One of the founders of the Russian jewellery school, manufacturer, goldsmith and honorary citizen of Moscow, Pavel Ovchinnikov was born on June 23, 1830 in the village of Otradnoye, Moscow Province, into the family of serfs belonging to Prince D. Volkonsky.

The fate of Pavel Ovchinnikov was typical for the new class of industrialists in Russia. Having demonstrated an aptitude for drawing at an early age, in 1842, the 12-year-old teenager was sent by his employer to Moscow for the ‘systematic development of his artistic abilities’ to a workshop producing gold and silver items, where the young man progressed from apprentice to goldsmith.

His extraordinary talent allowed P.A. Ovchinnikov be liberated from serfdom – in 1850, he gained his freedom, married, and used his wife's dowry of 1,000 roubles to start his own business.

As early as 1851, Pavel Ovchinnikov founded his own workshop, and in 1853, a factory for the production of gold and silver items was opened in Moscow, on Taganka, in the 1st Goncharny Lane, in the house of Lezhnev. The annual turnover in 1853, amounted to 25,000 roubles, and in 1854-1855 it was already 1.5 million roubles.

It took about 10 years of painstaking work by masters and craftsmen before the recognisable ‘Ovchinnikov style’ took shape, with its own range of products, special decor, favourite techniques and high quality workmanship.

The enamellists that worked at the factory of Pavel Ovchinnikov were particularly renowned. In the second half of the 19^th century, the company became the leader in enamel production in the capital. The filigree work and diverse colour palette earned the factory a reputation of a trendsetter in this sphere. The enterprise produced glass holders and salt shakers, shot glasses and spoons, ladles and boxes, decorated with intricate, high-quality filigree patterns.

The factory of Ovchinnikov broke into the jewellery business during the first year of existence and had no difficulty finding customers. The craftsmen that worked there were entrusted with important state orders, which attracted the attention of the imperial court, and in 1865, the factory of Pavel Ovchinnikov was awarded the official status of ‘court’ factory and regular supplier to Tzarevitch Alexander, the future Emperor Alexander III. Ovchinnikov personally earned the honorary right to stamp his products with the state coat of arms next to the factory's mark.

At the end of the 19th century, the factory of Pavel Ovchinnikov was the first in the history of Russian jewellery to master and introduce transparent polychrome enamel. Extremely difficult to produce, this type of enamel resembles stained glass, which is why it was named ‘stained glass’ or ‘enamelled glass’.

Another distinctive feature of Pavel Ovchinnikov's enterprise was its extraordinary silverware with niello, which also became popular in the second half of the 19^th century. The craftsmanship of the factory's jewellers was considered unsurpassed. One of the most expressive techniques was engraving architectural landscape (veduta) onto metal.

Pavel Ovchinnikov sought to create distinctive products based on traditional Russian canons, while at the same time producing modern items meeting the needs of society.

In his works, P. Ovchinnikov used models by famous sculptors, architects, artists, and draughtsmen: V. Borovsky, I. Bornikov, E. Lanceray, A. Aubert, D. Tschitschagow, I. Monighetti, G. Hartmann, A. Zakharov, S. Komarov, and L. Dahl. The painter and sculptor A. Zhukovsky was his permanent collaborator.

Some of Pavel Ovchinnikov works stored in the museum Collection repository are featured in our new photo album, prepared for the 195^th birth anniversary of the artisan.

In 1871, P. Ovchinnikov opened a special school at the factory to train 130 goldsmiths and silversmiths. At the exhibition in 1882, the school was awarded a silver medal.

In 1873, a branch of Pavel Ovchinnikov company was opened in St. Petersburg.

From 1876, P.A. Ovchinnikov was elected a member of the Moscow City Duma (Parliament), was a member of the Moscow Merchant Council, and a member of the Moscow Stock Exchange Committee.
In 1881, Pavel Ovchinnikov was granted the title of supplier to the Imperial Court. He died on April 7, 1888 and was buried at the Kalitnikovsky Cemetery in Moscow.