just by looking at it....The colonel had a huge
collection of very expensive artwork from his travels in Europe and Asia."
.
This piece was willed to my friend from Her Grandmother. Her grandfather was a Colonel that had an extensive collection of pieces. Below is the quote I have from her in an email she recently sent me:
"I inherited it from my Dad when he passed away, it was my Grandmothers...and
she got it from her significant other when she lived in California. He was
a Colonel in the US Army and traveled the world. My guess is as good as
yours where he bought it, but I do not believe it is a fake due to the
similarity of the items we saw on the website (the first link) you sent.
And it is exquisite - just by looking at it....The colonel had a huge
collection of very expensive artwork from his travels in Europe and Asia."
.
Hi -
yes there were fakes made in the twenties and fifties and before. Just think of the 54 presentation Easter Eggs of Czar Nicholaus II, of which 18 were sold by the communists to western collectors (Mr. Hammer 13, Mr. Snowman 5).The first public sale took place in London at Christe´s on March 16, 1927. 10 Easter Eggs remained in Russia plus the by an Russian "businessman" lately purchased several (two of them fakes), to "donate" them to the Russian people!! Otherwise he would have gone to jail! Oligarch....
Here is one of the fakes:
Only discovered because it had an invetory number scratched, used in Fabergé´s shop only - not for things made for the Czar. All the "experts" declared them as OK - they never had seen real Easter Eggs life!
From 1917 until the end of the USSR it was inpossible to get some antique stuff out if you had no official permit which you only got when you were a political leader. So think about where and from whom your family could have bought/got this Karkara. It was even at that time very expensive - so somebody must remember. Try to find the history and obscure origin of this piece. Everybody knows it is precious but nobody knows the whereabouts....
Regards
Postnikov
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yes there were fakes made in the twenties and fifties and before. Just think of the 54 presentation Easter Eggs of Czar Nicholaus II, of which 18 were sold by the communists to western collectors (Mr. Hammer 13, Mr. Snowman 5).The first public sale took place in London at Christe´s on March 16, 1927. 10 Easter Eggs remained in Russia plus the by an Russian "businessman" lately purchased several (two of them fakes), to "donate" them to the Russian people!! Otherwise he would have gone to jail! Oligarch....
Here is one of the fakes:
Only discovered because it had an invetory number scratched, used in Fabergé´s shop only - not for things made for the Czar. All the "experts" declared them as OK - they never had seen real Easter Eggs life!
From 1917 until the end of the USSR it was inpossible to get some antique stuff out if you had no official permit which you only got when you were a political leader. So think about where and from whom your family could have bought/got this Karkara. It was even at that time very expensive - so somebody must remember. Try to find the history and obscure origin of this piece. Everybody knows it is precious but nobody knows the whereabouts....
Regards
Postnikov
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Reddleader68
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:00 pm
- Location: North Carolina
Hi -
as I mentioned several times before:
The forgers use several ways to betray their customers.
1.) Absolute newly made objects after existing examples
2.) Absolute newly made phantasy objects without existing examples
3.) Absolute newly made enamelled objects, from existing or phantasy examples
4.) Original old silver from Europe, mostly Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain etc., erasing the old marks (Import marks etc. are very welcome!) and adding their Russian faux marks - some use the right configuration, the majority use a phantasy configuration.
(admin edit)
Regards and happy collecting + Happy Easter
Postnikov
.
as I mentioned several times before:
The forgers use several ways to betray their customers.
1.) Absolute newly made objects after existing examples
2.) Absolute newly made phantasy objects without existing examples
3.) Absolute newly made enamelled objects, from existing or phantasy examples
4.) Original old silver from Europe, mostly Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain etc., erasing the old marks (Import marks etc. are very welcome!) and adding their Russian faux marks - some use the right configuration, the majority use a phantasy configuration.
(admin edit)
Regards and happy collecting + Happy Easter
Postnikov
.
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Reddleader68
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:00 pm
- Location: North Carolina