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RUSSIAN SILVER ARTELS (MOSCOW)
The artels in Imperial Russia were semi formal co-operatives in different fields like agriculture, fishing,
mining, timber industry and gold/silver smithing. Nowadays they are all forgotten except for the gold/silver
artels due to the fine objects they produced and still exsist.
An artel is a factory but the opposite of mass production. It produced unique objects or pieces of art of
very high quality. An artel could not have less than 5 owners/attendants. However, you were allowed to hire
more people but only for a short limited period. An artel had its own rules and you were obliged to obey
them. Everyone working there was collectively liable for all the operations in the artel. You could work
in an artel from the age of 17 on.
All known master workshops or artels for silver, gold as well as icons with oklads and enamel cloisonné and
guilloché objects towards the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century are listed in these pages, with
details of styles used.
The artels' series of numbers is not complete. Until today there is no evidence of the existence of a
silver artel carrying any of the following numbers: 10, 16, 17, 19, 21, 24, 27 or 30. Why the series of
numbers is incomplete is not known.
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MOSCOW SILVER ARTELS: 1899 - 1917 SILVER MARKS
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(text and images by Postnikov and Qrts )
ARTEL
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MARK
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YEAR
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KNOWN MERCHANDISE
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MISCELLANEOUS
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1st Artel
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1.M.C.P.A. |
1899-1908
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Icons with oklads in enamel
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Traditional style. Very famous artel
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1st Silver Artel
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.
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.
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Julius Rappoport’s, workshop later overtaken by

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1st Artel
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Mentioned 1915-1917
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Working partly with enamelling in cloisonné but also in the plique-a-jour and the
guilloché techniques.
High quality silver items. Icons with oklads in enamel. The mark of 1st Artel is often found
together with the mark of I.Vasiliev
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One of the most famous workshops in Russia. Court supplier. Traditional style
Not to be mixed up with J. Rappoport’s workshop
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2nd Jeweller Artel
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Mentioned 1915-1917
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.
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.
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2nd Artel
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2A |
1912-1916
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Wine pitcher, vodka cups, match box holders, napkin rings, Samorodok, enamel, cloisonné
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Art nouveau, Traditional style
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3rd Artel
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3A (?)
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~1908-
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Enamelled objects in guilloché technique.
Cigarette cases, table bells, boxes and photoframes.
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Very few objects known.
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4th Artel
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4.A. 4M.A
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Mentioned 1906 (08?)
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Salt-cellars, tableware
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Traditional style
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5th Artel
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5A |
After 1912-1916
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Napkin rings in Samorodok, bowls
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Art nouveau, Traditional style
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5th Jeweller's Artel
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1912-1915
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Objects in gold
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.
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6th Artel
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6A
6MA |
1915
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Working mostly with enamel cloisonné but also in plique-a-jour and guilloché
techniques. Tea spoons
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One of the most famous in Russia, court supplier of high quality (enameled) silver.
Traditional style, complete enamel covering, olive-green, blue, cream
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7th Artel
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7A |
After 1908
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Working partly with enamel cloisonné but also in plique-a-jour and guilloche techniques.
Icons with oklads in enamel
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Traditional style
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9th Artel
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9A |
Mentioned 1910-1916
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Tea-strainer, sugar tongs
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Art nouveau, Traditional style
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11th Artel
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11A, 11MA, 11M.A. |
After 1908
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Working mostly with enamel cloisonné but also in plique-a-jour and the guilloché
techniques.
Tea/coffee spoons, tea/coffee service sets, kovshi, sugar spoons and tea strainers.
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One of the most famous ones, enamel, cloisonné and guilloche, high quality silver
objects, in class with court suppliers’ work. Fabergés’s supplier.
Traditional style, complete enamel covering, art nouveau influence with triangular and
rectangular enamel cells, volutes.
Spirals, silver beads, green ochre, violet- and-cream tints in a hazy "water-colour"
style
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12th Artel
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12A (?)
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.
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Specialised in engravings in silver, cigarette cases
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Exist proofs of its existence
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13th Artel
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13A
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Mentioned 1915-1917
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Coffee pots, spoons, napkin rings, vodka cups
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Art nouveau, Traditional style
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14th Artel
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14A
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Mentioned 1915-1917
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Frames, settings for vases
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Art nouveau, Traditional style.
Supplier for others
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15th Artel
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15A
F/S |
Mentioned 1915-1917
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Frames, settings for vases, cake plates christal/silver mounting
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Art nouveau, Traditional style Supplier for others
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18th Artel
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18A |
After 1908
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Vodka cups
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Traditional style
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20th Artel
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20A |
After 1908
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Working mostly with enamel cloisonné but also in plique-a-jour and the guilloché
techniques.
Tea/coffee and sugar spoons, tea/coffee service sets, tea strainers, kovshi
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Traditional style, similar to the 11th Artel in its Art nouveau style, often too with
quite traditional flowers alongside the Art nouveau bands. Shaded blues
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22nd Artel
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22A |
After 1908
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Salt-cellar, napkin rings, vodka cups
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Traditional style
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23rd Artel
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23A |
After 1908
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Tea glass holder, napkin rings
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Art nouveau, Traditional style
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25th Artel
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25A |
After 1908
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Creamer, sugar bowls, tea-strainer
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Traditional style
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26th Artel
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26A (?)
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.
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Working mostly with enamelling in cloisonné but also in the plique-a-jour and the
guilloché techniques
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Existance proofed
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28th Artel
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28A |
After 1908
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Tea glass holder
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Traditional style
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29th Artel
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29A |
Mentioned 1915-1917
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Sugar bowl
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Traditional style
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31st Artel
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31A |
Mentioned 1915-1917
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.
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.
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