23.3 x 74 x 35 cm

The kovsh form, both single- and double-handed, was derived from the rustic drinking vessels made in northern Russia and Scandinavia of carved and painted wood. Two-handled kovshi often functioned as serving bowls. Another kovsh by Ovchinnikov, of similar form and decoration but of a later date (1908-17), is in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. In Norway, the goldsmiths Marius Hammer and David Andersen also produced vessels based upon these traditional forms, often made in plique à jour enamel.

Haydn Williams, Enamels of the World: 1700-2000 The Khalili Collections, London 2009, cat. 258, p. 366.