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Issues of 2008
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Faberge from the Ukraine
In his time, Marshak was considered by the people to be in the same league as the famous Russian goldsmiths Sazikov, Khlebnikov, etc. One could come across his name in the reports about the Nizhny Novgorod Fair of Art and Industry of 1896 as frequently as across such famous brand names as Faberge and Bolin. Today, the researchers of the jewelry art history state that the works by Marshak embodied the best features of the art of jewelry of the borderline period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The items created by the master were distinguished by their professionalism, artistic taste and originality. Today the collectors and jewelers are happy to «acquire some Marshak» in the antiques market. These items are quite rare and the period of their circulation between private collections and antique dealers in general is quite long. Not often they are put up for sale at auctions. Even in the museums of Kiev, where the outstanding jeweler was born and operated, not more than ten items by the famous craftsmen are known. We have the information that the great Faberge and Marshak were acquaintances, they met in Kiev, where Carl Faberge launched a shop and an atelier in the early 1900-s. Some time afterwards, however, the great Carl, however, had to liquidate his Kiev affiliate, because of the strong competition with the Marshak’s products. After twenty years’ development, the company established by Marshak in the late 19th century turned to a flourishing business and was one of the biggest jewelry producers in the Southwest region of the Russian Empire. The Marshak’s craftsmen created a lot of masterpieces, however, most of them did not survive the storm of revolutions, wars and historical cataclysms and were lost forever. The Marshak’s catalog, published in Kiev in 1897, repots as follows: «our company executes orders for the supply of various pieces of jewelry, golden and silver items, and performs artistic works of different kinds both in silver and in gold». Price lists contained not only the prices of the items and payment instructions, but also provided the information about the company and performed the advertising function. «All the orders are executed with utmost care, with equal attention being paid to both the smallest and most insignificant and to the biggest and most complicated», — informed the Marshak’s catalogue.
Iosif Abramovich Marshak was born in 1854. From the years of childhood he demonstrated artistic talent and since starting an apprenticeship at a jeweler’s atelier (at the age of 14) he dreamed about starting his own business. In 1878, a young 24 year old jewelry craftsman, after having got married decided to launch a jewelry atelier in the Podol region of Kiev. He even had to invest his wife’s dowry in an amount of 100 rubles into the enterprise. In his work, he always wanted to reach perfection using the best materials: the gold was supplied from Hamburg, Berlin, and Paris, the silver from Moscow and platinum from St.Petersburg. He started close co¬operation with foreign goldsmiths and hired the best artists from St.Petersburg and Paris to work on the design of his items. His products were exhibited at many international jewelry expositions and received medals there, namely, a medal and an honorable diploma of the World Colombian Jewelry Exhibition in Chicago (1893), a gold medal at the World Jewelry Exhibition in Antwerp (1894) and the supreme accolade «Honorable Recognition» at the Agricultural-Industrial Exhibition in Kiev (1897). The workshop of a hereditary honorable citizen, merchant of the First Guild, Joseph Abramovich Marshak, didn’t, however, stayed in Podol for long. He moved his workshop, Fabrique de Bijoux Joseph Marchak, from Podol to Kreschatik into the house ¹ 4 (Kieff, 4, Rue Krestchatik). In the house ¹ 4, Joseph Marshak rented a five rooms’ apartment with three rooms serving as a workshop, one being his lodgings, while the other one providing the office for meeting with clients, who frequented the Marshak’s house. The jewelry art historians hold a superb technique of casting precious metals as the strongest side of the works by Marshak. Namely the miniature cast figures from silver and platinum brought the main portion of fame to the Marshak’s brand. It became trendy to keep these miniature items in a dining room, or in a salon of a wealthy man’s house. Very often such figure were produced on an individual one-piece order. However, both the individual works and the figures produced in series featured the same high grade of artistic design and technical performance including the finish of the highest quality grade. In 1890, Joseph Abramovich Marshak for the first time made trip across the Western Europe, attending the World Jewelry Show in Paris as well as visiting a number of other important centers of European jewelry craft. In 1891, a Franco-Russian exhibition was opened in Moscow in which all the famous artists and greats names of the world’s luxury business took part. Joseph observed, took notes, and absorbed everything. In 1893, his reputation crosses the ocean; he receives a medal at the universal exhibition of Chicago and Antwerp in 1894. The voyage convinced J. Marshak of a lot of improvements having become already necessary to be undertaken also in his business, and upon getting back home he vigorously started to introduce them. Due to his activities, he managed quite soon to modernize the workshop’s production facilities up to the level of that time’s European jewelry production requirements. The rooms of the house No. 4 became too small for the growing business, so Marshak moved to another house in Kreschatik (¹ 8). That house was reconstructed into a real jewelry factory with an artistic engraving department, where a number of artists invited from Saint-Petesrburg and Paris worked. The specialization of labor was another innovation. The technology was perfected to the highest possible at that time level. He started to entrust the jobs, especially those requiring higher grade of vigilance to women. Finally, the Master opened his own jewelry shop, where not only articles bearing the hallmark of J. Marshak (i.e. gold and silver pieces, cigarette cases, medals etc) were sold, but also the items produced by other Moscow and Petersburg jewelers. In 1895, Joseph Abramovich Marshak returned to the house ¹ 4. The house’s owner, Ceiectine Verle, agreed to concede a part of the house with the entire first and second floors to be rented (afterwards, in 1906, the entire house ¹ 4 belonged to Marshak factory together with the Verle’s clock atelier). On the first floor, except for the office and accountant department, there was also the clients department (reception). The clients department was separated from the workshop by a glass wall, thus enabling the clients to assure themselves that the items were manufactured only at the works. Three apartments comprised the second floor.
However, Fortune was not always on the Master's side. In 1899, he courageously overcame a terrible disaster, a great fire. In spite of the great damage, the workshops have been quickly repaired, and the most modern to that time equipment, was purchased and mounted. Even three new workshops, the engraving, electroplating and the drawing-sculptural one, were launched. The personnel of one hundred and fifty persons worked in the Kiev business of Marshak. Joseph Marshak became one the most important goldsmiths of the Russian Empire. The artistic side was gradually becoming to prevail in the operation of his enterprise. The firm began to be engaged almost exclusively in manufacturing of valuable jewels and works of art. The official visit of the family of the last Russian Emperor to Kiev (in 1911) was the peak of the history of the Marshak’s house. Iosif Abramovitch Marshak received an official invitation to the gala event devoted to the visit in the Opera House of Kiev. Also he received an order for a series of original gifts to the Imperial family in connection with the preparations to the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Imperial House of Romanov’s. The model of the Pedagogic Museum of the Heir to the Throne and Grand Prince Alexey Nikolaevitch was a real jewel of this series. Both the initial model of the Museum and the silver casting were performed by the Marshak’s works. The silver casting was characterized by the stunning subtlety of the work and the fineness of the finish. It repeated the smallest details of the huge and complicated facade of this impressive building. Also Marshak got a lot of orders for the supply of the special gift-plates of silver, decorated with enameled cast and repousse plaques. In May 1913, the 35th anniversary of the Marshak factory was celebrated. In commemoration of the anniversary, on the initiative of the factory’s workers and employees, it was decided to establish a new school of fine crafts named after Joseph Abramovich and his wife Elizaveta Fiodorovna. The funds for the school establishment were raised by voluntary subscription among private persons as well as public organizations, while the factory’s owner promised to run the school at his own expense. At the same time, Marshak allocated 5 thousand roubles for establishing the Support Fund for the disabled veterans of the house. In that year, which appeared to be the jubilee one: the 35-th jubilee of the Marshak’s factory and the 300-th jubilee of the Romanovs’ Imperial House, Marshak submitted an application to the Tsar, asking for a title an official purveyor to the Imperial Court. This title would give him the right to put a hallmark with the double-headed imperial eagle on his items. However, his application did not succeed. May be some political considerations played their role in it. The recognition, success, awards received at numerous international and all-Russian exhibitions put him in one group with the best goldsmiths of St. Petersburg and Moscow. Marshak factory was the largest jewelry enterprise in the Southwest region of Russia, having offices in Berlin, Paris and London. Items with diamonds, silver dish-ware, cups, vases, precious souvenirs, caskets, cigarette cases, — all the articles were executed with a high artistic taste and grace that brought the deserved glory to their creator. Later, however, the majority of them has been melted or taken abroad during the Civil War and the Second World War, while there is only a few pieces left in museums and private collections now, giving only a little idea about the former success. Then came the days of trouble: the W.W. I and the Russian revolution. There was no time for jewelry anymore. During the W. W. I the works produced military equipment, namely the parts of the hand granates and field telephone apparats. The great Kiev Master died on August 11th, 1918. Suffering from cancer, Joseph Marchak died too early, at the age of 64 years. A page of the history was turned, the forty-year period of development and prosperity of the well-known jewelry factory has ended. The new times came and the Marshak’s heirs left the country. Even the factory building did not survived till now... According to the last will of the Master, his entire financial capital was to be distributed between his sons and three daughters, 500 thousand roubles was allocated for maintaining his educational establishments, and the same sum was allotted for various charitable purposes, including providing unmarried working women with dowries. The person, being popular and well known during his lifetime, is nowadays almost forgotten, while the destiny of a great deal of his artworks is mysterious and often even tragic. At that point the story seems to be ended, yet it has appeared that the Marshak hallmark survived. The Marshak family left Russia, carrying the remaining jewels hidden under their clothes. Alexander Marshak revived the family business in 1920 in Paris creating items in the Art Deco Style. He worked up to the end of the 60-ies, having hired famous craftsmen and artists to work for the house. He had a certain success running a jewelry shop and working on private orders, but by no means his success was of the same level as his father’s. Even today, the heirs of Joseph prolong the commercial activity using the famous brand name.
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Headquarters, Edition, Advertising department, Sale department, Information agency
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