Daniela Kumpf Kunsthandel

Pair of Vases, Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1895 August Karl Spiess (1817-1904)

At a first glance you would think that these splendid classical vases with their Ancient Roman military attributes were celebrating some famous battle or victory but no they celebrate technology.

The shield on the trophies below the handles bears the lightning bolt logo of the Russian Radio Telegraphy Company, known as “Spark Telegraph” since the vases mark the invention of wireless telegraph transmission, an important moment in the history of broadcasting.

The State Hermitage Museum holds the original drawing for this pair of vases.

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