Vladimir Potapov

Jeweller Sergei Egorov

His works caused a stir and even some excitement at the jewelry exhibitions of the Armory Museum of the Kremlin and State Museum of Moscow. Sergei Egorov was on everybody’s mind. He was described as a genuine master, who had managed to revive the traditional Russian technique of gold engraving lost as far back as the 19th century.

B

y his creativity Sergei followed the tradition of the family that gave Russia the whole dynasty of outstanding masters. His grandfather is still well known among Russian painters. His portrait of admiral Nakhimov, the hero of the Crimean War of the 19th century, is displayed at the Sevastopol Panorama Museum. Sergei’s father Vitaly found his vocation in crystal engraving and became famous by exclusive works, which were shown at many a prestigious exhibitions on all continents. That was precisely why authorities were bewildered and even angered, when he decided to leave Moscow and settled down in Kishinev, where Sergei was born in February 1963.
"My grandfather cultivated my love for the art and the history of my country. He gave me my first lessons in painting", says Sergei. I am very much obliged to him for my first experience in art. In my early childhood I also liked very much to make articles of wire and pieces of iron. But, probably, I chose my present art form after seeing Kramskoy’s Portrait of Mina Moiseev painted in 1882 and exhibited in the Russian Museum of St. Petersburg. Yes, it was a shock. "I can never paint like this", I told myself , turning once for all to the so-called artistic metal", he notes.
Sergei might be called a self-taught artist. With the support of his parents, of course, he started working with cupronickel, silver and, then, gold, when he was about 12 years old. He was constantly perfecting his own technique, his craftsmanship. The young artist began receiving orders for making rings, pendants for which he showed considerable fantasy. His experience led him to making engraved miniatures.
"I am really in love with my work", says Segei. "None of my works look alike. I hate mass production. I should feel the theme, sense it with my soul and leave a part of my soul in every article. But mass production of articles do not give such a chance. I like the very process of giving birth to the forethought image from a solid piece of metal. I work with a chisel only: I have about 200 different gravers. And I had to make the half of tools myself. Including also my working table".
But Sergei’s formal education was hardly traditional for an artist. In 1983 he graduated from the Kishinev road-transport technical school. "I did not want just a diploma. They taught us practical knowledge of metallurgy, instruments, metal processing", explains Sergei.

The Panagia of Saint Nicholas-Sanctifier & MyrLikia’ s Wonder-Worker. 48,35x29,70x29,70 mm; relief depth – 7,30 mm. Weight: 37,43 gramme. Gold, jewellery platinum, nephrite, diamonds. Design and implementation by jeweller Sergei Egorov The Panagia is made in accordance with the rales of classical jewellery technique of XVI—XIX c.c. The St Nicholas’s figure is engraved upon the one piece of the precious metal. It is a piece of handwork, being made without using of modern technologies. The article is unique and it represents an original work of the jeweller.

After that school he served in the army as an aircraft technician. Then, at last, he returned to his favorite work, moved to Moscow and soon achieved a long-awaited success and recognition.
Sergei Egorov calls himself a gold engraver for a good reason. He managed to revive the tradition of old Russian craftsmen. "No one in the world can do things like he does", insists L. Peshehonova, the senior expert of the Armory Museum at the Moscow Kreml