A Finn in St. Petersburg

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Qrt.S
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Location: Helsinki Finland

A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by Qrt.S »

Here is an example of how "complicated/difficult" it can be when looking for somebody:

A Finn Heikki Kaksonen, born 3.4.1879 in Kerimäki moved to St. Petersburg 1893 and worked as a journeyman with a Finnish master, Pekka J. Silventoinen (P#1826-27). Kaksonen became master in 1913(-1918). It is known that he owned a workshop in St. Petersburg 1913-1918. After the revolution he moved back to Finland and founded a workshop i Helsinki, active 1922-1969. He used the same punches he had used in St. Petersburg i.e. H.K. and HK.

I thought that Kaksonen must be mentioned in Postnikova, Ivanon or some other Russian source but, I couldn't find anything about him. Time passed and while looking for something totally different, my eyes caught in Ivanov a name. It was Henreich Johannovich Kaxonen (Iv#1806) ... Kaxonen!? I took a look at the Russian version; Каксонен Хенрик (Kaksonen Henrik) FYI; Henrik is the Swedish equivalent for Heikki. In other words my missing man; Heikki Kaksonen! The text told me that he had a silver workshop on Kazanskaya uliza 33-35 in 1917. In the text was also mentioned another name Andrey Kaxonen ??? In addition, that Heikki Kaksonen had used a punch AK but no picture of it. The name Andrey and the punch AK are picked from the sky. Kaksonen used H.K. and HK. I had, anyway, found my missing master by a coincidence.

What I'm trying to tell is that sometimes the transliteration and as well translation of names can make people almost disappear. What I learned is that it is not advisable to search somebody relying 100% on a correctly spelled name. You should use your imagination of how a name can be misinterpret, misunderstood, misspelled etc.. Then you might find something like I did. Yes, of course you already knew all this. Good, but it is still not so easy to always remember how to search....I thought a reminder would be in place here....!

Moreover, do you remember the famous Fabergé master Gabriel Nykänen? For years his name was spelled Niukkanen (a Finnish name too) and a person with this surname could not be traced anywhere in Finland. It turned out that it was a transliteration error because there is no Y-letter in Cyrillic, so somebody used the Cyrillic letter Ю for the Latin Y and a well known man became "unknown". Later G. Nykänen's place of birth etc. was easily found.

Something to think about in the darkening evening...
AG2012
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Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by AG2012 »

From Skurlov:

КАКСОНЕН Хенрих (Андрей) Иоганович, ЗДМ, специализировался на портсигарах. Возможно ему принадлежит клеймо: НК. 1917с.: вместе с Ломанен Иог. Петр., Казанская, 33 — 5.

Have a nice evening
Qrt.S
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Location: Helsinki Finland

Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by Qrt.S »

Thanx AG2012,
I have just found out that Heikki Kaksonen's second name is Juhana, which explains the Russian "Iohannovich". But who is this "Andrey Kaksonen" and why is Ivanov claiming that this person marked AK somehow connected to Heikki Kaksonen who marked H.K. ??? The problem with Ivanov is, that there are so few pictures of authentic marks. In addition, I have heard that Ivanov has assumed a lot of "marks" being based on a master's initials only. Unfortunately that is not always the case in reality.

By the way, there is an awful lot of misspelled Finnish both forenames and surnames in Ivanov. Feel free to ask me if you run into problems with Finnish names.
Atlas
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Location: Helsinki

Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by Atlas »

Thanks a lot, Qrtr.S.
I have also tried more than once to try to find information regarding Heikki Kaksonen and his activity In St.P. but not much success.
Very interesting the information regarding his activity with Pekka Silventoinen. I happend to actually know Pekka's grandson, who happends to have the same name as his grandfather.
Regards,
- Atlas -
Italiansilver
Posts: 108
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 5:39 pm

Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by Italiansilver »

thanks to everybody,
I was looking too on HK manufacturing style and history with particular reference to the St.Petersburg time when he worked for Faberge.
I only have found some modern jewelry items picture on the net and a gold cigarette case sold at an auction house but marks aren't shown(I can give references if you want).
After Qrt.S. post I have searched for Pekka Silventoinen to understand the style and I have found only a silver tea set image.
Any other contribution is welcome.
Qrt.S
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Posts: 3801
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:32 am
Location: Helsinki Finland

Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by Qrt.S »

After Heikki Kaksonen's visit in St Petersburg in Russia, he went back to Finland and his company's activity was more to import silver objects than a goldsmiths' working shop. I have now and then seen HK marked objects but almost every one has the Finnish control mark, the crown, in an oval frame and that means import. I don't think Heikki Kaksonen himself made very much if anything in Finland, but...?
Goldstein
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Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by Goldstein »

Hi Italiansilver -

Pekka Silventoinen is one of the many other hundreds of average silversmiths in Russia. Nothing out of the ordinary. Here some examples from my collection - to show all would go beyond the scope of this page.
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etc,etc....

Regards
Goldstein
Italiansilver
Posts: 108
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 5:39 pm

Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by Italiansilver »

Hi Goldstein,

thanks but unfortunately I cannot see the images due to a firewall that I cannot deceive, anyway I'll try to change some settings.
I was looking for Pekka Silventoinen to understand a possible style of HK from which there are no work examples.

Qrt.S.
so HK, when back in Finland, had mainly an import activity...really uneasy to understand

anyway my compliments, you all are serious collectors!!!!
madej
Posts: 510
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 6:46 pm

Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by madej »

Hi Goldstein
I do not remember that I sold you or gave you my silver egg. You posted photos of my object about which I asked in this forum and you write that it comes from your private collection :-\
???

Image
Italiansilver
Posts: 108
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 5:39 pm

Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by Italiansilver »

oh
i didn't realized before that, the tea set imagines I found, were coming from a topic already in this forum!!!!
Goldstein
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Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by Goldstein »

Hi madej -

there are no copyrights on the posted photos in a forum - unless it is specially highlighted!

So I copy them if they are useful for my file "EXAMPLES FORUM" and I use them again on the forum if necessary to explain certain facts. I really do not need them! The shown objects are mostly communistic, fakes or very average! High class seldom shows up - just fleemarket things in bad shape.

Source: private collection! You alway should name a source - something you never did in all your contributions.

Not to show off - but to explain to total unknowing, often not perfect English speaking people - by photos and text - what I want to say or show. For the benefit of the visitors - as I suspect.

A photo tells more than thousand words!

For you it is just an egg with zero informations - you know nothing - only the possible nonsense the seller told you.

For me it is like an open book:
I know it is a porte monnaie (bourse), traditionally presented on Easter (very important in Russia!) to some girlfriend, wife etc. I know the maker, if he was average or famous, the silver content, the townmark and the approximate year of manufacture. I can read the Cyrillic monogramm on front. And I have several real existing porte monnaies in different styles (enamel, niello, lacquer, papermaché) from different makers in my posession!

So what?

Regards
Goldstein
madej
Posts: 510
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 6:46 pm

Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by madej »

Goldstein
You clearly wrote " Here some examples from my collection"
Did I write somewhere that you used my picture without my consent? No!!!
Of course you can never admit a mistake, and your defense is attacking.
Atlas
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Location: Helsinki

Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by Atlas »

Hello,
Down below is a couple of photos of a cigarette box I have by Heikki Kaksonen made in Helsinki in 1936.
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Regards,
- Atlas -
Atlas
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Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2016 11:32 am
Location: Helsinki

Re: A Finn in St. Petersburg

Post by Atlas »

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