Fabergé Friday

It can be really annoying when you have sat down for dinner, and realize you've forgotten to bring the ketchup! For moments like this, all you need is a butler, and something to call him with - like this Fabergé table-bell for example! It was made sometime between 1896 - 1908.

The bell is made of silver, and has a handle of engraved yellow gold covered in oyster enamel. The handle is also decorated with red and green gold swags and bows, finished off by a cabochon ruby at the top. It's dimensions are 8.2 x 3.6 cm, and since 1953 it belongs to the Royal Collection.

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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

And this Friday's Fabergé object is - a dish! Made sometime between the years 1896 and 1908.

The circular dish is made of nephrite and has an everted trim. The center column is made of gold and red enamel over a guilloché ground, decorated with gold leaves that spiral up the stem. The base of the column has chased gold leaves and is set with rose-cut diamonds. The top handle is in the form of a looped enamel snake, set with a cabochon ruby on it's head, and a gold tongue. The dimensions of the whole object are 2.4'' x 3.7 '' (6.2 x 9.5 cm), and it is part of the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

The flowers called Bleeding Hearts in English we in Sweden call Löjtnantshärtan, which means Lieutenant Hearts. They're really pretty, and here is a sprig made by Fabergé!

The gold-stalked double spray sits in a vase of rock crystal. The flowers are carved in rhodonite and quartzite, with three sets of three carved nephrite leaves. To make the flowers as true to life as possible they are set en tremblant, which means they can move gently, as blown by the wind. The dimensions of the whole object are 7.5'' x 6'' x 2.4'' (19 x 15.3 x 6.2 cm), and it was acquired by Queen Mary in 1934. Now it is part of the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

For me, one thing that says summer has come to Sweden is when the swallows have arrived. This haven't happened yet. But while we're waiting, here is a swallow from Fabergé! It was commissioned by King Edward VII in 1907, as part of the Sandringham Commission.

This very life-like little bird is carved from obsidian and white quartzite. It has eyes of rose-cut diamonds, and feet made of gold. The size of the swallow is 1'' x 2.5'' x 0.6'' (2.5 x 6.4 x 1.6 cm), and it is part of the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

One thing I really think should come back into fashion is the hand fan! They're beautiful, practical, and romantic... Here is one from Fabergé. Made by workmaster Henrik Wigström.

The beautifully painted fan has a leaf of plain weave silk, backed with silk gauze. The 8.5'' (21.6 cm) front guardstick is made of mother-of-pearl, covered in white and blue enamel over a guilloché ground, and decorated with two-colored gold and two Burmese cabochon rubies. The back guard and the rest of the sticks are also of mother-of-pearl.

The fan still has it's original birchwood box, and it was purchased by Queen Alexandra in 1912 as a Christmas present for her daughter-in-law, Queen Mary. Now it has it's place in the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

Fabergé created many, many miniature animals. Several of them were part of a big animal-commission called the Sandringham Commission, ordered by King Edward VII in 1907. I've already shown you a few critters from that collection, and here comes another one - a little rat!

The rat is made of chalcedony and has silver ears and a silver tail, both set with rose diamonds. The dimensions of the little animal are 0.9'' x 1.8'' x 0.8'' (2.2 x 4.6 x 2 cm), and it now lives in the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

So, here we have one more of those really usable Fabergé objects you didn't know you needed - a pen rest!

The pen rest is made of nephrite, decorated with a mistletoe design of pearl and rose-cut diamond berries on a gold stem with gold leaves. The size of the piece is 0.7'' x 1.7'' x 0.9'' (1.9 x 4.3 x 2.3 cm), and it was acquired by King George V, who always kept it on his desk. It now belongs to the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

It's Easter time, so what better to show you than a Fabergé (Easter) bunny!

The miniature rabbit is carved from a piece of chalcedony, and has rose-cut diamonds for eyes. It's dimensions are 0.9'' x 1.5' x 0.9'' (2.2 x 3.8 x 2.2 cm), and it was commissioned by King Edward VII in 1907. Now it belongs in the Royal Collection. Happy Easter everyone!!!

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Fabergé Friday

To glam this Friday up, I - of course - have a new Fabergé object for you! This time it's an egg-shaped cup, made by workmaster Erik Kollin, sometime between 1896-1901.

This egg-shaped cup was made to be given as a traditional gift on Easter morning. It's made of rock crystal, standing on a foot of gold. On top of the lid sits a finial of moonstone, caved out in the form of Minerva's head. The finial is also decorated with a band of rose-cut diamonds and cabochon rubies. The foot is enameled with the letters X.B for Christoss Voskress - Christ is risen. The size of the cup is 4.4'' x 1.8'' (11.1 x 4.5 cm), and it was probably acquired by Queen Alexandra. 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

This Fabergé Friday is dedicated to my sister and her boyfriend! They breed Ball Pythons, and what do you know - in the Royal Collection I found a Fabergé snake! The little creature was made around 1910!

The little snake is carved from a piece of vari-colored agate, and it has rose-cut diamond eyes. It's dimensions are 0.2'' x 2.2'' x 1'' (0.6 x 5.7 x 2.6 cm), and it was acquired by Queen Mary.


PS. If you're interested in getting a Ball Python of your own, you can always contact my sister and her boyfriend on their snaky Facebook page, Kikkimea Reptiles, here!

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Fabergé Friday

With today's standards it's amusing to see how many bell pushes Fabergé made. This was obviously something very important in wealthy homes - together with someone who came and catered to your needs when you pushed the little button... This one was made by workmaster Henrik Wigström, sometime between 1809 and 1917!

This flattened circular bell push is made of dark pink enamel over a guilloché ground, with a silver gilt foot. The press button is made of moonstone, encircled by a silver gilt bead border over a white enamel border. Since 1953 it has been a part of the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

So, let's take a look at another pretty Fabergé brooch! This one was made around 1900!

This 1.5'' x 1.5'' x 0.7'' (3.7 x 3.7 x 1.9 cm) sized brooch is made of a cabuchon calcedony surrounded by a wreath-frame of rubies, green enamel leaves, and rose-cut diamonds. It was probably acquired by Queen Alexandra, and is now part of 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

Christmas is just around the corner, and one Christmas decoration I wouldn't mind putting on my mantlepiece - if I had a mantlepiece - is this Fabergé holly sprig! It was made by workmaster Henrik Wigström, around 1908!

The twig sits in a glass made of rock crystal, which emulates both the glass and the water in it. It has a stem made of gold, leaves of nephrite, and red purpurine berries. The dimensions of the piece is 5.6'' x 3.1'' x 3.1'' (14.1 x 8 x 8 cm), and it was purchased by Mrs George Keppel on a visit to Fabergé's shop in London with Edward VII in 1908. She was a long-time mistress of the king. Now it is part of the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

We still don't have any snow here in Stockholm, but I suspect it will get colder soon, and the water will start to freeze into ice. So with that in mind, here is today's Fabergé object - a seal on a piece of ice floe! It was created around the year 1900!

The little seal is carved from a piece of obsidian, which perfectly captures the wet sheen of the animal's body. The ice floe it is lying on is a piece of rock crystal. The dimensions of the piece are 2.5'' x 4.8'' x 3.1'' (6.4 x 12.3 x 7.8 cm), and it is part of the Royal Collection.

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Fabergé Friday

It's Halloween! So what better Fabergé object to show you than this - a pumpkin-shaped box! It was made sometime before 1896!

The little box - 1'' x 2'' (2.5 x 5.2 cm) - is carved from a piece of carnelian. One section has been cut out to form a sort of lid. Around the edges of this lid runs a white enameled border set with rose-cut diamonds. The pumpkin-box is now part of the Royal Collection. 

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Fabergé Friday

You have to excuse the loss of Fabergé Friday last week. I was performing in the International Stockholm Burlesque Festival that day. So, well, I was a bit busy getting my striptease on... But here we go again, and today I have a pine tree for you. It was made around the year 1908!

The gold pine tree sits in a pot carved from bowenite on a platform of aventurine quartz. Amidst the pine needles sits little brilliant-cut diamonds. This botanical study is said to have been modelled from life at Sandringham, perhaps in 1907 when Fabergé's sculptors were there working on a commission for animal portrait models for King Edward VII. In 1908 the Prince of Wales, later King George V, bought this plant from Fabergé's London branch. It can now be found 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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