A rare example of the work of the 2nd-guild Moscow merchant Alexei Ovchinnikov and his son Feodor is this decorated box, in which the ligature of ornaments made in the champlevé technique matches the floral motif painted in enamel. Made on express commission to an aristocrat, as can be seen by the crown of the count who ordered it, the box retains its original case bound in blue silk, with cherry-colored velvet supports and a gold stamp embossed on the lid: “Manufacturers / A. A. / Ovchinnikov and Son / in Moscow” with several medals from exhibitions of art and industry.
The trading house of Alexei and Feodor Ovchinnikov was founded in Moscow in 1882. The factory itself was originally located in the Pyatnitskaya Chast Building, but then moved to Sokolnicheskaya Zastava Square. As for the shop, it was on Moscow’s “diamond” street, Kuznetsky Most, in Popov Arcade. In 1886, the shop was sold to the merchant Morgunov, ending the trading house’s brief existence. In contrast, Pavel Ocvhinnikov, who had received his first lessons in the trade from his older brother Alexei, went on to become highly successful and famous throughout the country.