Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Peter Carl Fabergé’s 166th birthday: Key points and pictures of his work
- He was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia on May 30 [OS May 18] 1846
- He was a Russian jeweler, best known for the famous Faberge eggs, the eggs are made in the original style Easter, but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more simple materials.
- Ancestors of Gustav Faberge’s father was a Huguenot, originally from La Bouteille, Picardy, who fled from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, first to Germany near Berlin, then in 1800 for the Baltic province of Livonia, then part of Russia.
- He received education from respected goldsmiths in Germany, France and Britain, following the course at the College of Commercial Schloss, Paris, and looking at objects in the galleries of Europe’s leading museums.
- Travel and study continued until 1872, when at the age of 26 he returned to St Petersburg and Augusta married Julia Jacobs.
- Over the next 10 years, his father trusted workmaster Hiskias Pendin act as a mentor and tutor.
- After the death of Hiskias Pendin in 1882, Carl Faberge took responsibility for running the company.
- One of the Faberge display is a replica of a gold bracelet the 4th century BC Scythian Treasure of the Hermitage.
- Shortly after joining the company Agathon, House introduces object deluxe: bejeweled gold enamel decorated with items ranging from an electric bell push to the box of cigarettes, including the objects de fantaisie.
- In 1885, Tsar Alexander III commissioned the company to make the Easter egg as a gift for his wife, Queen Maria.
- Tsar ordered the other eggs in the next year. However, from 1887, Carl Faberge apparently given complete freedom in terms of design, which became increasingly complicated.
- The next Tsar, Nicholas II, ordered two eggs each year, one for his mother and one for his wife, Alexandra. This tradition continued until the October Revolution.
- In 1900 his work represented Russia at the World Exposition in the 1900s in Paris.
- As Carl Faberge was a member of the jury, because it exhibited Faberge Council hors concours (without competition). However, the House was awarded the gold medal and the city of Carl Faberge jewelry is recognized as a maître.
- In addition, Carl Faberge decorated with France’s most prestigious award – he was named a Knight of the Legion of Honor.
- Two sons, Carl and Workmaster head was also honored. Commercial, the exposition was a great success and the company obtained many orders of magnitude and the client.
Who was Peter Carl Faberge?
Born on May 30, 1846 in St. Petersburg, Peter Carl Fabergé honed his jewellery skills in Germany, France and England and later joined his father's business in 1870.
He won the gold medal at the 1882 Pan-Russian Exhibition in Moscow and this feat got his achievement noticed in Russia. In 1885 he was appointed as the court jeweller of the Romanov Dynasty, and the work that he did for the last two Czars that earned him worldwide fame.
Quite like today's much awaited electronic gadgets, the design of each of Peter Carl Fabergé's Easter eggs was a closely guarded secret before it was officially handed over to the royal family.
During the reign of Alexander III, Fabergé made one Easter egg every year. Following the death of his father when Nicolas II ascended to the Russian throne in 1894, Fabergé made two eggs - one for the current Czar's mother Maria Feodorovna and another for the Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna.
About three-and-a-half years ago nine of these world famous eggs were in India and were on display at New Delhi's National Museum from late December 2008 to mid-January 2009. The nine Imperial Easter Eggs were valued at $26 million and included the much-celebrated Coronation Easter Egg from 1897.
June 1935: Richly decorated and highly-ornate Faberge eggs, embellished with gold and precious stones, pictured as part of a Russian Art exhibition. (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)
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