Fabergé Friday

When you get a fever and need to check your temperature, I'm sure we'd all feel better if the thermometer stuck up into our bu... I mean in our armpit, was pretty and made by Fabergé. Like this one for example! It was made by workmaster Mikail Perkhin, around 1895.

It's very rare to find medical equipment among Fabergé's products, but here we have one! The thermometer has a handle covered in midnight blue enamel over a guilloché ground. It's also decorated with gold bands of chased leaves, the terminal set with a big moonstone. It's 12.9 cm long, denoted in centigrade, and was sold at Sotheby's for 61,250 GBP.

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Fabergé Friday

And today's Fabergé object is - a scent bottle! Made by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, sometime before 1896.

The bottle is shaped like a lyre, and made out of engraved smoky quartz. It has mounts of red gold set with rose-cut diamonds, and the lid is covered in translucent pink, finished off with a pearl finial. The bottle is 2.5'' x 0.9'' x 0.7'' (6.3 x 2.4 x 1.7 cm), and since 1953 it has been part of the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

Small boxes are good to have for all those little trinkets that seems to amass everywhere. So, here is another one from Fabergé! It was made by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, sometime between 1896 and 1903.

The fan-shaped box is made of bloodstone, with a lid is of alternate tooled gold and pink guilloché enamel stripes. Around the edge runs a line of brilliant diamonds, and diamonds also encircle the cabochon moonstone pushpiece. The hinge, shaped as the handle of the fan, is made of gold and set with two pearls. The measurements of the box is 0.8'' x 2.2'' x 1.5'' (2 x 5.5 x 3.9 cm). and since 1953 it has been part of the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

Whatever your choice of drink is, it always tastes better in a pretty glass. Like this one by Fabergé for example! It was made by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, 1895.

The cup of the goblet is made of rock crystal. The stem and foot holding it up is covered in royal blue and white enamel, decorated with ornaments of two-colored gold and rose-cut diamonds. It was given as a Christmas present to Queen Mary, by Dowager Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, at Christmas 1895. Now it resides in the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

This week's Fabergé object is a beautifully embellished little box. It was made by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, sometime before 1896!

The 1.5'' x 5.4'' x 3.7'' (3.8 x 13.7 x 9.3 cm) size box is made of bloodstone. It is heavily decorated with gold ornaments in the neo-rococo style, set with rose-cut diamonds.

The box was presented by the daughters of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna to King George V, and is now part of the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

Cold January is a good month for sitting inside playing card. And of course you need a nice card box to put your deck in! Like this one by Fabergé for example. It was made by workmaster Mikhail Prekhin, around 1890.

The box is made of aventurine quartz, and decorated with gold ornaments, rose-cut diamonds and olivines. On top sits the initials of Grand Duchess Xenia of Russia, who first owned it. It was later acquired by Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, which now makes it part of the Royal Collection. The dimensions of the card box are 3.5'' x 2.5'' x 1.9'' (9 x 6.4 x 4.7 cm).

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Fabergé Friday

The egg shape comes back now and again in Fabergé's creations, and here comes an egg-shaped box. It was made by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, sometime between 1896 and 1903!

Fabergé was very influenced by the tradition of hardstone carving in Russia, and this egg is carved out of Rhodonite, a form of striated pink marble. The hinge is made of gold and decorated with a diamond-set fleur de lis. The top of the egg also has a diamond-set decoration. The egg now belongs in the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

Today's Fabergé object is something that will help you see more clearly - a magnifying glass! It was made by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, sometime between 1896 and 1903!

The square lens of the magnifying glass is held in a gold frame, covered in blue guilloché enamel decorated with gold neo-classical ornaments. The handle is carved out of chalcedony and set with a blue enamel band. A gold laurel wreath, topped by the Russian imperial crown, holding a gold rouble coin from the reign of Tsarina Elizabeth, dated 1750, connects the handle with the framed lens. The magnifying glass can now be found in the Royal Collection. 

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Fabergé Friday

It's Friday! And here comes another Fabergé object! How unusual... This week I have another pretty bell push for you to wonder over. This one was made by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, sometime between 1896 and 1903!

The bell push is made of nephrite, and decorated with swags of three-color gold. It stands on gold feet, over which runs a border of red and white enamel. The top is decorated with radiating enamel beams in the same two colors. The actual push button is a moonstone. The dimensions of the bell push is 1.5'' x 2.3'' x 2.1'' (3.9 x 5.8 x 5.3 cm), and it now has it's place in the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

Today's Fabergé object  - a match case! Made by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, sometime between the years 1860 and 1903!

Sometimes Fabergé used non-precious metals for certain objects, like with this one. The match case is made of gunmetal, applied with rococo scrolls in two-colored gold, and an attached tinder cord.

The dimensions of the case is 2'' x 1.3'' x 0.5'' (5.2 x 3.2 x 1.2 cm), and it was acquired by King Edward VII. It now belongs in the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

Here comes yet another one of Fabergé's famous egg pendants. This one was made by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, sometime between the years 1896 and 1903!

As I love the night and the stars, I feel this one would fit perfectly on a chain around my neck! The little gold egg is covered in night-blue enamel over a guilloché ground. It is also decorated with rose-cut diamonds in a falling star pattern. It's dimensions are 0.6'' x 0.5'' (1.6 x 1.2 cm), and it was acquired by Queen Alexandra. It now has it's place in the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

I've always been a sucker for a good alliteration. So here comes a Friday Fabergé Frame! Haha! It was made by workmaster Mikhail Perchin, sometime around the years 1899 - 1903!

 

This gilded silver, circular frame is covered with alternating panels of translucent red and opaque white enamel. The opening in the center is framed with seed pearls. Both the bow at the top, and the scrolled strut at the back are also gilded silver. The back is made of ivory, and the frame's dimensions are 3 3/4'' x 3 3/8'' (9.5 cm x 8.6 cm). It can be bought at John Atzbach Antiques for 95,000 USD.

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Fabergé Friday

As I've said before, Fabergé made many, many little animal miniatures out of precious materials, and here is one more of those -  a parrot on a perch! Made by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin 1903!

This little parrot is carved from agate, and has eyes of rose-cut diamonds. It is resting on a perch of gold, decorated with white enamel and diamonds. It's dimensions is 5.7'' x 2.8'' x 2.4'' (14.5 x 7.2 x 6.2 cm).

The bird was bought by King Edward VII in 1907. His wife Queen Alexandra was very fond of parrots, and several photos from her days show that she kept several birds, in both cages and on perches, in her dressing room. Now this Fabergé parrot is perching in the Royal Collection though.

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Fabergé Friday

Last friday I showed you and egg-shaped Fabergé box, but today comes a more normally shaped box - an Imperial presentation box! Made by workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, sometime before 1986!

This rectangular box is made of gold, covered with yellow enamel over a guilloché ground in a sunburst pattern. The border is decorated with green enamel scroll leaves and rose-cut diamonds. The thumbpiece is also set with diamonds.

On top of the lid you can see the Romanov dubble-headed eagle in gold and enamel, in a circular frame of rose-cut diamonds. The box was bought by the Maharaja of Bikanir from Wartski in 1937, and given to Queen Mary for her birthday that same year. It can now be seen in the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

Today I guess the need for letter openers isn't so big, since we usually read our mail on computer screens. Once upon a time though, people wrote letters by hand! Imagine that! So here are a few pictures of one of those letter openers people used back in the day - this one conveniently made by Fabergé. I mean, it is Friday after all!

The blade has been carved out of a single piece of Siberian Jade, and the handle - designed like intertwining batwings - is made of gold, set with cabochon moonstones and two cabochon rubies. 

The letter opener is 7 inches (18 centimeters) long, and it was created by workmaster Mikhail Perchin. On 17th December 1899 it was bought by Dowager Tsarina Maria Feodorovna. 

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Fabergé Friday

It's FRIDAY!!! And I guess we all know what that means by now...FABERGÉ!!! No jewelry this week though. But a lovely little box, created sometime between 1899 and 1903 by Fabergé's head workmaster Mikhail Perkhin!

This little box - 2 inches (5 centimeters) in diameter - is made of pearl white enamel over a guilloché ground. The border around the opening is crafted in two-colored gold.

The thumb piece is set with a cabochon ruby and two diamonds...

...and underneath the box is a star decoration.

The gold flower on top of the lid is set with two rubies, an emerald, three brilliant and three rose-cut diamonds.

Even on the inside you can see what an amazing piece of art this is.

Mikhail Perkhin made a considerable fortune working for Fabergé. He never really got an opportunity to enjoy it though. According to a biography written by Fabergé's chief-designer Franz Birbaum, Perkhin died in a mental asylum...

All pictures are from Romanov Russia.

Fabergé Friday

There are two more Fabergé eggs that were made for the Kelch family, and the sixth one in their collection is called the "Bonbonnière Egg", from 1903!

This egg is made of translucent opalescent white enamel over a guilloché ground. Gold bands encrusted with demantoid garnets and seed pearls divides the surface into twelve panels. These panels are then decorated with neoclassical flower and bow motifs. In both ends of the egg sits a cabochon stone, surrounded by rose-cut diamonds. 

Inside the egg the surprise can be found, lying in a fitted compartment lined with velvet - a miniature bonbonnière box made of agate. On top of the lid sits a rectangular portrait-cut diamond covering the date "1903" in white enamel. The little box is also decorated with cabochon rubies. Inside the bonbonnière another surprise is to be found - a tiny, egg-shaped pendant made of gold and enamel.

If you compare the "Bonbonnière Egg" with the "Gatchina Palace Egg" (above) that Fabergé made for the Imperial Family in 1901, great similarities can be seen. Although the Kelch version is unmarked, Mikhail Perkhin was probably the creator of both of these eggs. 

After not being sold when offered by a private US owner at Christie's, New York, in 1990, it was still sold after the auction to an anonymous buyer somewhere in the world...