Box. Russia, XIX century.

Box. Russia, XIX century.
Gilded bronze and enamel.
Measurements: 3 x 9 x 7,5 cm.

Russian goldsmithery of this period (especially the last decades of the 19th century) is world famous for the work of legendary firms such as Fabergé, Ovchinnikov or Klebnikov. Although this piece does not seem to bear a visible mark in the photo, stylistically it belongs to that school of master jewelers who mastered the technique of enameling and decorative metalwork with astonishing technical precision. What stands out at first glance is the intense emerald green color. It is a technique called enamel guilloché. It consists of etching the metal (in this case, probably gilded silver or bronze) with a very precise geometric pattern (here, a wave or moiré pattern) and then covering it with layers of translucent enamel. Light bounces off the etched metal through the enamel, creating a fascinating effect of depth and movement that changes depending on the angle of view.