Exeptional Cloisonne Enamel Belt Buckle

A Masterpiece of Russian Cloisonne Enamel

Gilded silver and enamel belt buckle, made in Moscow between 1908 and 1912.

2 5/16 x 2 6/8 in. (5,9 cm x 6,9 cm)

The buckle is mounted with a silver plaque enameled in cloisonne technique with the mythical bird Alkonost inspired by the painting of Victor Vasnetsov Sirin and Alkonost Birds of Sorrow and Joy.

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The cloisonne plaque differs in technique from the usual Moscow production. The enameled compartments are separated with flat, straight wires (twisted raised wires were normally used) in old Byzantine and Kievan tradition .

Each enamel cell is individually painted.

ENAMEL IS ALL ORIGINAL AND IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.

The surface of the plaque is smooth and glossy.

Victor Vasnetsov. Sirin and Alkonost Birds of Sorrow and Joy. 1896. Oil on canvas, The State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg)

The Alkonost is the bird of paradise in Slavic mythology. It has the body of a bird with the face of a woman. The name Alkonost came from the name of Greek demi-goddess Alcyone transformed by gods into a kingfisher. She lives in paradise but goes into our world to deliver a message. Her voice is so sweet that anybody hearing it can forget everything. Unlike Sirin, another similar creature, she is not evil.

Struck with master's initials and 84 silver standard.

Although the buckle is marked on back with master's initials Cyrillic 'P.M" for Peter Milyukov, it is possible that the cloisonne plaque was made at the Imperial Stroganoff School of Design in Moscow and only mounted on the buckle by Milyukov. The Stroganoff school primarily produced cloisonne enamel objects with straight, flat wires. All objects were one of a kind. It is also known that the Stroganoff school used to make silver and enamel miniature plaques in various techniques which at the time were sold unmounted.

Peter Milyukov owned a silver workshop in Moscow between 1877 and 1912.

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