Pets of the Belle Époque: A Sculpture of the Borzoi Vassilka, 1908-17

Vassilka
Carl Fabergé, 1908-1917
The Royal Collection

The borzoi Vassilka was a gift to King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra from Tsar Alexander III and Tsarina Marie Feodorovna. The dog lived at Sandringham House and was frequently showed, winning more the seventy-five prizes for its beauty.


In 1908, King Edward VII commissioned the craftsmen at Fabergé to create a silver sculpture of the prize-winning dog. The statuette—executed by Carl Fabergé himself—was one of Queen Alexandra’s most prized possessions.