Jewelry Art: Carl Faberge
The British Royal Collection of Faberge items has more than six hundred items.
Photo 1 - Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duchess of Cambridge in the chambers of the Royal Collection.
Its uniqueness lies in the fact that all the items of the famous jeweler were collected before the October Revolution of 1917. Many items were presented personally to members of the British Royal Family by their relatives from the Russian Imperial House of Romanov.
Photo 2 - Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain
Faberge Easter eggs, which previously belonged to the imperial family of Nicholas II, are rightfully considered one of the most significant treasures. At various times, they were purchased at auctions or bought from private individuals.
Four Easter eggs from the royal collection
Faberge egg "Colonnade" - an allegory of the temple of love
The egg - clock "Colonnade" was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to his wife Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1905.
Photo 3 - egg "Colonnade"
It was dedicated to the long-awaited event of the royal family: the birth in 1904 of Tsarevich Alexei, heir to the Russian throne. The egg is made of gold and platinum, covered with transparent pink enamel and diamonds.
Photo 4 - a fragment of the upper part of the egg
The egg is crowned with a gilded Cupid depicting the Tsarevich. A green colonnade made of bowenite (a type of jade) supports the egg and a clock hand comes out of it, indicating the numbers of the diamond dial.
Photo 5 - a fragment of an egg with a figurine of a cherub
Four seated silver-gilt cherubs at the base of the colonnade represent the emperor's daughters. The figurines are connected by garlands of multicolored gold and diamonds. In the center of the colonnade are two platinum doves, as a symbol of tender love.
The "Mosaic" Egg is a precious "embroidery" by Alma Pichl, the only female designer of the firm.
Photo 6 - mosaic egg
Alma Pichl came from a family of prominent jewelers who worked for Faberge. The idea for the Mosaic Egg design came to her when one day she saw an embroidery that her mother-in-law was working on. The embodiment of such a complex pattern, completely covering the egg, required the filigree work of the master.
Photo 7 - egg fragment
After all, each of the little precious stones had to be precisely cut to fit into the opening of the platinum mesh. The jeweler Albert Holstrom brilliantly coped with this task. His work aroused sincere admiration from Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who received this masterpiece on Easter 1914.
Photo 8 - egg fragment
The item measuring 9.2 cm is made of gold, platinum, diamonds. The unique imitation of embroidery is made of rubies, emeralds, topazes, sapphires, garnets, pearls.
Photo 9 - egg surprise
The surprise is a golden pedestal adorned with pearls, diamonds and green garnets.
On the pedestal there is a plaque with portrait profiles of five imperial children, topped with an imperial crown.
Photo 10 - the reverse side of the plaque
On the other side, the date 1914 and the names of the emperor's children are written along the border of the plaque. In the center is a basket of flowers on a pale green background.
Egg "Basket of Flowers" as the embodiment of the emperor's tender love for his wife
Photo 11 - Easter masterpiece - "Basket of flowers"
Jewelry Easter egg is made in the form of a flower basket, covered with white enamel, intercepted by a twisted gold lattice. Basket handle and grate are inlaid with diamonds. Presented by the emperor to his wife - Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1901.
Photo 12 - a fragment of an Easter egg
The theme of the emperor's love for his adored wife is embodied in the idea of creating an egg.
This touching bouquet of wildflowers and ears of corn is made of gold and colored enamel. Carefully selected shades of enamel give the modest delicate petals a sense of outgoing warmth and light.
The egg support was damaged and lost, and was later remade by restorers.
Egg "With twelve panels" for Varvara Kelkh
The paneled egg is one of seven Easter eggs ordered by the Russian businessman Kelkh for his wife Varvara, owner of the richest Siberian gold mines.
Photo 13 - "Egg with panels." Product height - 9.5 cm, width - 7 cm
The financial collapse of the Kelch family, as a consequence of the Russian-Japanese war, was the reason why Kelch's wife ended up in Paris with her collection of Faberge products. The paneled egg was sold in 1920 and, passing from hand to hand, ended up in the English Royal Treasury. On Christmas Day 1933, King George V presented it to Queen Mary.
Photo 14 - view and fragment of the egg in perspective
The work of the chief jeweler of the firm, Mikhail Perkhin, impresses with its refined craftsmanship and elaboration of the smallest elements of decor. The surface of the egg, covered with transparent carnation, green and white enamel, is divided into six sectors by golden stripes. Roses are the decoration.
Photo 15 - a fragment of the upper part of the egg
The egg in the widest part is surrounded by a band of diamonds. Each end of the egg is also completed with rings of diamonds and leaves covered with gold and green enamel.
Unfortunately, the egg surprise was lost.
Photo 15a - a golden basket with lilies of the valley made of pearls and diamonds, belonged to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
"Live" flowers from Russian gems - a special place in the collection of English monarchs. Along with Easter eggs, the British Royal Collection keeps exquisite jewelry flowers by Faberge. There are twenty-six of the allegedly eighty items of unpretentious, but surprisingly realistic products. These are branches of mountain ash, wild cherry, raspberries and cranberries, field daisies, chrysanthemums, carnations, Pansies in vases from rock crystal.
Photo 16 - jewelry "flowers" of the collection
In 1944, Queen Mary purchased Faberge's Cornflowers and Ears of Oats for Queen Elizabeth, who was delighted with them and said: "It's charming and so against the war."
Photo 17 - composition by Faberge "Cornflowers and ears of oats"
Preserved relics of Russian tsars
The collection of Queen Elizabeth II contains the "Russian Brooch" by Faberge in 1893. This is a wedding gift to the Duchess of York, the future Queen Mary, from Empress Maria Feodorovna.
Among the unique items stands out a sapphire brooch that belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna herself. It was purchased for the royal collection in 1934.
Photo 18 - Left - "Russian Brooch" square sapphire cabochon and square cut diamond. On the right is the “Great Sapphire” brooch set in gold, surrounded by a ring of 18 diamonds.
On the occasion of the reception in April 2014 of Irish President Michael Higgins, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain put on the treasure of the Russian tsars inherited by her ancestors, a diadem adorned with emeralds.
Photo 20 - Queen Elizabeth II with a diadem
It once belonged to Princess Maria Pavlovna, aunt of Emperor Nicholas II.
The diadem was made in 1874 by the jeweler Carl Bolin. It consists of 15 intertwined diamond circles, in the center of which are placed emeralds. The diadem was sold in 1921 to Queen Mary.
Symbols of the British Crown
A relic of the British Crown are the Ears of Wheat diamond pair brooches, created for Queen Adelaide at the behest of King William IV. (Reigned 1830-1837).
Photo 19 - on the left - diamond brooches "Ear of wheat". On the right is Queen Victoria's granddaughter Alice with six diamond ears in her hair.
They have a dual purpose - as a brooch, and as a hair clip. In total, three pairs of ears were created.
Photo 21 - the crown and scepter of the British Royal House
The Cullinan (Great Star of Africa) diamond, weighing 530.2 carats, adorns the scepter. The second largest diamond, the "Small Star of Africa" weighing 317.4 carats, is set in the royal crown.
Over 100 of the finest pieces from the Royal Collection were selected for the 2012 Treasures of the Queen's Palace exhibition at the Queen's Gallery at Hollyrood Palace in Scotland. Among them, masterpieces of Russian jewelry art sparkled with precious stones - Easter eggs and other wonderful creations of Carl Faberge.
How Faberge eggs work
* Video taken from the website of the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg http://fabergemuseum.ru
When it comes to Carl Faberge, the first thing that comes to mind is his amazing masterpieces - Easter eggs that glorified this master all over the world. But no less beautiful are his other jewelry made from various gems, especially flowers of amazing beauty and grace, of which he most loved the modest field ones.
For these purposes, Faberge used a palette of various minerals. He was the first, having appreciated the multicolored Ural, Siberian and Caucasian gems, began to work with them, learned to change their natural color in order to achieve the required shade, knew how to give any color to gold, boldly combined noble and not very noble materials in his products. The great master owned many secrets that jewelers still cannot unravel.
Carl Gustavovich Faberge
Faberge's interest in making flowers arose shortly after one day a bouquet of chrysanthemums made in China was brought to the workshop for restoration of extraordinary beauty. Faberge was delighted with the work Chinese masters, caught fire with the idea of creating his own "herbarium" and soon, together with his masters, began to create stone flowers.
Real craftsmen worked in the Faberge jewelry house, such as Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin, August Wilhelm Holmström, Henrik Emmanuel Wigström, Eric August Collin, who glorified the name of Faberge throughout Europe.
In 1896, merchants from Nizhny Novgorod presented the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna with a gift of extraordinary beauty in honor of the coronation - a bouquet of forest lilies of the valley in a golden basket, while the flowers of the lilies of the valley were made of pearls and diamonds, and the leaves, just like living ones, were made of jade. This work was a copy of the decoration from the palace of the Chinese emperor.
Basket with lilies of the valley, Faberge firm, master August Holstrom. 1896 Gold, silver, jade, pearls, diamond
It should be noted that Faberge did not welcome pure copying, he believed that the products of each artist should be unique.
Faberge did not attach much importance to the cost of products, they could be estimated at one ruble or one hundred thousand rubles, depending on the materials used. And above all, Carl Faberge valued the idea, artistic imagination and skill of jewelers and virtuoso stone cutters.
He did not feel much reverence for expensive materials either. If ready product he didn’t like it, he didn’t have that charm that he wanted to see in the end, Faberge could break him without regret.
The flower vases of the masters of the house of Faberge were mainly made of rock crystal using a special technology. Due to its transparency, the illusion was created that the flowers were standing in vessels with real water.
One of the most amazing flowers created by Faberge is an ordinary dandelion with a golden stem and jade leaves, which has been kept in the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin since 1995.
Dandelion in a vase. C. Faberge, 1914-1917 Armouries
Looking at this dandelion, one gets the feeling that this fragile creature has just been carefully plucked and put into the water. And the master managed to stop the moment ...
The most surprising thing about this flower is that at the ends of its silver stamens, real fluff from dandelions is completely incomprehensibly fixed. Moreover, small diamonds are scattered on top, which, under certain lighting, sparkle like dew drops.
Even biologists were called in to examine the fluff, and they reliably established that it is real, and the age of the fluff corresponds to the date of creation of this masterpiece - about a hundred years. How Faberge managed to fix weightless fluffs and achieve their safety is completely incomprehensible ...
Another unique creation called "Pansies", which is unique in the world, was created in 1904.
Pansies. Faberge firm, master G. Wigstrom. Rock crystal, diamonds, glass, bone, gold. Museums of Moscow Kremlin
Inside it is hidden a special miniature mechanism that works when you press a tiny button. The petals of the flower open, and portraits of all the children of the imperial family appear inside it. Nicholas II presented this flower to his wife on the tenth anniversary of their wedding.
The masters and designers of the House of Faberge have created many flower arrangements from individual flowers and bouquets, looking at which, it is impossible to believe that they are made of stone.
Let's admire these amazing flowers ...
The largest collection of stone flowers by Faberge is now owned by the English Queen Elizabeth II, 26 works out of 80 made.
The main part of the collection was collected at one time by Queen Alexandra of Britain, who is the sister of the Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna.
Photo 3 - vase with lilies of the valley
Another aspect of Faberge's activities was the production of decorative and applied arts.
The company has always had a rich selection of small things that can satisfy the most sophisticated taste of people with different levels of income.
Photo 5 - brooch
Carl Faberge's favorite products were flowers, figurines of animals and birds. At the same time, amazingly beautiful gems of Siberia, the Urals, and the Caucasus were widely used in the workshops. Masters were able to masterfully change the natural color of the mineral, achieve many shades and bring the work to perfection.
Photo 8 - necklace with sapphire
Photo 10 - snuffbox
Photo 11 - gift brooch
Photo 12 - raspberry sprig
Photo 13 - pendant "Lion"
Photo 14 - brooch
Photo 16 - cat figurine
Photo 17 - bells
Photo 18 - wildflowers
Photo 19 - brooch
Photo 20 - still life
The brick is carved from jasper;
Yolk - from amber;
The bull is made of crystal and quartz.
How Faberge eggs work
Other articles about Faberge:
Google celebrated the 166th anniversary of the birth of the famous Russian jeweler Carl Faberge with a festive doodle logo on the main page of its search engine, RIA Novosti reports.
The usual company logo on the homepage of google.com was replaced on Wednesday with a doodle in which each of the Google letters represents one of the world-famous Faberge eggs or "hidden" inside it.
Peter Carl Faberge was born on May 30, 1846 in St. Petersburg. He studied jewelry in Germany, and in 1870 began to manage his father's jewelry company. Emperor Alexander III drew attention to Faberge's products, and the master received the title of "jeweler of His Imperial Majesty and jeweler of the Imperial Hermitage."
The so-called Faberge eggs brought world fame to the jeweler. The first of them was created in 1885 as an Easter surprise for Emperor Alexander III for his wife Maria Feodorovna. Outside, the piece of jewelry was covered with white enamel, a small chicken was hidden in the golden “yolk”, and inside it was a ruby crown.
The gift was well received, and Faberge received an order to make a unique egg every year.
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Emperor Nicholas II preserved this tradition, but under him, the Faberge workshop jewelers made two eggs a year - one for the emperor's mother, and the second for his wife.
The Faberge firm created about 15 eggs for private customers, but they were not unique and were not as luxurious as the imperial ones. In total, historians know about 71 Faberge eggs, 54 of which were created by order of Russian emperors. 62 Faberge Easter eggs have survived to this day, 46 of them are imperial.
Google creates holiday logos (doodles) for various memorable dates, holidays, birthdays famous people. Doodles can be both global and local - the latter are visible only to residents of a certain country and, as a rule, are dedicated to national holidays and celebrities.
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Photo 1 - exhibits of the Museum of St. Petersburg
The elegant and luxurious masterpieces of the firm of Carl Faberge, the court jeweler of Emperor Nicholas II, revered by his contemporaries as the “Cellini of the 19th century,” are regarded not only as works of jewelry art, but also as treasures of world culture.
Photo 2 - exhibits of the Shuvalov Museum of St. Petersburg
Photo 3 - vase with lilies of the valley
Another aspect of Faberge's activities was the production of decorative and applied arts. The company has always had a rich selection of small things that can satisfy the most sophisticated taste of people with different levels of income.
Photo 4 - exhibits of the Shuvalov Museum of St. Petersburg
Customers in the company's store could be sure that everything offered was made with "due care and strength, with the same first-class craftsmanship and with the same love as the intricate Easter eggs commissioned by the royal family."
Photo 5 - brooch
Photo 6 - a table bell in the form of a hare figurine
Carl Faberge's favorite products were flowers, figurines of animals and birds.
Faberge eggs (photo): timeless luxury
At the same time, amazingly beautiful gems of Siberia, the Urals, and the Caucasus were widely used in the workshops. Masters were able to masterfully change the natural color of the mineral, achieve many shades and bring the work to perfection.
Photo 7 - box; agate, gold, chasing
At the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 miniature jewelry, stone-cutting products from precious materials were a resounding success with visitors from all over the world.
Photo 8 - necklace with sapphire
The products of the Faberge firm, by all accounts, knew no equal in Europe.
Photo 9 - miniature copies of imperial regalia
Later, European manufacturers tried to produce similar products. But even such famous firms as Boucheron and Cartier "were under the shadow of Faberge's giant shadow."
Photo 10 - snuffbox
The extraordinary subtlety of the jewelry work of the firm's masters: Mikhail Perkhin, Heinrich Wigstrom and others convinced of their high professionalism, for which there were "no difficulties in fulfilling the plan."
Photo 11 - gift brooch
Photo 12 - raspberry sprig
A large staff of artists and craftsmen perfected utensils, jewelry, various souvenirs in various styles using innovative and ingenious technical solutions.
Photo 13 - pendant "Lion"
Fashionable jewelry attracted attention with its ingenuity and taste of execution.
Photo 14 - brooch
The figurines of animals, carved from gems, seemed alive and often conveyed subtly noticed characteristic gestures.
Photo 15 - French bulldog figurine
Photo 16 - cat figurine
Fragile flowers made of precious and ornamental Ural stones with a rich range of patterns and shades caused genuine delight. It seemed that the petals of simple flowers breathed the warmth of the sun's rays.
Photo 17 - bells
Photo 18 - wildflowers
Beautiful and elegant things adorned the daily lives of people with different abilities. They were full of "joyful, sometimes perky, always exquisite creativity"
Photo 19 - brooch
In the expositions of the Faberge Museum in Baden-Baden, one avant-garde work of the great master is exhibited.
Photo 20 - still life
Despite the seeming simplicity of the still life, the "gentleman's set" is made of the most expensive materials.
The brick is carved from jasper;
Fried egg protein - from a white stone;
Yolk - from amber;
Newspaper, fish - snack, flies - from silver;
The glass and its contents are made of rock crystal;
The bull is made of crystal and quartz.
Museum founder billionaire Alexander Ivanov comments: "This piece is one of the most interesting Faberge has ever created."
How Faberge eggs work
* Video taken from the website of the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg http://fabergemuseum.ru
Other articles about Faberge:
Fabergé und der erste Weltkrieg
Fabergé und der erste Weltkrieg
bekannt ist, dass während des Ersten Weltkrieges, dessen Ende vor hundert Jahren wir im Jahr 2017 entgegensehen, in Fabergés Werkstätten noch bis 1917 weitergearbeitet wurde. Die kriegsbedingt sinkende Nachfrage nach Juweliererzeugnissen, Schmuck und Luxusgütern fing man mit der Herstellung von benötigten Kriegsprodukten auf. Die Moskauer Fabrik Fabergés wurde offiziell in "Moskauer Mechanisches Werk" umbenannt. Nach Auftragseingängen von der Militärbehörde produzierte man dort in großen Mengen Hülsen, Granaten, Pravaz-Spritzen, Feuerzeuge und Feldgeschirr, aber auch Auszeichnungs- und Geschenkgegenstände mit russischer Staatssymbolik wie Aschenbecher, Zigarettenetuis, Le uchter, Becherhalter usw.
Geschenk-Aschenbecher mit Russischer Staatssymbolik
Feldgeschirr, doppelte Kasserolle. Messing, Kupfer
Benzin Feuerzeug. Messing, Stahl
Gravur Fabergé Firmenlogo mit Wappen
Es war natürlich keine Rede mehr vom Einsatz von Gold und Edelmetall bei diesen Sachen. Aber unabhängig von der Bestimmung und dem Nutzungszweck wiesen alle Erzeugnisse, die hauptsächlich aus Kupfer, Messing oder anderem Metalllegierungen entstanden sind, feinste Qualität in der Verarbeitung und auch eine gewisse Eleganz auf. Die Militärbehörde hob Fabergés Produkte als Muster für Präzision und Sorgfalt hervor.
Das "Moskauer Mechanische Werk" beschäftigte damals ca. 600 Mitarbeiter. Carl Fabergés Engagement war während dieser unsicheren Zeit des Krieges nicht allein auf den Erhalt wirtschaftlicher Stabilität der Firma gerichtet. Weitblickend stellte Carl Fabergé immer wieder Anträge auf Freistellung von Mitarbeitern für die Ausführung der Staatsaufträge. Rettete er doch damit seinen Fachleuten das Leben, das in den Wirren des unnötigen und grausamen Krieges so wenig Wert war. Vielen bei ihm beschäftigten Werkmeistern blieb damit das Schicksal des als Kanonenfutter dienenden Kriegssoldaten erspart.
Das Fabergé Museum Baden Baden betrachtet es als seine elementare Aufgabe, mit dem Ausstellen von Kriegserzeugnissen der Firma Carl Fabergé ein besonderes Licht auf diese Zeit zu werfen, kriegsbedingte Zustände in Erinnerung zu rufen und vor dem Vergessen zu bewahren. Es handelt sich nicht nur darum, dem vielseitigen Werk von Carl Fabergé Tribut zu zollen, sondern auch Meilensteine der Weltgeschichte des frühen 20.Jahrhunderts sichtbar zu machen, die den Verlauf der globalen chte eines Unternehmens mit der Geschichte des Staates verwoben ist.
Den Rahmen unserer Möglichkeiten und Verpflichtung als Mueumsinstitution ausschöpfend, sind wir vom Fabergé Museum ständig bemüht, die materiellen Zeugnisse aus vergangenen Zeiten zu Studien-, Bildungs- und Ausstellungszwecken zu beschaffen, zu bewahren, zu erfor schen und Erkenntnisse und Objekte der Öffentlichkeit im Dienste Gesellschaft zugänglich zu machen. So können wir zu unseren neuesten Zugängen aus der Objekt-Serie "Weltkrieg I. 1914-1917" z.B. unter anderem einen Feldkessel aus Messing, einen kupfernen Eimer mit Gravur "Fabergé Genossenschaft 1917" und eine Pravaz-Spritze im Originaletui zahlen.
Eimer aus Messing mit Gravur "Fabergé Genossenschaft 1917" Fabergé Punzen
Pravaz-Spritze im Originaletui
Im Übrigen möchten wir auf die zurzeit im Generalstabsgebäude der Eremitage in St. Petersburg
The best works of Faberge (15 photos)
Petersburg laufende Sonderausstellung "Faberge und der Erste Weltkrieg" hinweisen. Diese Ausstellung wird organisiert vom "Russian Nationalmuseum" (Moskau) unter Beteiligung des Fabergé Museums Baden-Baden. Gezeigt werden dort 43 bedeutende Objekte der Firma Fabergé, die aus der Zeit des Ersten Weltkrieges datieren. Darunter Samoware, Wasserkocher, Feuerzeuge, Pfannen, Boiler, Schalen, Kasserollen aus Messing und Kupfer. Markant sind ein großes Gefäß für die Sterilisation von Spritzen der Krankenstation im Winterpalast, graviert zu Ehren des Kronprinzen und Großherzogs Alexei Nikolajewitsch mit den Monogrammen der Kaiserin Alexandra Feodorowna und der Großfürstinnen Olga und Tatjana; weiteres ein Becken mit der eingravierten Inschrift "Feld-Lazarett Zug No. 143", benannt zu Ehren Ihrer Kaiserlichen Majestät Zarin Alexandra Feodorowna. Desweiteren ein Telegrafenapparat von Fabergé und viele andere Kostbarkeiten.
Kuratorin der Ausstellung ist Dr. Marina Nikolajewna Lopato, Leiterin des Sektors der künstlerischen Metall- und Steinverarbeitung in der Abteilung für westeuropäische Angewandte Kunst der Eremitage. Die Ausstellung läuft vom 12/30/2015 to 6/26/2016. Informationen im Internet unter https://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/what-s-on/temp_exh/2015/faberge_greatwar/?lng=en
Feld-Lazarett Zug Nr. 143, genannt nach IKM Zarin Alexandra Fedorowna. Postkarte mit Lichtaufnahme des Innenraums, 1915-17
Topf für die Sterilization von Spritzen der Krankenstation im Winterpalast mit Monogrammen der Zarin Alexandra Fedorowna und Großfürstinnen Olga und Tatiana
Kerosin-Kocher (Primus) Stahl, Kupfer
Danke fur Ihre Aufmerksamkeit und herzlich willkommen im Faberge Museum Baden-Baden!
The Faberge firm was founded in 1842 in St. Petersburg by Gustav Faberge, since 1872 the owner of the firm was Peter-Karl Faberge.
One of the leading Russian jewelry enterprises of the 19th century, suppliers to the courts of Russia, Great Britain, Sweden and Siam.
Jewelry from Faberge (53 photos)
At first it was a small workshop that produced exclusively jewelry. Since 1872, the business began to expand, more attention was paid to the artistic side of the matter.
The brothers Carl and Agathon Faberge studied jewelry from the Hermitage collection and made copies of them. The production and assortment of the company expanded rapidly, separate workshops for gold and silver items were created, and workshops, the owners of which worked according to the drawings and models of the company. These are the jewelry workshops of Holmström and Tilman, the gold items of Perkhin, Reimer, Collin, the silverware of Rappoport, Arne, Vakeva, and others.
The Faberge firm produced unique gift items, incl. commissioned by the imperial court. In 1883, the first Easter egg was made - a gift from Alexander III to his wife for Easter. In total, Carl Faberge made about 50 Easter eggs.
Since 1887, the company began to produce large silver products, table and tea sets, a branch was opened in Moscow (factory and shop), shops in Odessa, London. The company received diplomas at international exhibitions, Faberge had the greatest success at the World Exhibition of 1900 in Paris, when he was awarded the order Legion of Honor, after which he received an extensive clientele in Europe and America.
Carl Faberge had the title of court jeweler and supplier of the Imperial Court.
FABERGE SILVER- a unique phenomenon in the world arts and crafts of the 19th - early 20th century. Products by Carl Faberge are in great demand on the world antique market among collectors around the world, and Carl Faberge was the supplier of the imperial court. Buy Faberge silverware 84 samples original in Moscow. One of the profiles of our antique gallery - sale of authentic Faberge antiques 19, which are a true rarity for silver collectors around the world. Faberge products (Faberge) are highly valued among connoisseurs and collectors of Russian, pre-revolutionary, royal silver 84 and 88 samples. Buy Faberge Silver(Faberge) original, original 19th, early 20th century is not so simple. Due to the high cost of genuine, original Faberge silver and gold products, fakes are often sold on the market.
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At the Important Russian Works of Art, European Silver and Vertu auction on April 8, 2014 in New York, unique pieces of Russian arts and crafts will be presented.
№ 88
The pre-sale screening begins April 4 at Sotheby's at 1334 York Avenue in New York. The auction will be held in two sessions, in the first one there are only 168 lots. The main lots, as usual, are placed on the cover and the first pages of the catalogue.
A silver enamel cigarette case depicting Vasnetsov's painting "The Battle of the Russians with the Scythians", made by Faberge in Moscow in 1908-17, comes from the collection of the founder of the scouting movement in Russia, Oleg Ivanovich Pantyukhov (1882 - 1973). Estimeyt this thing (№ 88) - $ 50-70 thousand.
A monumental Russian-style punch bowl set by Moscow silversmith Mikhail Tarasov (No. 60) is dated 1908-1917 and valued at $175,000-225,000.
Many of the Faberge pieces in this auction come from the Millicent Rogers collection, one of richest women the first half of the last century, "oil princess" with a refined taste. They are signed by such famous masters as Mikhail Pershin, Alfred Thielemann, August Holming, and others. Estimeyty most things range from $ 5-15 thousand. A pair of silver bowls, created by master Julius Rappoport in St. Petersburg around 1895 (No. 56), come from an outstanding collection and are estimated at $25-35 thousand.
Among other lots, portrait bronze busts of Russian rulers stand out, 64 in total from princes to emperors, created in 1867-68 for the celebration of the millennium of Russia at the St. Petersburg factory of artistic bronze F.
Products by Carl Faberge
Chopin (No. 108-111). The current auction is a rare opportunity to purchase almost the entire set (the estimates for four lots vary depending on the number of sculptures, and range from $25,000 to $85,000). The figures of Vasily Grachev's factory from the large sculptural composition "Royal Hunt" (No. 113, 114) are put up for auction with an estimate of $12-24 thousand.
You can try to buy a silver inkwell from the famous St. Petersburg Khlebnikov factory (No. 123) for $6-8 thousand, and a silver cigar box with an imitation of wood texture (St. Petersburg craftsman E.E. Parkinen, No. 125) is estimated at $5-7 thousand.
A pair of empire-style vases from the Bateninsky manufactory (first half of the 19th century) with views of St. Petersburg (No. 138) are valued at $30,000-40,000.
"Types", porcelain figurines of the Gardner factory with Neapolitan peasants (No. 155), valued at $8-12. The same Jew made in Verbilki (No. 156) - $5-7 thousand, and already in the Soviet era an Uzbek by the famous artist of the Lomonosov factory Boris Vorobyov (No. 164) - $6-8 thousand.
There are also curious things, like a Faberge silver ashtray in the form of a bear (No. 57, $12-18 thousand). At the sight of a silver cigarette case with a portrait of Pyotr Kropotkin on the lid (No. 159, estimate $5-7 thousand), the imagination immediately draws a well-deserved Russian anarchist tapping on it with a cigarette.
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How much do you know about the history of the empire built by this artist?
A craftsman whose birthday has officially become a jeweler's day?
In fact, Faberge is not one person, but a family firm, a small jewelry empire, where several generations of jewelers worked in harmony.
It started in 1842, when Gustav Faberge, a native of the Estonian city of Pärnu, opened a shop for "Gold and Diamond Things" in St. Petersburg. Why the carpenter's son became a jeweler, history is silent, but things were going well in the workshop, which made it possible to give the children an excellent education. It is worth noting that the mother, the daughter of the Danish artist Charlotte Jungstedt, also made a significant contribution to the education of children. It was she who helped develop Charles and Agathon, a refined perception of beauty, which subsequently made their works the standard of jewelry art.
Peter Karl first studied at the German private school of St. Anna, then continued his education in Dresden. Traveled around Europe for several years, learning from experience jewelry production. He spent the longest time in the workshop of the Frankfurt jeweler Joseph Friedman, whom he later called his teacher.
Learning from the best European jewelers was not in vain, in 1872, 26-year-old Karl headed his father's workshop. It cannot be said that the Faberge workshop immediately became famous, success came only in the mid-80s, when the works of the Faberge brothers (since 1882 the 20-year-old Agathon joined Carl) had their own recognizable style. This was largely facilitated by the talented master jeweler Mikhail Perkhin, who came to the workshop in 1885 and worked there until 1903.
During this period, Karl participated in the restoration work in the Hermitage. According to legend, he performed a significant part of the work free of charge, as they allowed him to thoroughly get acquainted with the best works of jewelry art from the Hermitage collection. Here Faberge received his first major official order - the production of copies of Scythian gold items from the "Kerch treasure". This was followed by an order from the emperor to make an Easter egg. Other orders followed. Already in May 1885, a significant event took place - Carl Faberge received the title of "supplier of the highest court." The authority of the Faberge firm grew rapidly. In 1890, Karl became a hereditary honorary citizen (a privileged class below the nobility) and was appointed "appraiser to the cabinet of his imperial majesty."
Faberge's principle was the absence of banality: not a single product was repeated twice, and if the customer begged to create a copy, the master still tried to make changes, surpass the previous product in beauty. This constant pursuit of more and more magnificent results, daily self-improvement quickly elevated the House of Faberge to the ranks of the greatest jewelers of their time, who were recognized not only in Russia, but also in Europe and America.
In 1899-1900. in the center of St. Petersburg, the main building of the Faberge firm is being erected according to the project of architect Karl Schmidt, the jeweler's cousin-nephew. Shops and workshops are located on the first floors. The rest of the building was occupied by the living rooms of the Faberge family.
The House of Faberge was called a “cultural sponge” because his works evenly combined motifs from a wide variety of artistic trends: lush Empire style, romantic Gothic, smooth Art Nouveau, spicy East, and, of course, Russian national styles. Contrary to popular belief that all Faberge products are luxurious and insanely expensive, made from the rarest and most valuable materials, in fact, the hallmark of the House was the ability to understand the deep qualities of any material, spiritualize dead metal and make the stone open in all its glory.
Many things were not so expensive, the famous Easter eggs were several times cheaper than the diamond necklaces of European jewelers of that time, however, Carl Faberge himself said: “I am little interested in an expensive thing if its price is only that many diamonds are planted or pearls."
The constant search for new solutions sometimes led to the use of non-precious metals next to emeralds and diamonds, and colored glass, and semi-precious Russian gems, and silver and platinum were certainly present next to gold.
One of the characteristic features of the company was the use of the so-called "Russian style", very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Diamond kokoshniks and cups made of gems and silver, like those worn by Slavic princes, surprised overseas guests, and bright pendants in which a combination of green emeralds, blue sapphires and red rubies created a festive and fair mood...
Orthodox symbolism also enjoyed the attention of the House: for the churches and monasteries of the Kremlin, Faberge created gold rims for icons, crosses, covers for the Gospels, panagias and liturgical sets. All of them were made in the old Russian style, exactly reminiscent of objects of the 12th-15th centuries, but much more skillfully made, richly decorated with pearls, almandines and tourmalines traditional for that time, colorful enamels, the finest filigree lined with a stylized floral ornament, and carved metal patterns.
Metalworking, traditional for Ancient Rus', generally characterizes Faberge’s products of the “Old Russian” style: silver ladles and brothers, inlaid with quartz, amethysts and chalcedony, decorated with stucco flowers and wonder birds, sometimes completely covered with bright multi-colored juicy enamels, amaze the eye with the skillfulness of stylization.
Even the most famous products of the House - Easter eggs with surprises - are also a continuation of the national tradition, because it was in Russia that the most popular custom was to give painted Easter eggs - "Easter eggs". In the 19th century, a “market” of Easter eggs made of wood, porcelain, and then gems and metal grew out of real eggs. But Faberge’s works overshadowed all competitors, because the House made gifts for members of the royal family. An exception was made only for the richest businessman Kelch - they were made by Faberge seven eggs.
The very first Faberge egg was made as a gift to the wife of Alexander III, Maria Feodorovna, in 1885. It was the so-called "Chicken" egg. Outside, it was covered with white, imitating the shell, enamel, and inside, in the "yolk" of matte gold, - a chicken made of colored gold. Inside the hen, in turn, is hidden a small ruby crown. This Easter egg contributed to Faberge being awarded the title of Supplier of the Supreme Court in the same year. This title gave the right to include the imperial double-headed eagle in his trademark.
The subtlety of work is amazing even today. Many works were made in memory of any significant events. So, in a heliotrope egg covered with golden flowers, on a stand made of aquamarine, symbolizing the expanse of the sea, is hidden a golden model of the cruiser "Memory of Azov", on which the sons of Alexander III made a long journey through the East.
And in another, a silver egg decorated with enamel, there is a golden clockwork miniature model of a train, which marks the creation of the Siberian Railway.
The first egg presented to Alexandra Feodorovna by the emperor. "Surprise" - a rose, as a reminder of the Motherland of the Empress, famous for its flowers. Style - neoclassicism. Colored gold egg, transparent red and opaque white enamel, diamonds, velvet. Bud made of gold, opaque green and yellow enamel.
The egg is crowned with a miniature portrait of Emperor Nicholas II, the year is written on the pedestal of the egg under a diamond. The egg opens; inside the egg is a yellow rosebud, which, in turn, used to contain two surprises: a miniature model of the imperial crown, and a ruby egg-shaped pendant hanging in it. Both surprises were removed from the egg before the souvenir egg was sold by the Soviet government in the 1920s. The location of this egg was unknown for many years. The golden egg, covered with transparent enamel, which Nicholas II presented to Alexandra Feodorovna shortly after the events on Khodynka Field, stands on the golden model of the Moscow Kremlin - the dedication to Moscow is deeply symbolic, because the Mother See did not use special after the tragedy. love of the august couple.
"Egg Clock with a Blue Snake" - was made in 1895 and became the first of the imperial Faberge eggs, presented by Nicholas II to his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. Its design was used by Fabergé to create the Duchess of Marlborough's Egg in 1902. At the moment, it is owned by Prince Albert II of Monaco. Apparently, Emperor Alexander III ordered an Easter egg from the Faberge firm in 1894, however, after his tragic death in 1894, it was presented to the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna by her son, Nicholas II on Easter 1895.
"Twelve Monograms" - the egg was created in 1896 by order of Emperor Nicholas II, presented by him to his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, for Easter in memory of his father, Alexander III. Currently owned by the Hillwood Museum. The jewelry egg is considered one of the most beautiful creations of the Faberge firm. It consists of 6 panels covered with dark blue guilloché enamel. They are cut through by relief hoops, encrusted with rose-cut diamonds. At the intersections of the hoops, larger diamonds are set, located on gold platforms. On each panel are the monograms MF (Maria Feodorovna) and AIII (Alexander III), lined with diamonds, above which is the imperial crown of diamonds. In the upper half are monograms MF, in the lower - AIII. Also on both sides are large diamonds, located on round gold platforms. The egg comes off and the inside is lined with velvet. Surprise eggs - miniature portraits of Emperor Alexander III on a stand made of gold, which were lost during the expropriation.
Easter egg of the imperial court - "Egg with rotating miniatures". Date of manufacture - 1896. The egg is made of rock crystal and edged with a band studded with diamonds. Inside the egg, on a golden rod, there are four rotating miniatures in golden frames with views of the imperial palaces. The miniatures are by Johannes Zengraf. Presented by Emperor Nicholas II to his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1896. Stored at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, USA, Lilian T. Prat collection.
Egg dedicated to the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II - "Coronation" A miniature model of the carriage - a surprise (master Georg Stein), in which Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna went to the coronation, is inserted inside the egg. The color scheme of the egg is reminiscent of color scheme coronation dress empresses. In the carriage hung a tiny egg adorned with diamonds. Under the portrait diamond on the top of the egg are Alexandra Feodorovna's initials made of pink diamonds and rubies. The date is inscribed under a smaller portrait diamond on the underside. The carriage, reproduced to the smallest detail, is covered with strawberry-red enamel with an overlaid trellis with diamonds.
Egg "Lilies of the valley". The surface of the egg shows through the pink enamel; the imperial crown crowning it is in diamonds and rubies. Shoots of lilies of the valley sprout from the curved golden legs of the base, covering the egg from four sides with leaves of transparent green enamel.
On golden stems are pearl flowers accented with small diamonds. A pearl button on the side activates the mechanism: the crown rises and after it, three miniature portraits of the three most dear to her: her adored husband Nikolai and two daughters, Olga (b. 1895) and Tatyana (1897) appear from the egg, fan-shaped opening . R.).
Egg - clock "Bouquet of lilies". The egg is decorated with transparent yellow enamel on a guilloché background and an applied pattern of colored gold, topped with a bouquet of white lilies made of chalcedony and gold. On front side date: "1899" inscribed with diamonds on the base. This Easter egg, made in the form of an old French clock in the style of Louis XVI, is a kind of embodied declaration of love to his wife by Nicholas II. The "Pansy" egg was made in 1899. The egg is made of jade, gold, gilded silver, diamonds, enamel. Surprise egg - a gold easel on which there is a diamond heart in the center with enamel. On the heart-easel there are eleven ovals made of red enamel, where the initials of the Romanov family stand. All ovals open up and under them are miniature portraits of the emperor's family.
Egg clock "Cockerel", made in 1903. A small golden cockerel, very realistically made of gold and painted with yellow, blue and green enamel, with a scattering of diamonds on feathers, appears from behind a golden lattice to tell the time at the right hour; at the same time, he nods his head and flaps his wings, and even his small beak moves easily.
The Easter egg of the imperial family "Gatchina Palace" is an exact miniature copy of the palace with adjacent territories, with trees, lampposts, the main country residence of the Dowager Empress - Maria Feodorovna.
Egg - "Basket of flowers". The master who made this egg is unknown. The "surprise" egg was lost. The leg is broken and lost, restored later. The egg was presented by the emperor to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, for Easter 1901.
The egg with the most complex mechanism. Another egg was being prepared for the Dowager Empress, but she once hinted to her son that she would like something “with a voice” for Easter. So she got a tree with a bird inside. Hidden at the top of the crown is a key hole and a tiny lever that lifts a leaf-camouflaged round lid at the top of the tree. From there, a bird of iridescent feathers appears and begins to sing
The only thing that a woman came up with. The artist Alma Peel proposed a completely new solution for the appearance of the gift. The egg was made in the style of women's needlework, which Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was fond of, and Faberge immediately supported this idea. The egg presented by Nikolai Alexandra just before the Revolution is quite ascetic - it is made of steel, devoid of decor, the only details are a golden crown at the top and coats of arms on the sides, while the stand made in the form of four shells on a pedestal of jade.
An amazing variety of textures, the shell is sometimes made of gems, sometimes made of metal, labor-intensive "surprises" made Faberge eggs a real legend. In total, fifty-seven eggs were created by them - however, today only ten remain in Russian museums, the rest were sold in the early years of the Revolution for a pittance abroad, and many settled in the collections of European royal houses or pantries of American millionaires, who always had a great weakness for Faberge .
However, Easter eggs are not the only activity that made Faberge famous. They worked a lot with Russian gems - figurines made of carved stone were one of the significant sources of income. Little monkeys, seals, mice, rhinos, dogs - Faberge's "zoo" was huge, and for each animal a stone was selected that most accurately conveys its natural color, for a piglet - rose quartz, for a seal - obsidian, for a carp fish - orange carnelian ...
Rock crystal was very much loved in the House of Faberge: it was used everywhere, sometimes on its own, making the figures completely transparent, sometimes with eyes made of precious stones. Another series - semi-precious figurines of people in national clothes peoples of Russia, as well as "characteristic" works showing people of different social level in their usual activities - a janitor, a singer, a musician, many of these Faberge works were sold abroad.
Another area of using gems in Faberge's work is stunning "stone flowers" placed in "vases" of rock crystal, so skillfully carved that they seem to be filled with water. The stems are made of gold and silver, the leaves are made of jade, the petals are painted with enamels and carefully polished, so that the flower really seems “alive”.
"Dandelion" is made of gold and silver, and natural flower fluff is glued to the stamens; the dandelion series were especially popular. Golden baskets with lilies of the valley, rowan twigs and cacti in pots were collected not only by Russian nobles, but also by European aristocrats: the English Queen Alexandra, sister of the Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna, was especially fond of Faberge flowers.
Most Faberge jewelry is characterized by following the art deco style - curved lines, a bizarre combination of exotic oriental motifs and floral ornaments, the use of a "naturalistic" theme. He has a lot of brooches in the form of insects and birds, twigs and flowers, and shiny pendants - characteristic works of Faberge - amaze with ornamentation and symmetry, at the same time reminiscent of ancient Middle Ages jewelry with their massiveness. Often, the details are somewhat enlarged, in contrast to elegant figurines and eggs, they are extremely magnificent and immediately catch the eye, stones are used mainly large and expensive - rubies, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires.
An interesting area of the House's work is practical products. Among them, cigarette cases made of gold, silver and platinum, decorated with engraving or iridescent enamels, which could imitate fish scales, mother-of-pearl, and silk, and inlaid with precious stones, or covered with floral and floral patterns in the Russian style, sold especially well.
Lorgnettes and magnifiers made of gold and semi-precious stones, umbrella handles, stamps, photo frames, writing knives, watch cases, mouthpieces and ashtrays were cut from rhodonite, jasper, rock crystal, carnelian, jade, bowenite, lapis lazuli, topaz and quartz. The umbrella handle could have the shape of a woman's head, the dish could be lined with jasper currant leaves, and the crystal "mushroom" hat was polished so that the stone became golden and rough.
Toilet boxes could be entirely made of gems or silver with enamel "calico" coating, and evening bags were created from gold and silver of mobile "mail" weaving. Silverware is another area of activity of the House of Faberge, where they, often combining this metal with rock crystal, achieved unsurpassed heights, the matte sheen of silver was set off by voluminous images of plants, as if winding over the surface of the metal.
It's a shame that the brilliant history of the Russian House of Faberge turned out to be so short - in 1917, Carl Faberge left St. Petersburg, first for Riga, and from there by ship to Europe and, like many famous jewelers of that time, left Russia forever.
Just three years later, Karl died in Lausanne, and his sons, who followed their father into exile, tried to revive his business in Paris, where the Faberge & Cie workshop was opened, where old products were repaired and altered and new ones were made according to surviving sketches. After some time, a license to use trademark Faberge was sold, at different times different companies worked under it, and the penultimate owner was the transnational company Unilever, which produced silverware and crystal in the "Russian" style and jewelry under this brand.
Recently, the jewelry world was shocked by the news: the Faberge brand was bought out by the investment company Pallinghurst Resources, and Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, who a little earlier bought and brought to Russia 15 Faberge eggs from American private collections, is going to become the largest investor. The buyers have grandiose plans - the revival of the great brand is planned.
Whether these plans will come true is still unclear. But one thing is for sure - not only millions of investments decide whether this or that brand will be the best of its kind.
The House of Faberge has never been the most expensive of all - however, its works are distinguished by the most skillful handwork and talent visible to the naked eye.
And it is unlikely that new works of jewelry art will be able to outshine what was created great family- You can buy a name, but not everything is sold for money.
1900 Easter imperial eggs and copies of royal regalia, presented by Faberge in Paris at the World Exhibition, conquered Europeans. The exhibits were exhibited out of competition, since the head of the company was a member of the jury. From the French government, the Russian master received the title of Legion of Honor and master from the Parisian guild of jewelers. The supplier of the Supreme Court of Russia, the King of Sweden and Norway, the owner of several gold medals, the highest awards, has now received recognition in Europe.
After that, having branches in Moscow, Odessa, Kyiv, he will open a store in London in 1903, where more than 10 thousand products will be sold over ten years. Since 1906, his firm will become the only one in Siam (Thailand), and the master himself will become the court jeweler and enameller of the King of Siam. In 1910, the maestro will become a court jeweler in Russia, having taken the title from Nicholas II.
In the same year, a four-story mansion on Bolshaya Morskaya Street will be completed. Built in just a year, it will cost half a million rubles in gold. The father's house became small for doing business. The new building has become the center of the company. The first floor was occupied by a magnificent store. He became fashionable place Petersburg. From four to five, in the afternoon, the nobility of St. Petersburg gathered here to gossip and exchange news, making new orders.
The second floor and courtyard buildings were occupied by workshops with the most modern technical equipment. At that time, about 600 workers worked here. Workshops worked from seven in the morning until eleven in the evening, even on Sundays. The flow of orders was huge and never dried up. According to conservative estimates, Faberge, during his activity, created about 120 thousand unique jewelry. self made. This was only possible for mass production.
Start
In the basement of Bolshaya Morskaya street, where St. Petersburg gold and silver craftsmen lived, in 1842 Gustav Petrovich Faberge opened his workshop and shop. He recently moved with his wife from Pernovo (Pärnu, Estonia), having completed his studies a year ago and became a jeweler. Four years later, the eldest son, Peter-Karl, was born, who, over 45 years of managing the family business, will become one of the world's most skilled jewelers and an unsurpassed Russian master.
Father's business developed successfully. Soon after the opening, the store first occupied the first floor of the building, and then the whole house began to belong to the family. Gustav Petrovich was wealthy to give his sons Karl and Agathon the best European jewelry education. Karl, as the future successor of office work, graduated from the Dresden Trade School, the Paris Commercial College and practiced with the best German jeweler Josef Friedmann.
Returning home, 24-year-old Karl began to work in the family workshop. In addition, he provided free assistance to the Hermitage in the evaluation of jewelry, repair and restoration of jewelry. The founder of the company by this time had retired from business, having moved to Dresden, and the head of Zayonchkovsky managed the affairs. Since 1872, Karl, at the age of 26, took charge of his father's business.
He remained an appraiser and restorer of the Hermitage, in whose vaults there was a collection of Kerch gold jewelry found in the Crimean excavations. For jewelers, the technique of the masters of the fourth century BC remained a mystery. e. It was not possible to understand how a thin golden thread and a barely noticeable fine grain were soldered so that the decor was not flooded with solder. This riddle was revealed by Charles and Agathon. The secret of the Scythian masters became the secret of the Faberge firm.
For the Moscow exhibition of 1882, Peter-Karl, his brother, the best craftsman Eric Collin and several workers created an exact copy of the Kerch jewelry. Seven craftsmen worked on the neck decoration of this collection for 120 days. The exposition of copies of the Scythian treasure, previously just a successful house of Faberge, brought the admiration of visitors and the jury, a gold medal, and fame. The exhibition was attended by the emperor and his wife, who were fascinated by the works of the Hermitage restorer.
But the unprecedented success and attention of the royal court presented the Faberge enterprise with gift Easter eggs, which became a symbol and feature of the company.
Easter egg history
Before Easter 1885, while staying with his family in Gatchina, Alexander III received a letter from his brother. It described a precious egg with a surprise put up for sale by Faberge. The price was 4,151 rubles, which was about a tenth of the cost of a whole house in the center of St. Petersburg. But there were enough rich people in Russia who were ready to buy a magnificent trifle on the eve of Easter. The tsar, who encouraged Russian architects, immediately ordered to purchase a skillful craft for an Easter souvenir for Empress Maria Feodorovna. Since 1885, Karl Gustavovich was awarded the title of Supplier of the Supreme Court, which allowed the Russian coat of arms to be placed on products and shop signs. Since then, the Royal House has been looking forward to an Easter souvenir with a surprise from the master every year. After the death of Alexander III, this tradition was continued by Nicholas II, ordering two gifts - for his wife and mother. Gift Faberge eggs and their contents have become more sophisticated every year. And since 1900, surprises have become groovy.
The first egg bought by the emperor was executed by the highest-level jeweler Mikhail Perkhin. He had the right to put his own brand next to the Faberge stamp. In his workshop, subsequently, all orders for imperial Easter eggs were carried out, until the death of the master. Since 1903, Heinrich Wigstrom, a craftsman of the same class, took his place.
For thirty years, Karl Gustavovich created over 50 gift eggs for the imperial family. In addition to them, only thirteen items of the same level are known, the production of which took several months. Ten eggs were made for the richest merchant Bazanova (Kelch in marriage), who, having left Russia before the revolution, took all her Faberge jewelry to Paris. One such work was made for Princess Yusupova, Duchess of Marlborough, one ordered by Alfred Nobel for his nephew.
One of the first surprise eggs
C. Faberge
Egg "Gatchinsky Palace"
1901 Jeweler M. Perkhin
Masters and products
A stone-cutting workshop has been operating since the 1990s (the best craftsman is Petr Derbyshev). Karl Gustavovich is not the first jeweler who worked on figurines of people, animals, plants, but the first who began to combine ignoble and noble metals, semi-precious and precious stones, enamel, pearls, rock crystal. The carved animals resembled netsuke (the master had a collection), but they were so skillful, as if they were petrified at the moment of movement. Accessories were made from gems by Faberge masters: spectacle cases, cane knobs, knives for cutting paper, and much more.
egg with colonnade,
made from
colored gold and platinum
enamelled and
diamonds. 1905
Jeweler Heinrich Wigström
The maestro's favorite works were flowers, made so realistic that it was hard to believe that they were stone and metal. Faberge vases made of rock crystal, which held the branches, seemed to be filled with real water. The largest collection of maestro plants belongs to the British Royal Family. Alexandra of Denmark, wife of King Edward VII of England and sister of Empress Maria Feodorovna, bought a lot of things from Faberge, including twenty plant compositions.
Golden basket with lilies of the valley
1901
The leading specialist in the processing of precious stones and metals was A. V. Holfström, who led the workshop. From 1903 he was replaced by his son Alfred. Since the best craftsmen worked at the enterprise constantly, and their sons often came to replace them, many of the company's technical secrets did not go beyond its borders.
Ladle. Stained glass enamel.
F. Ruckert
According to the sketches of his artists for forms and paintings, Faberge ordered porcelain in Meissen and Limoges. There were two hallmarks on the products: a porcelain factory and a jewelry company. Figurines, table accessories, dinner, coffee, tea sets by Faberge were often supplemented in the workshops with gold, silver, stones, and ivory.
Working with enamels is extremely difficult. Chief Specialist Nikolai Petrov managed to achieve more than 20 thousand different tint colors. Faberge's third son Alexander traveled to Paris to study the experience of European enamellers. It turned out that their skill is much inferior to the elegance, variety of colors and lightness of Russian masters.
There was an extraordinary demand for Faberge silver cutlery. In addition to the workshop in St. Petersburg, a Moscow branch was opened in 1887, where services and table decorations were made from silver. Son Alexander was in charge of the factory. best master was Julius Rapport. He achieved incredible virtuosity with this metal, beloved by jewelers. Faberge set crystal and glass in silver. Craftsmen supplemented transparent jugs, glasses, punches, fruit bowls, Faberge salad bowls with silver paws, wings, heads, birds and animals.
The ban in Russia on smoking in public places and on the street was in effect until the middle of the 19th century. After the repeal of the law, cigarette cases and mouthpieces immediately came into fashion. Faberge's cigarette cases were the best. They were engaged in cigarette cases-fitters, who also made boxes, caskets, snuff boxes. Products of such fine workmanship that it was not always possible to find a line separating the cover from the body, and it was not clear where the hinges were and where the hinges were. The mechanism that opened the lid, sometimes only the owner could find.
14 permanent talented artists worked in art workshops. Among them are miniaturists Yakobson, Solomenko, Zuev, sculptors Savitsky, Grinberg (a student of Rodin), Ilinskaya-Andreoletti, Luigi Buzzi. Their annual earnings amounted to 6-10 thousand rubles. I had to work overtime even at night, rarely anyone left the company. The great master collaborated with Benois, Serov, Shekhtel, Kryzhitsky.
Engravers, chasers, and in each workshop, fixers, turners, guillechers, grinders worked more than 12 hours a day. Only 29 people were engaged in the manufacture of packaging for jewelry.
Karl Gustavovich carefully considered each project, and personally controlled all the stages of the most complex and expensive orders. Any stage of work was carried out only by specialists. All Faberge products were invariably of high quality and unique.
Sunset
In 1915-1916, most of the best specialists of the enterprise were drafted into the army. The Moscow branch produced grenades and cartridge cases, not silverware. Delivery of materials has become more difficult. But the court and customers were waiting for new works. The firm continued to operate for some time after the revolution. But at the end of 1918, Karl Gustavovich Faberge emigrated to Switzerland at the age of seventy, closing his mansion on Bolshaya Morskaya Street. He left Russia, his sons and his life's work, dreaming of returning home, but he died three years later in Lausanne, never seeing his homeland again.
The maestro was leaving with one bag in his hands, and it is not known what happened to his property, estimated at more than 45 million rubles. This is the last of the mysteries left by the skilled creator.
Faberge hallmarks
The firm of the great master was distinguished by a variety of hallmarks. There are several print options available. It could be the letter "K", the initials "KF", the full surname "FABERGE", with the initial "TO FABERGE", the initial and surname with a dot between them "K.FABERGE". Each of these hallmarks could be on the products of the central St. Petersburg department. The imprint "Faberge" in Latin was placed on products for European customers and for the London branch.
In addition, many authentic Faberge works are known without any stigma due to the fragility of the material or too fine workmanship. Stone carvings of animals, people and precious compositions of plants were not always hallmarked. Knocking out a corporate name, there was a risk of splitting ornamental stone from which the figurines were made. Therefore, one of the prints "FABERGE", "KF", "K" was placed on the metal parts of the figurines, if any, but not always. More often it was the hallmark of St. Petersburg and there was never an abundance of prints and coats of arms. The same applies to flowers. The details were often so small and thin that there was nowhere to put not only the brand, but the initials.
Since 1885, the state emblem began to appear on the products. But in St. Petersburg products, it was mainly placed on works for the imperial court, the monarch's family, orders received through the Cabinet of His Majesty, for eminent guests, high officials, on state orders, such as orders and royal regalia.
Outstanding craftsmen had the right to put their personal name next to the brand name. There were about twenty such masters in total.
Often on the product there was an imprint of the master without the stigma of the company. The punches of the masters fell into disrepair, each new one had the smallest, not at all noticeable differences from the previous one. But it is precisely the microscopic features of the names of the masters that make it possible to clarify in what period the product was made, and sometimes their authenticity.
In the Moscow branch that opened in 1887, the name of the owner with the initial “C. FABERGE” was replaced on the hallmark in Cyrillic, with or without a dot, but with the obligatory double-headed eagle. Unlike the central department, the craftsmen did not leave their personal names on the products of the Moscow factory.
In 1924, Faberge Alexander and Eugene, with several emigrated masters of the firm, opened the firm Faberge et Cie in Paris. Father's products were restored and sold, works based on his own sketches were realized, animal figurines were ordered in other workshops in the Faberge tradition. The group worked until the mid-fifties, imprinting "Faberge". The talented nephew of Carl Faberge, Fyodor Agafonovich, also worked there. Having his own punch with the Old Slavonic letter fit "ϴ", he put it and the brand "FABERGE" on his products. True, enterprising antiquarians, erasing Fyodor's personal name, sold these works as works by C. Faberge of the late period.
