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Object Timeline

1958

  • We acquired this object.

2005

2006

2016

2025

  • You found it!

Spoon with Niello Riverscape Scene Spoon

This is a spoon. It was made by "P. Ya". It is dated 1844 and we acquired it in 1958. Its medium is gold plated, silver, niello. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

The view of Vologda on the back of the spoon was created in niello. A black metal mixture that is heated when applied, niello was popular in Renaissance Italy and later used in Russia ("Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500 - 2005," May - August 13, 2006).

This object was donated by Mrs. A. Murray Young. It is credited Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. A. Murray Young.

Its dimensions are

L x W x D: 18.6 × 5.5 × 3.4 cm (7 5/16 × 2 3/16 × 1 5/16 in.)

It has the following markings

On reverse of stem: [1] Cyrillic letters ПЯ (P and Ya) in rectangle, impressed (makers mark) [2] hand with orb and scepter symbol in shield over "1844" within rectangle, impressed (Vologda city mark in use ca. 1840-1850) [3] "84" in rectangle (fineness standard for silver and gold-plated silver articles) [4] initials "B.C." over [illegible] in rectangle, impressed (unidentified mark, probably assayer’s mark or control mark)

Cite this object as

Spoon with Niello Riverscape Scene Spoon; Made by "P. Ya"; Russia; gold plated, silver, niello; L x W x D: 18.6 × 5.5 × 3.4 cm (7 5/16 × 2 3/16 × 1 5/16 in.); Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. A. Murray Young; 1958-18-1

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005.

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18422979/ |title=Spoon with Niello Riverscape Scene Spoon |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=12 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>