Showcase 17. Gold and silverware by local makers of the XVIII - XIXth centuries

The showcase includes articles, executed in technique of niello by the makers of Veliky Ustyug and Tobolsk.

At the beginning of the XVIIIth century the centre of trade, culture and industry in the north of Russia moved from Solvychegodsk to Veliky Ustyug, where technique of niello was highly developed. Nielloware from this town was distinguished for its dark colour, clearly defined pattern on a gilded background, variety of design and refinement of niello engraving. Makers have worked out a number of new technical devices, such as lowered and flatly chased background with gold and silver details, used for additional ornamentation. Due to that features the XVIIIth-century jewellery of Veliky Ustyug stands out not only in Russia, but also in Europe as a whole.

The finest niello craftsmen of this industrial centre were M. Klinshin, invited to Moscow to improve niello work there, A. Moshnin, who made use of engravings and book illustrations, I. Zhilin, the founder of a dynasty of talented Russian silversmiths. Their works were much in demand and had a great influence on the artistic centres of Northern Russia, such as Vologda, Vyatka, Arkhangelsk etc.

The 1770s saw the flowering of niello work in the Siberian town of Tobolsk, where the most part of craftsmen repeated subjects and designs of the Veliky Ustyug makers, i.e. hunting scenes, views of towns, landscapes, maps.

In the XIXth century the production of niello articles in Veliky Ustyug and Tobolsk gradually declined, having been unable to compete with large manufactories in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg.