3 outstanding enemal spoons

[Zolotnik]

Hi -
The highlights (among other objects) in my collection of spoons are this three enamel spoons. Two from the famous enamel artist Maria Wasiljewna Semenova, one from Pavel Schutenkov.
This two spoons from Semenova are the only authentic pieces I ever saw in over 25 years of collecting! The story behind the Schutenkov spoon: after 1945, the war was lost ,men were either dead or in prisoner of war camps, Gulags in Sibiria etc. So labor force was scarce and women had to clean up the debris of the bombed towns. In Berlin the Stadtschloß (town castle) was heavly damaged and a crew of women (they got payed with foodstamps - no work no foodstamps) cleared the area. After finishing work, the director of the town castle came and presented each of the woman one enamel spoon as thank for the done work. Some bread would have been much more appreciated I think.. My exemplar is from the woman´s son. Where are the other spoons?

M. Semenova, please see the outstanding quality





P Schutenkov




enjoy!

Regards
Zolotnik

[klingert1974]

Wow those are spectacular. So much work must have gone in to those. I am familiar with Maria Semenova but haven't seen the other maker before.

[Qrt.S]

Just for the records and in order to correct a probable misunderstanding. There is not a single educated and skilled female goldsmith in whole Imperial Russia. It was simply absolutely out of question for women in those days to educate themselves to any profession not to talk about becoming a registered goldsmith master. However, as well known, there are some maker's marks indicating that the maker would be a woman. The reason for this is that when the master and often the owner of the workshop or factory died, his wife (the widow) or his daughter (the heir) could according to the Russian legislation continue the deceased's business until their death. In some cases they were granted the the right to use a "master's mark" of their own. This is the case with Maria Vasilyevna Semenova/Semyonova (and some other women too). She inherited the workshop after her father's Vasily Semyonov (marked BC 1852-1873) death and continued and developed the business to the bitter end in 1917 but marked MC not anymore BC. Maria Semenova/Semyonova hasn't, anyway, made a single object herself but she owned the workshop being the managing director only!

Nonetheless, the objects marked with M. Semyonova's "MC", one could also call it trademark/logo, are of outstanding quality as mentioned before.

[Zolotnik]

Hi -
we all know that already - there were many women (widows for example) "leading" a workshop.