Object of the Day, Museum Edition: King George V’s Bloodstone Box, Before 1896

Bloodstone Box
Before 1896
The Royal Collection

This masterpiece of gold and rose-cut diamonds is the work of Michael Perchin of Fabergé and was created before 1896. It belonged to the Grand Duchess Marie, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (d.1920) and was presented by her daughters to King George V after her death.

The box has been created in the neo-rococo style which was very popular in St Petersburg in the 1880s and 1890s. This is one of several bloodstone boxes which were created by the house of Fabergé. In 1891 Carl Fabergé himself produced the Imperial Easter Egg known as the Memory of Azov Egg in the neo-rococo style and made which resembles this box in that it is designed in a combination of bloodstone with gold mounts set with diamonds.

King George V offered the box to his wife, Queen Mary, who displayed it with her impressive collection of Fabergé objects.