Masterpiece of the Week: Bust of Tsar Alexander III, 1900

Bust of Tsar Alexander III
1900
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Alexandra, consort of King Edward VII (1844-1925), acquired this bust by Fabergé of Tsar Alexander III. The miniature bust, dating to 1900, is carved of smoky quartz and mounted on a column of nephrite applied with the imperial double-headed eagle. Obviously, the portrait was created after the Tsar’s death in 1894.

The piece was central to Queen Alexandra’s collection of Fabergé miniatures. Her Majesty was the Tsar’s sister-in-law. It’s possible that the bust was a gift to her from the Dowager Tsarina Maria Feodorovna.

Another bust of Alexander III, cast in gold, was included as the “surprise” inside Fabergé’s Alexander III Commemorative Egg, given to Maria Feodorovna at Easter 1909 by Tsar Nicholas II.

The Tsar and Tsarina frequently visited with their British royal relations, showing close dynastic ties, in England, Russia or Denmark. Queen Victoria recorded such a visit paid by Alexander III (then the Tsarevich) and Maria Feodorovna (Minny) in her Journal on July 1, 1873:

“The Csarevitch led me in [to dinner], as 36 years ago his Grandfather, the Emperor Nicholas had done. He is very goodnatured. I wore the Russian order, & sat between him & Minny.” 

Victoria is said to have mourned deeply when she received word from the new Tsar Nicholas II, that his father, Alexander II, had died. He wrote “dearest beloved father has been taken from us. He gently went to sleep.”

Mastery of Design: A Gold, Jade and Ruby Necklace, 1825

Necklace
Gold, Jade, Rubies, Chrysoprase
1825
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made just four years after the coronation of King George IV, this necklace of gold filigree with cannetille (fine gold work of thin or flattened wires in rosette patterns) and grainti (spirals and volutes of gold wire) decoration, is set with jade, chrysoprases and rubies and shows emerging resurgence of Gothic style which dominated the era for awhile.

The work of an unknown artist, this necklace most likely comes from France. It is curious to note that the earrings were not made at the same time as the necklace and, in fact, were not purposely made to match. These were purchased at a much later date and just coincidentally matched the necklace.

Masterpiece of the Week: The Nephrite Pen Box, 17th C.

Desk Set of Nephrite Jade, Rubies, Emeralds and Diamonds set in gold
Seventeenth Century
India
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here we see, from Seventeenth-Century India, a knife, pen, magnifying glass and matching bo of nephrite jade.  Decorated in a splendid, and very Indian, floral motif, the set is further adorned with rubies, emeralds and diamonds set in gold.  

Sculpture of the Day: Bust of Tsar Alexander III, 1900

Bust of Tsar Alexander III
1900
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Alexandra, consort of King Edward VII (1844-1925), acquired this bust by Fabergé of Tsar Alexander III. The miniature bust, dating to 1900, is carved of smoky quartz and mounted on a column of nephrite applied with the imperial double-headed eagle. Obviously, the portrait was created after the Tsar’s death in 1894.

The piece was central to Queen Alexandra’s collection of Fabergé miniatures. Her Majesty was the Tsar’s sister-in-law. It’s possible that the bust was a gift to her from the Dowager Tsarina Maria Feodorovna.

Another bust of Alexander III, cast in gold, was included as the “surprise” inside Fabergé’s Alexander III Commemorative Egg, given to Maria Feodorovna at Easter 1909 by Tsar Nicholas II.

The Tsar and Tsarina frequently visited with their British royal relations, showing close dynastic ties, in England, Russia or Denmark. Queen Victoria recorded such a visit paid by Alexander III (then the Tsarevich) and Maria Feodorovna (Minny) in her Journal on July 1, 1873:

“The Csarevitch led me in [to dinner], as 36 years ago his Grandfather, the Emperor Nicholas had done. He is very goodnatured. I wore the Russian order, & sat between him & Minny.” 

Victoria is said to have mourned deeply when she received word from the new Tsar Nicholas II, that his father, Alexander II, had died. He wrote “dearest beloved father has been taken from us. He gently went to sleep.”

Gifts of Grandeur: Queen Mary's Jade Box, 1910

Jade and Diamond Box
England, 1910
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Mrs. Whitelaw Reid presented this handsome box of white jade to Queen Mary, Consort of King George V for Christmas of 1910. I’m not sure if she did it willingly or if she was gently prodded into doing so, but she did it nonetheless. 

The rectangular box of white jade with green veins features a hinged cover which has been set, at the center, with brilliant cut diamonds in a silver crown. The foliate hinge and clasp mounts, similarly set. The lower mount of the gold rim is enameled on the outside with medium blue guilloché stripe.

Mastery of Design: Queen Mary's Jade Box, 1910

Jade and Diamond Box
England, 1910
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Mrs. Whitelaw Reid presented this handsome box of white jade to Queen Mary, Consort of King George V for Christmas of 1910. I’m not sure if she did it willingly or if she was gently prodded into doing so, but she did it nonetheless. 

The rectangular box of white jade with green veins features a hinged cover which has been set, at the center, with brilliant cut diamonds in a silver crown. The foliate hinge and clasp mounts, similarly set. The lower mount of the gold rim is enameled on the outside with medium blue guilloché stripe.

Gifts of Grandeur: Bust of Tsar Alexander III, 1900

Bust of Tsar Alexander III
1900
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Alexandra, consort of King Edward VII (1844-1925), acquired this bust by Fabergé of Tsar Alexander III. The miniature bust, dating to 1900, is carved of smoky quartz and mounted on a column of nephrite applied with the imperial double-headed eagle. Obviously, the portrait was created after the Tsar’s death in 1894.

The piece was central to Queen Alexandra’s collection of Fabergé miniatures. Her Majesty was the Tsar’s sister-in-law. It’s possible that the bust was a gift to her from the Dowager Tsarina Maria Feodorovna.

Another bust of Alexander III, cast in gold, was included as the “surprise” inside Fabergé’s Alexander III Commemorative Egg, given to Maria Feodorovna at Easter 1909 by Tsar Nicholas II.

The Tsar and Tsarina frequently visited with their British royal relations, showing close dynastic ties, in England, Russia or Denmark. Queen Victoria recorded such a visit paid by Alexander III (then the Tsarevich) and Maria Feodorovna (Minny) in her Journal on July 1, 1873:

“The Csarevitch led me in [to dinner], as 36 years ago his Grandfather, the Emperor Nicholas had done. He is very goodnatured. I wore the Russian order, & sat between him & Minny.” 

Victoria is said to have mourned deeply when she received word from the new Tsar Nicholas II, that his father, Alexander II, had died. He wrote “dearest beloved father has been taken from us. He gently went to sleep.”

Mastery of Design: A Gold, Jade and Ruby Necklace, 1825

Necklace
Gold, Jade, Rubies, Chrysoprase
1825
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made just four years after the coronation of King George IV, this necklace of gold filigree withcannetille (fine gold work of thin or flattened wires in rosette patterns) andgrainti (spirals and volutes of gold wire) decoration, is set with jade, chrysoprases and rubies and shows emerging resurgence of Gothic style which dominated the era for awhile.

The work of an unknown artist, this necklace most likely comes from France. It is curious to note that the earrings were not made at the same time as the necklace and, in fact, were not purposely made to match. These were purchased at a much later date and just coincidentally matched the necklace.

Mastery of Design: Queen Mary's Jade Box, 1910

Jade and Diamond Box
England, 1910
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Mrs. Whitelaw Reid presented this handsome box of white jade to Queen Mary, Consort of King George V for Christmas of 1910. I’m not sure if she did it willingly or if she was gently prodded into doing so, but she did it nonetheless. 

The rectangular box of white jade with green veins features a hinged cover which has been set, at the center, with brilliant cut diamonds in a silver crown. The foliate hinge and clasp mounts, similarly set. The lower mount of the gold rim is enameled on the outside with medium blue guilloché stripe.

Mastery of Design: The Cory Jade and Ruby Necklace, c. 1825

Click image for detail.

The Cory Jade Necklace
France, 1820-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Gold filigree, cannetille and grainti decoration give this handsome necklace the unmistakable style of the late 1820s to early 1830s. While we don’t know the maker, it’s a safe assumption that it was made in France because of the fineness of the gold work. The necklace is set with jade, chrysoprases, and rubies. It is part of the collection of Lady Cory which now lives in the V&A. 

Mastery of Design: An Indian Nephrite Pendant, 17th-18th C.

Click on image to enlarge

Nephrite Pendant set with Emeralds and Rubies
Seventeenth or Eighteenth Centuries
India
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in India in either the Seventeenth or Eighteenth Centuries, this pendant is made of white nephrite jade and is an excellent example of the Indian technique of “kundran” wherein precious stones are set into jade or other precious stones by way of tiny strips of highly refined gold. 

The inset stones create a pattern or, sometimes, a scene. This example features rubies and emeralds. Here we see a scene of birds where the feathers are carved into the rubies. The back of the pendant is painted in enamels and depicts a horseman and a lion against a landscape. This landscape scene is unusual in that it is rendered almost like a line drawing, relying on white enamel. 

Unusual Artifacts: The Nephrite Pen Box, 17th C.

Desk Set of Nephrite Jade, Rubies, Emeralds and Diamonds set in gold
Seventeenth Century
India
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here we see, from Seventeenth-Century India, a knife, pen, magnifying glass and matching bo of nephrite jade.  Decorated in a splendid, and very Indian, floral motif, the set is further adorned with rubies, emeralds and diamonds set in gold. 

Mastery of Design: A Gold, Jade and Ruby Necklace, 1825

Necklace
Gold, Jade, Rubies, Chrysoprase
1825
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made just four years after the coronation of King George IV, this necklace of gold filigree with cannetille (fine gold work of thin or flattened wires in rosette patterns) and grainti (spirals and volutes of gold wire) decoration, is set with jade, chrysoprases and rubies and shows emerging resurgence of Gothic style which dominated the era for awhile.

The work of an unknown artist, this necklace most likely comes from France. It is curious to note that the earrings were not made at the same time as the necklace and, in fact, were not purposely made to match. These were purchased at a much later date and just coincidentally matched the necklace.

Mastery of Design: A Coral and Diamond Brooch, 1925

Brooch
French, 1925
Platinum, Diamonds, Coral, Nephrite Jade, Onyx
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In response to the sharp lines and icy contrast of jewelry designs of the Art Deco period, new styles emerged that referred to the curvilinear forms and brighter colors of the early Victorian. While these designs still relied on geometrical elements, they began to focus once again on the curvilinear and organic.


Take, for instance, this beautiful brooch of coral and diamonds by an unknown French jeweler. Created in 1925, the piece features Art Deco mainstays: platinum, diamonds, and black onyx, but enlivens them with carved coral, nephrite jade, and enamel as a lush arrangement of realistic, diamond-set flowers. The design is a stylized version of popular floral basket themes which dominated jewelry of the Georgian and Victorian eras.

This brooch came from France to the V&A via the United States. It was a gift from the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity of Patricia V. Goldstein.