Photo frame – help with the mars

[Elisa]

Small photo frame, 16.5 X 10.5 cm.
Help with the marks, please. Where was it made? Who made it? I saw the year; the photo must be of much later date — but it does not matter much.
Thank you
Regards,
Elisa

[Qrt.S]

The frame is made in St Petersburg in Russia in 1846 as the mark also shows. The assayer is Dimitrij Tverskoij 1834-1854. The frame is in silver 875/1000. Unfortunately the maker is unknown to me. However, I cannot access my library right now. I will revert to this matter later if I find something of interest. Please note that you can put whatever photo in an old frame and you are right in anticipating that the photo is not as old as the frame. Photographing was hardly invented in 1846 at least not for commercial use.

[Zolotnik]

Hi Elisa -

photo frames from Russia are always a big surprise - because they are mostly fakes. The typical Russian photo frame has a typical stand made of wire or silver - never wood! The marks are always precise and clear according to the law, the maker is mostly kown - at least his mark when his name is not known anymore. All this is missing on your frame.
Conclusion: someones homework to cheat.

Regards
Zolotnik

[dognose]

Perhaps unlikely, but is it possible that this piece started life as a small bevelled glass mirror within a silver frame?

Trev.

[Zolotnik]

Hi dognose -

you are absolutely right. Many Russian silver objects sold today are born as German, French or Austria-Hungarian silver - later more or less clever "russificated". The rest is newly made. Only very few are authentic and original. It is a pity!

Regards
Zolotnik

[Elisa]

Thank you so much for your kind answers.Was looking at the back and the stand:it is actually some kind of thick pressed cardboard seen in old bookbinding.Obviously it was not meant for this frame.If you look closely at the second picture posted you will see what I mean. The ovals cut at the corners are unnecessarily big and the entire back is narrower than the frame.It must have been something else - lost.On the other hand,not very important.
Thank you again.