Autumn Garden (Осенний сад) Basket. What you see here is a real jewel of Old World Russian filigree work, made by hand and not a machine. This delicate and labor-intensive basket is an excellent example of design and craftsmanship reminiscent of "bobbin-lace" (a textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on cylinder cones). The craftsmanship, here on full display, involves leaves, tendrils and wings winding about to form an elaborate piece resembling a kovsch: a boat-shaped bowl or basket with, in this case, two handles. The beading in the center of the two sides is uncommon in our experience. The work that's involved to run the filigree up the ends and form a handle is also uncommon.
In very good bright silver condition with various traces of silver sulfide in a few spots. It bears more of this sulfide and could be given an additional cleaning or two plus some scrubbing with a brush to remove what remains, otherwise overall very good. A nice gift for the Russian filigree connoisseur or collector. 10" length, 5" width, 3" height.
