Saturday, November 9, 2013

Mastery of Design: The Fabergé Pear, 1903



Pear by Michael Perchin
1903
Acquired by Edward VII and Queen Alexandra
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II



I wish the tree in my backyard grew these. Created for Fabergé in 1903 by Michael Perchin (or, Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin, depending on your language of choice) (1860-1903), this pear is made of nephrite mounted with gold and diamonds.

The object is actually a small box and cover. Fabergé and his craftsmen took great pride in elevating the simplest of items as well as offering realism in their designs. For example, this pear even features a reeded gold stem which terminates in a diamond as well as leaves of gold which have been accentuated with “dewdrops” of diamonds. The rim of the box’s base is also densely set with a band of rose-cut diamonds. 



This box was part of a large suite of Fabergé desk accessories which were acquired by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.




Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

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