Imperial Stroganov School gem-set gilded silver and enamel kovsh, Moscow, 1902-1908

Silver, enamel, ivory or bone, chrysoprase, citrine, amber (?)

3 1/8 x 5 15/16 x 10 13/16 in. (80.4 x 150.5 x 275 mm)

Inv. no. abb_1327

This kovsh was exhibited in the Imperial Stroganov School’s display at the 1911 Turin interational exposition (Esposizione internazionale dell'industria e del lavoro). It can be seen in archival photographs published in Sergei Fedunov, "Khudozhestvennyi metall Imperatorskogo Stroganovskogo uchilishcha nachala XX veka," Antikvariat, predmety iskusstva i kollekstionirovaniia 2008, no. 1-2: p. 15.

The interior base of this kovsh is set with plaques with stylized double-headed eagles in shades of green and brown that are echoed by the green chrysoprase and orange-brown cabochon citrines set on the handle and prow. White stone towers of a medieval fortress or walled city are visible in the background. The raised handle is made in part from carved ivory or bone, including a carved scene of a warrior and mythical beast.