![[0.875 SILVER] Soviet Russia, 20th century, 1966 — Two Teaspoons with Floral Decorations Made Using the Niello Technique; Tableware, Everyday Life, Cutlery.](https://gcp-la8-storage-cdn.lot-art.com/public/upl/99/0875-SILVER-Soviet-Russia-20th-century-1966-Two-Teaspoons-with-Floral-Decorations-in-Niello-Tableware-Everyday_6abb90c4bd200-full-60996300_1790677189-6abb90c594eb6.jpg "[0.875 SILVER] Soviet Russia, 20th century, 1966 — Two Teaspoons with Floral Decorations Made Using the Niello Technique; Tableware, Everyday Life, Cutlery.")
[0.875 SILVER] Soviet Russia, 20th century, 1966 — Two Teaspoons with Floral Decorations Made Using the Niello Technique; Tableware, Everyday Life, Cutlery.
[0.875 SILVER – NIELLO – SOVIET RUSSIA – VELIKIY USTYUG – “SEVERNAYA CHERN” – 1966] Two silver teaspoons with rich floral decoration
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Veliky Ustyug, 1966. Veliky Ustyug “Severnaya Chern” Factory (Russian: Великоустюгская фабрика «Северная чернь»). 875 silver, niello, engraving, and partial gilding. A set of two spoons with a uniform shape and similar decoration.
Weight: 57 g.
Dimensions: 141 mm.
The spoons have elongated handles that gently widen toward the ends and spacious, oval bowls. The outer surfaces of the bowls are covered with elaborate floral decoration executed using the niello technique. The compositions consist of large, multi-petaled flowers resembling roses or peonies, surrounded by smaller flowers, buds, leaves, and thin, winding stems. The motifs are arranged asymmetrically, yet maintain a decorative balance.
Dark niello fills the outlines, shaded areas, and the fine grid forming the ornament’s background. The petals and leaves, left in their natural silver color, stand out clearly against the black background. Precise incisions create a chiaroscuro effect, giving the flowers a three-dimensional appearance. The decoration on the ladle bowls is framed by a thin line running along the edge.
The handles are adorned with long bands of floral ornamentation. On the side facing the decorated scoops, motifs of twigs, leaves, and flowers run nearly the entire length of the handles, widening at the rounded ends. On the reverse sides, the ornamentation is limited to elongated panels located in the lower sections of the handles. The interiors of the ladles are smooth and gilded; the warm, golden surface contrasts with the cool silver and the black of the decoration.
Two hallmarks are stamped on the ends of the handles: the factory mark “СЧ6” and the state hallmark featuring the letter “М,” a five-pointed star with a hammer and sickle, and the number “875.” The “СЧ6” mark identifies the Velikoustiuskaya “Severnaya Chern” Factory and dates the items to around 1966. The corresponding mark is listed in Russian goldsmith’s hallmarks catalogs as the mark used by this manufacturer specifically in 1966. The letter “М” in the state hallmark indicates the Moscow assay office, while the number “875” specifies a silver content of 875 parts per 1,000 parts of alloy.
Niello, also known in Polish as “czernia,” is an ancient metal-decorating technique. Indentations carved into the silver were filled with a dark mixture of metal sulfides, after which the surface was heated, ground, and polished. This process created a durable, deep black design that contrasted sharply with the silver or gilded background.
Since the 17th century, Veliky Ustyug has been one of Russia’s most important centers of goldsmithing specializing in blackening. In the 20th century, local traditions were carried on by the “Severnaya Chern” factory, which produced silver jewelry, tableware, and cutlery adorned with intricate niello ornamentation. The factory is still in operation and remains connected to the historic goldsmithing center in Veliky Ustyug.
The set is a representative example of postwar Soviet artistic goldsmithing, combining the traditional Veliky Ustyug niello technique with the decorative style of the second half of the 20th century. The identical “СЧ6” hallmark and the same combination of 875-fine silver, niello, and gilding appear on the factory’s products dated 1966.
Condition: as shown in the photos.
[0.875 SILVER – NIELLO – SOVIET RUSSIA – VELIKIY USTYUG – “SEVERNAYA CHERN” – 1966] Two silver teaspoons with rich floral decoration
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Veliky Ustyug, 1966. Veliky Ustyug “Severnaya Chern” Factory (Russian: Великоустюгская фабрика «Северная чернь»). 875 silver, niello, engraving, and partial gilding. A set of two spoons with a uniform shape and similar decoration.
Weight: 57 g.
Dimensions: 141 mm.
The spoons have elongated handles that gently widen toward the ends and spacious, oval bowls. The outer surfaces of the bowls are covered with elaborate floral decoration executed using the niello technique. The compositions consist of large, multi-petaled flowers resembling roses or peonies, surrounded by smaller flowers, buds, leaves, and thin, winding stems. The motifs are arranged asymmetrically, yet maintain a decorative balance.
Dark niello fills the outlines, shaded areas, and the fine grid forming the ornament’s background. The petals and leaves, left in their natural silver color, stand out clearly against the black background. Precise incisions create a chiaroscuro effect, giving the flowers a three-dimensional appearance. The decoration on the ladle bowls is framed by a thin line running along the edge.
The handles are adorned with long bands of floral ornamentation. On the side facing the decorated scoops, motifs of twigs, leaves, and flowers run nearly the entire length of the handles, widening at the rounded ends. On the reverse sides, the ornamentation is limited to elongated panels located in the lower sections of the handles. The interiors of the ladles are smooth and gilded; the warm, golden surface contrasts with the cool silver and the black of the decoration.
Two hallmarks are stamped on the ends of the handles: the factory mark “СЧ6” and the state hallmark featuring the letter “М,” a five-pointed star with a hammer and sickle, and the number “875.” The “СЧ6” mark identifies the Velikoustiuskaya “Severnaya Chern” Factory and dates the items to around 1966. The corresponding mark is listed in Russian goldsmith’s hallmarks catalogs as the mark used by this manufacturer specifically in 1966. The letter “М” in the state hallmark indicates the Moscow assay office, while the number “875” specifies a silver content of 875 parts per 1,000 parts of alloy.
Niello, also known in Polish as “czernia,” is an ancient metal-decorating technique. Indentations carved into the silver were filled with a dark mixture of metal sulfides, after which the surface was heated, ground, and polished. This process created a durable, deep black design that contrasted sharply with the silver or gilded background.
Since the 17th century, Veliky Ustyug has been one of Russia’s most important centers of goldsmithing specializing in blackening. In the 20th century, local traditions were carried on by the “Severnaya Chern” factory, which produced silver jewelry, tableware, and cutlery adorned with intricate niello ornamentation. The factory is still in operation and remains connected to the historic goldsmithing center in Veliky Ustyug.
The set is a representative example of postwar Soviet artistic goldsmithing, combining the traditional Veliky Ustyug niello technique with the decorative style of the second half of the 20th century. The identical “СЧ6” hallmark and the same combination of 875-fine silver, niello, and gilding appear on the factory’s products dated 1966.
Condition: as shown in the photos.
