Vasily Semyonov – Moscow silversmith, owner of a silverware factory, founded in 1852. Semenov’s factory specialized mainly in the production of silverware with niello. The factory was small, in 1870 it employed 30 workers and had an annual turnover of 30,000 rubles.

The high quality of Vasily Semenovich’s products was noted at the All-Russian Manufactory Exhibition, held in St. Petersburg in 1870, Vasily Semenov was awarded the Silver Medal for “special production of distinct work of silver items with blackening and the beauty of drawings.”

The high appreciation of the factory’s products at the exhibition brought new orders from large manufacturers – Ovchinnikov, Kurlyukov, who entrusted Semenov with blackening work for large and responsible orders. In 1873, 40 workers already worked at the factory, and the annual turnover amounted to 75 thousand rubles.

In the future, Semenov’s company continued to successfully present its products at Russian and international exhibitions: 1867 – World Exhibition in Paris, 1870 – exhibition in St. Petersburg (silver medal), 1873 – Vienna, 1876 – Philadelphia. At the All-Russian Exhibition of 1882, Vasily Semenov received a gold medal “for the elegance of engraving patterns on silver items and decorating them with niello.”