Two Russian Silver-Gilt and Enamel Spoons
Moscow, second half 19th century
Each of typical form, one cloisonné enameled with flowers and scrolling foliage, with the maker's mark of Gustav Klingert, the other champlevé enameled with flowers and foliage, indistinctly marked, possibly Cyrillic AS. Length of each spoon 7 1/4 inches (18.4 cm). Together with a Russian Silver-Gilt Spoon, circa 1910, unmarked and undecorated. Length 8 1/4 inches (21 cm).

Provenance:
Emma West Durkee (1881-1934).
Then by descent.

Emma West Durkee, born in New York to Eugene and Emma Francis B. Durkee, was the granddaughter of E.R. Durkee, founder of the eponymous dressing, spice and condiment company. In 1903, she graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts, where she studied metalwork and jewelry. After graduation, she made two trips to Russia, where the work of Russian silversmiths captured her imagination and where she acquired most of the Russian silver and enameled objects offered in the present auction. Maintaining her interest in metalwork, Emma kept a silversmithing workshop at her residence in Patchogue, New York. During World War I, she served in the American Red Cross as a hostess at Debarkation Hospital No. 5 and later served as a hostess at the United States Army General Hospital No. 41. In 1927, she married Chauncey Benton Humphrey, who had served as a colonel in the United States Army during the war. The couple resided in Brookhaven, New York.