Bidspirit auction | Decorative Pierced Plate “Azhur”. Kasli

Decorative Pierced Plate “Azhur”. Kasli Cast Iron Foundry, USSR. - Cast c. 1920s–1930s Model designed c. 1830 Cast iron. Diameter: 21.5 cm. Moulder: A. Mochalin. Marks: Kas. Z. na Urale (“Kasli Factory in the Urals”), two five-pointed stars; below, within a rectangular cartouche: A. Mochalin. This circular decorative plate features an intricate openwork design executed in the Neo-Gothic style. At its centre is a six-petalled rosette surrounded by a concentric ornamental band composed of interlocking diamonds enclosed within circles. The wide pierced border is formed by intersecting circular arches incorporating trefoil and quatrefoil motifs, together with stylized vegetal ornament. The relief decoration is single-sided. The model originated in the early nineteenth century and was based on designs produced for the Royal Iron Foundry in Berlin, whose artistic cast iron works became renowned throughout Europe for their elegance and technical sophistication. Such designs exerted a significant influence on the development of artistic iron casting at the Kasli Foundry, where European ornamental traditions were reinterpreted through Russian craftsmanship. This example represents a characteristic work of Kasli artistic casting from the first half of the twentieth century. The delicacy of the pierced ornament, the complexity of the decorative pattern, and the exceptional quality of execution demonstrate the remarkable skill of Kasli moulders and foundry craftsmen. Founded in the eighteenth century, the Kasli Foundry became internationally celebrated for its artistic cast iron production, achieving particular distinction at the major international exhibitions of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Works such as this plate exemplify the fusion of industrial technique and artistic refinement that made Kasli casting one of the most important traditions in Russian decorative art.