A Russian Art Nouveau silver mounted cut-glass claret jug by the firm of Ivan Khlebnikov Sons & Co, stamped Khlebnikov in Cyrillic beneath the Imperial Warrant, the solid silver top surmounted by a hinged cover with a flat urn-shaped finial, above a plain spout and neck above a frieze of flower heads and foliage with pierced upright stems and an organic band of  interlocking tendrils above a decorative pierced band, the shaped handle mounted with flower heads and foliate sprays, above a tapering facetted cut-glass body, fully hallmarked, 84 purity

Moscow, date circa 1900-1910

Height 27.5 cm.

This extremely fine and beautifully crafted Russian Art Nouveau silver and cut-glass claret jug was made in Moscow by the renowned silversmithing firm of Ivan Khlebnikov Sons & Co. Above all, it demonstrates the quality of their wares and their understanding of Art Nouveau. This was a new and International style, characterised by its use of a naturalistic, long and sinuous organic lines that was as easily adapted to jewellery and glass design as it was to architecture and interior design. The firm of Khlebnikov made a number of similarly shaped solid silver and cut-glass jugs and decanters at about this same period, counting among them a decanter decorated with a silver pierced ring with four classical figures and a shaped handle embellished with a stylised dolphin and an identical cut-glass body (sold by MacDougall’s, London, 1^st December 2011). Other comparable examples include one with a silver lidded top mounted by floral garlands and ribbons and a more curvaceous silver handle above a bulbous cut-glass body (sold by MacDougall’s, London, 1^st-2^nd December 2010), as well as a slightly earlier silver and cut glass claret jug, circa 1890, featuring a hob-nail cut-glass body and silver mounts embossed with acanthus leaves and laurel garlands, a rectangular shaped handle and hinged cover mounted with an urn-shaped finial (sold by Pushkin’s, Tunbridge Wells, UK).

Based in Moscow, the firm of Ivan Khlebnikov, Sons and Co was one of Russia’s leading silver and jewellery manufacturers who, throughout its history, produced a wide range of products, from small scale silverware to interior decorations for the Kremlin cathedrals. The founder of this great dynasty was Ivan Petrovich Khlebnikov (1819-81), who was born Moscow, in the Luzhniki district. He was the son of Piotr Khlebnikov, who traded in diamonds, gold and silver articles in Moscow and was registered as a merchant in 1832. Practically nothing was known about Ivan Khlebnikov’s early career, but it seems logical that he was trained and initially worked for his father until he established his own concern. This was most probably in Saint-Petersburg where he is recorded in 1867 and where he remained until 1870, when he founded a manufacturing firm in Moscow. 

At his factory in Moscow, Khlebnikov initially employed about a hundred people with a turnover in 1871 valued at 56,000 roubles; later he was employing twice the workforce and the annual turnover reached 300,000 roubles. Several shops were opened, with one showroom situated by the Kuznetski Bridge in the house of Solodovnikov, another was opened in Ilijnskaya Street, while further showrooms were established in Saint-Petersburg in Nevsky Prospekt and at the Nizhny Novgorod fair. Khlebnikov’s Moscow factory was well equipped with the latest technical equipment including specialized workshops for stone cutting, metal processing etc, suitable for creating all types of works in a variety of styles. His company was known for producing decorative silver and enamel work which reinvented traditional Russian style and folk art through originality and a colourful palette. In particular, Khlebnikov was known for immaculate plique-à-jour and cloisonné enamel, and for works produced in the Russian and Modern styles. Nevertheless, Khlebnikov’s output was extremely diverse and also featured the Neo-Baroque, Rococo and Classical styles. In addition to the main factory, within its premises, Khlebnikov opened a school of design and sculpture for thirty-five students.

As a means of promoting his range of silver and jewellery, Khlebnikov regularly participated in various exhibitions, for instance he showed his work alongside another renowned silversmith Pavel Akimovich Ovchinnikov (1830-88) at the Moscow Polytechnic exhibition in 1872 and in the following year at Vienna and was awarded two gold medals at both shows. His growing fame allowed the factory to receive honorary orders, such as the renovation of the Imperial Palace silver dinner sets, which he undertook together with the firm of Nicols and Plinke, as well as with the jewellers P. A. Ovchinnikov and Ivan Ekimovich Morozov (1825-85). For this, the Khlebnikov factory produced 160 new items of the Golden Set, originally made by G. F. Eckart and J. G. Blom for the Anichkov and Gatchina Palaces in 1759-1784. The Dessert set, with the monogram of Catherine II, donated by Prince G. Potemkin was also renovated, as was the Orlovsky dinner set, dating back to 1772-76. Furthermore, additional, coffee pots, teapots, sugar bowls, milk jugs, teaspoons, salt spoons and serving dishes for several dinner sets from the Winter Palace were manufactured in the style of the original models.

As a reflection of his firm’s standing, Khlebnikov was appointed a supplier to the Grand Dukes in 1869 as well as supplier to the court of the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich. Four years later, in 1873, he was commissioned to decorate the wardrobe of Her Majesty the Empress Maria Alexandrovna. This was an honorary distinction and evidenced his good repute among his customers. His ambition to supply the Russian Imperial court was voiced in 1875, when he wrote “The right to be titled the supplier of the court... will serve me and my heirs, the successors of my business – the most invaluable encouragement to continue honest labour and precious estimation of my firm.” Finally, in 1879 he received the long-awaited distinction in his appointment as supplier to Russian Imperial court. With it came the right to put the national armorial bearings on his factory sign and as here, to stamp each of his silver pieces with the Imperial eagle. In addition to this, the firm of Khlebnikov was also awarded with the title of supplier to the Danish, Dutch and Serbian royal courts, as well as being appointed a supplier to the Prince of Montenegro’s court.

Ivan Petrovich died in 1881, at the age of 62 and was buried in the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery. On his death his sons Mikhail Ivanovich, Nikolai, Alexei and Vladimir, who had already been working for the company, inherited his business. The fame of the factory and its influence after the death of Ivan Petrovich did not diminish, rather under its newly styled term as the partnership of I. P. Khlebnikov, Sons & Co, it continued to flourish and grow. By 1882, the workforce had risen to about a thousand to include goldsmiths, coppersmiths, chasers, haberdashers, enamellers and filigree artists. Together with the best Moscow jewellery manufacturers, the firm participated in the decoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, for which the Khlebnikov brothers created nearly fifty religious objects, to include chalices, ostensories, bowls and jugs for holy-water, incense burners, serving dishes and icon lamps. However, it was the mass-market productions that mainly provided the financial wellbeing of the company. To this end they manufactured large quantities of high quality but medium-priced silver objects, dinnerware, cutlery and jewellery. The business also continued to expand further when it amalgamated with (or acquired) the well-known jewellery shops and factories owned by Sazikov, both in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg. We also know from the 1897 catalogue of the gold and silver manufacturer M. M. Postnikov, that by then the Khlebnikov brothers owned two steam engines and a steam boiler, while their annual turnover had reached 172,372 roubles.

Like their father, the Khlebnikov brothers gained commercial, critical and official recognition. For instance, Ivan Khlebnikov’s eldest son Mikhail Ivanovich was awarded with the Order of Stanislaus of the third degree in 1881 and was ranked as an honorary citizen of Saint-Petersburg in 1883, while other of his brothers were ranked as honourable citizens in 1887. With the onset of the Russian Revolution, the Khlebnikov factory was closed on 24^th June 1917. According to the Will of one of the brothers, the company’s shares were donated to the Moscow county Zemstvo to support the sick and wounded soldiers. Regarding the main enterprise, it was reorganized to become the Moscow platinum factory in 1918, producing all kinds of items for the electrochemical industry and research laboratories, while a small amount of jewellery, but mainly utensils, cutlery and glass holders were also manufactured there.