Jane Fox: Fabergé’s Russian Fantasies and Treasures

FABERGÉ’S RUSSIAN FANTASIES AND TREASURES

by Jane Fox

In Russia, the winters are long and cold. Throughout the vast countryside, the branches of the towering Fir trees are covered with snow and stand like sentinels guarding the immense frozen land. The Birch trees, bare of leaves, glisten with frost and give the illusion of crystal flowers.

In Imperial Russia, the Czars ruled from the city of St. Petersburg. Peter the Great’s capitol sprawled along the Neva River. The majestic blue or rose quartz palaces of the Russian nobility stood in magnificent splendor. There too-frigid winds swept down from the Arctic and enveloped this “Babylon of the North” in snow. The Neva was frozen solid. The nobility was wrapped in sable or mink, the more humble in sheepskin or wolf. Sledges and troikas sliced across the icy streets. On an occasional clear day, the gilded onion domes of the cathedrals, with gilt spires and gold crosses, sparkled in the crisp, cold air. The Hermitage, home to the Romanovs, was resplendent in the frozen, white world that lasted from October to April. When the snows melted, the celebration of “The Maslenitsa” heralded Spring and Spring heralded Easter.

Easter was the most important celebration in the Russian Orthodox Church. After devout religious services, families gathered to exchange gifts of gaily decorated eggs, symbol of renewed life and hope. The egg is one of man’s most ancient symbols. The Greeks and the Romans renewed their faith in life by eating an egg. The Chinese presented an egg as a gift at the birth of a baby. To the early Christians, the egg symbolized the Resurrection and life beyond the grave. Throughout Europe, natural eggs were colored and given as an Easter gift. During the 18th century, the practice of creating eggs out of glass, porcelain, wood, or cloisonné was begun. In Imperial Russia, Easter eggs were synonymous with the name Fabergé, which conjures up thoughts of artistic, fragile masterpieces of Russian “fantasies and treasures.”

Peter Carl Gustavovich, born in 1846, was a third-generation Russian. He descended from French Huguenots who fled from religious persecutions in France during the 17th century. The family eventually settled in St. Petersburg where Gustav, Peter Carl’s father, opened a small, unpretentious goldsmith shop. Known as The House of Fabergé, it was to become world famous.

The young Peter Carl had studied the art of jewelry-making in all the renowned capitols of Europe. He created a wide range of magnificent jewelry and became known as “The Master of Jewelry.” When his father retired, Peter Carl and his brother took control of the family business. The young men decided to add “fantasies and treasures” to the jewelry side of the business. After the premature death of his older brother, Peter Carl chose to call himself “Peter Fabergé” because the name refers to “an artisan who makes fine jewelry and other objects of gold.” He produced his exquisite jewelry and objects of beauty for the royal circle.

The broaches, necklaces, and pendants all glitter with diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. There are sumptuous silver bowls and candlesticks, cloisonné samovars, crystal and enamel vases that graced patrician tables. Tooled leather desk sets inspired writers. Elegant cigarette cases were the rage of gentlemen early in the 20th century. Fabergé produced an array of breathtaking fantasies. Each piece was executed with flawless perfection and original design. It is this craftmanship that made the works of Fabergé unique and why collectors of rare and beautiful things sought them. The Bolsheviks confiscated much of it after the Revolution. However, many treasures of the Russian Royals are now in museums and private collections all over the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, and the Cleveland Art Museum. To step into a room of some of these treasures in a museum is like stepping into another world. They are mementos and silent witnesses to the lost world of the Romanovs and the doomed Russian Dynasty.

In 1883, Peter displayed his creations at a fair in Moscow. Fairs were an important part of life in Old Russia. There were peasants in their babushkas and swirling colorful dress. The Cossacks were in their shiny boots and silver helmets, their jackets draped over one shoulder. Gypsies, with their flashing eyes, could be heard playing their balalaikas. There were wealthy merchants from abroad. Middle class and upper class mingled together and gave the illusion of a twisting kaleidoscope of sights and sounds.

Strolling through the crowds in Moscow that day was a handsome couple dressed in Russian finery. The Czar Alexander and the Czarina Maria purchased a pair of gold cufflinks and an enamel cigarette case. It was the beginning of the Russian Collection of Fabergé treasures. The Czar consulted Peter for the perfect

Circa 1896 - 1908 Yellow and Rose Gold Faberge Cigarette Case - valued at $50,724.46

gift for the Czarina. It was decided that he would present her with an Easter Egg. On Easter morning in 1884, the first Fabergé egg was delivered to the palace. It appeared to be an ordinary white enamel egg. When it was opened, one found a tiny gold hen with ruby eyes sitting on a nest of diamonds. With this egg, a tradition that was to last for 35 years was begun. Each egg was created of translucent enamel and was decorated in a lavish design of gold and precious stones. When opened, each egg symbolizes an event in the lives of the Romanovs and has a story to tell. Each egg is a masterpiece of creativity. The Easter Eggs are the supreme expression of Fabergé’s art.

Fifty-six eggs were created. Ten are in the Kremlin. Twelve are in the Forbes Collection in New York. Three are in the Royal Collection in London. Eight are thought to be in private collections. Five are in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Finally, three were in the New Orleans Museum of Art but are now in the Cheekwood Museum of Art in Nashville, Tennessee. Over a hundred years have passed since the Fabergé workshops closed their doors forever. Peter Fabergé escaped the Russian Revolution in 1918 disguised as a foreign diplomat. He lived his last two years in Switzerland.