Chaim Manzon, gilded silver and shaded cloisonné enamel spoon, Moscow, 1908–1917

Silver, enamel, gilding

8 1/2 x 1 3/4 in. (21.6 x 4.53 cm)

Inv. no. ab_0296

Looking at the shaded enamels on this spoon, one might reasonably conclude that it was designed by Feodor Rückert or one of his competitors. The biomorphic forms suggesting plants or bacteria combined with a grid of small triangles certainly bears stylistic resemblance to Rückert’s work. The use of black opaque enamel immediately suggests the workshop of the master enameller and supplier to Fabergé, Kurlyukov and others. On closer examination, however, there are some notable differences. Rückert’s late work typically incorporated mottled or so-called “duck’s egg” glazes, particularly in the grounds. None can be found here. A combination of opaque, intense turquoise combined with burnt orange and cinnamon brown would certainly not be expected in items made in Rückert’s workshop.

The maker’s mark is one that has vexed collectors and scholars for many years. The mark itself can be difficult to read and it has been interpreted as a number of variants, including М-онъ, М-он or М.он (Cyrillic). Because the maker was in Moscow, it was thought that the letters represented some forgotten artel. Although the number of surviving works with this mark are quite small, many are decorated with brightly colored patterns similar to those on this spoon. The true story, recently discovered by a Russian researcher, is far more interesting and is an important contribution to the history of Russian-Ukrainian Jewish jewelers. The mark is that of Chaim Abramovich Manzon, a member of family of successful jewelers based in Berdychiv (Berdichev), an important center of Jewish culture and history known as the “Jerusalem of Volhynia.” That Jerusalem largely disappeared after German troops entered on July 7, 1941.

Chaim’s father, Abram Khaskelovich, was an enterprising retailer of gold and silver jewelry who partnered with a certain Iosif Faingold to expand their business to the larger city of Odesa. According to published records and family memories, by 1917 the firm had branches in Berdychiv, Kharkiv and Vinnytsia. Surprisingly, Manzon’s workshop continued to function well into the Soviet period and up until his Chaim Abramovich’s death in 1926. Unlike large firms, all of which were nationalized, his smaller workshop likely escaped notice, particularly during the New Economic Policy (NEP) introduced in March 1921. Under this policy, the state ceded economic control of small-scale workshops and retailer businesses, allowing Manzon and others to operate with relative freedom. While the family sold off a number of pieces made by their forebear, a few small pieces remain in their collection as a relic of the history of their family and Jewish jewelers in Imperial Russia.