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SILVER Seller in Alpes-Maritimes, France
An elegant Russian silver tea glass holder, crafted in St Petersburg in 1851 by the distinguished silversmith Carl Gustav Ekqvist (1800–1868). The finely pierced body is conceived as an elaborate naturalistic composition in the Second Rococo style. A gracefully scrolling handle emerges from richly modelled ivy leaves, interpreted as a sinuous climbing vine. Its fluid silhouette, enriched with rocaille scrolls and naturalistic foliage, lends the piece remarkable lightness and a dynamic asymmetrical character. The silver mount retains its removable insert of richly coloured pink cased glass with a clear inner layer. The vivid hue of the glass is revealed through the openwork ornament, creating a refined contrast between the cool lustre of the silver and the luminous depth of the layered glass. Originally intended for serving tea, hot chocolate, punch or mulled wine, this object is a characteristic example of mid-nineteenth-century Russian decorative silver, where functional design is elevated by the imaginative elegance of the Historicist period.
ID: 103387-1788942390-163598
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