IMPORTANT PAVEL SAZIKOV RUSSIAN SILVER BREAD TRAY: Circa 1880 Pavel Sazikov, St. Petersburg. Impressive 2 handle footed tray with basket weave and finely detailed blanket design. Monogrammed and dated August 27, 1880. Measures 3 5/8'' h. x 14 1/2'' x 10''. Approx 34.4 troy oz. Supplier to the Imperial Court, Sazikov was one of the finest silver firms in pre-revolutionary Russia. Founded in Moscow in 1793 by Pavel Fyodorovich Sazikov (d. 1830), a silver engraver, the company flourished after his death under his son, Ignatii Pavlovich (1793-1868). A virtuoso silversmith in his own right, during his tenure the firm excelled, both in terms of output and quality. An innovator of ideas and technique, Ignatii invited painters and sculptors to join the firm, established a workshop to train eighty apprentices and was the first Russian silversmith to purchase a tour a guillochage, or engine turning machine, made in France. Ignatii received a gold medal in an All Russia Exhibition for a massive centerpiece featuring