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.”

Gifts of Grandeur: A Miniature Fabergé Piano, c. 1896

Piano by Michael Perchin
Created before 1896
Collected by Queen Mary
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (1860-1903, frequently listed under the anglicized version of his name, Michael Perchin) was one of Fabergé’s chief workmasters, and, undoubtedly, alongside Viktor Aarne, one of the most brilliant and prolific artists under the employ of Carl Fabergé.

Here’s a nifty example of his work—a lovely miniature piano of nephrite, two-color gold and enamel. We’re not sure the exact year that Perchin made this, but it appears to match his pre-1896 work.

The piece didn’t join the other Fabergé in the Royal Collection until it was somehow acquired by Queen Mary, Consort of George V (1867-1953), sometime between 1922-1931
Queen Mary, like her mother-in-law, Queen Alexandra, before her, had a special fondness for Fabergé’s miniature “objets de fantasie.” These include several examples of miniature furniture in the form of bonbonnières (candy dishes).

This miniature piano of Siberian nephrite is carved and polished to resemble ebonized wood. It is a nearly exact replica of the real thing. The lid opens for use as a bonbonnière and the front drops down to reveal a miniature keyboard in gold and enamel, inscribed C. Fabergé.

The piano belonged originally to Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna—niece of Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII. The piece can be clearly seen in one of the display cases in photographs of the exhibition which Fabergé held in St Petersburg in 1902. We’ll never know how Queen Mary managed to get it, but I’m not surprised that she did. The former Mary of Teck was passionate about retrieving items which once belonged to the British Royal Family or other related Royal Families so that they might be preserved. 

Regular readers of this blog know how much of a fan I am of Her Majesty Queen Mary. If you, too, are a fan of Mary of Teck, you might enjoy our “Teck Support” products—available only in our online store.

Gifts of Grandeur: A Fabergé Snail, pre-1896

Nephrite Snail
Carl Faberge
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Carl Fabergé—we know his work: the shimmering eggs, the wee, precious animals. But, what inspired this master? Fabergé amassed a tremendous and important collection of Japanese netsuke (those intricately-carved decorative pendants that were worn on men's kimonos). These jewel-like objects certainly influenced his animal carvings.

Fabergé employed a variety of hardstones to create the miniature menageries which were coveted by his Royal and aristocratic patrons, especially Queen Alexandra and her daughter-in-law, Queen Mary. Queen Alexandra assembled one of the largest collection of Fabergé animals when King Edward VII commissioned models from the Queen's Zoo at Sandringham. At Fabergé's London branch; in addition to the jewels, floral sculptures and other treasures, over 250 models of animals were available for purchase with the most popular being the elephant. 

This nephrite jade carving of a snail, made by Carl Fabergé himself before 1896. It lives at the V&A. I guess there was one that escaped both Alexandra and Mary. Or, maybe they didn’t like snails.

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.  

Gifts of Grandeur: A Kangaroo and its Baby by Carl Fabergé, 1913

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

In November of 1913, King George V purchased this carving by Carl Fabergé from Fabergé's London branch as a gift for his wife, Queen Mary. The humorous carving of a kangaroo and baby cost the King £23.

Like her mother-in-law, Queen Alexandra, before her, Queen Mary collected the extraordinary range of animals that Fabergé produced. The sculpture is made of Siberian nephrite rather than a more realistically-colored stone for a whimsical effect.  However, Fabergé, as always took great care in representing the anatomy of the animal as accurately as possible, even setting the eyes with rose-cut diamonds.

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 Fabergé Bleeding Heart, 1900

Bleeding Heart
circa 1900
Acquired by Queen Mary in 1934
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Another of Queen Mary’s important collection of works by the House of Fabergé, this little sculpture of rock crystal, gold, nephrite, rhodonite, and quartzite was made around 1900 and is considered one of the finest of the Fabergé treasures in The Royal Collection. 

Queen Mary acquired this study of “bleeding hearts” (a flowering plant which produces elegant arching sprays of heart-shaped red and/or white blooms) in 1934. The sculpture shows a double spray of the flowers, carved in rhodonite and quartzite. Three sets of delicately-carved nephrite leaves spring from green quartzite stalks. A vase of rock crystal serves as the base. To emulate the true nature of the flowers, the blooms are suspended on gold stems, articulated en tremblant so that they can move when the piece is touched, as if they were blown by the wind.

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

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

Mastery of Design: Anne Hull Grundy's Morning Glory Brooch

Brooch of Diamonds, White Gold, Nephrite, Chalcedony
The British Museum

Click on image for larger size.  

Made in Germany circa 1930, this handsome brooch of white gold, nephrite, diamonds and stained chalcedony still is matched with its original invoice for £400, as purchased by Anne Hull Grundy.  Taking the form of a brilliant morning glory, the brooch is an interesting combination of Art Deco design ideals and the romantic naturalism favored in the late Nineteenth Century.

Obviously, this is part of the important Hull-Grundy Gift of hundreds of unusual jewels which was bequeathed to The British Museum.

The Home Beautiful: Queen Alexandra's Elephant Bell-Push, 1896-1900

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

Queen Alexandra, consort of the rather lusty Edward VII, amused herself while her husband was dating other women by collecting the work of the House of Fabergé—especially wee animals made of precious stones. This collection was one of the few things upon which Queen Alexandra and her daughter-in-law, the Duchess of York (later Queen Mary, Consort of George V) could agree as both enjoyed this particular hobby.


When one collects Fabergé animals, it’s only natural, after amassing a few hundred, that one would start to commission unusual pieces to make the collection a little more exciting. So, why not a bell-push shaped like an elephant?

Here, made between 1896 and 1900 in nephrite, silver, and guilloché enamel, and rubies we see such a bell-push. Even though Fabergé was bes known for opulent decorative items, they did occasionally produce practical items, among which bell-pushes were some of the most functional and complicated. Such bell-pushes were designed to sit upon a desk.

Here, the push-piece is in the form of a silver elephant set with cabochon ruby eyes. The elephant is a reference to Queen Alexandra’s native Denmark, where the elephant is incorporated in the design of the senior Danish order of chivalry.

The elephant, here, stands on a tapered platform of salmon-pink guilloché enamel with a nephrite base. It bears the mark of Fabergé ‘s Karl Armfelt; with a silver mark of 88 zolotniks (1896-1908); and Fabergé in Cyrillic characters.

Precious Time: The Cartier Owl Clock, c. 1932

Desk Clock
Cartier, c. 1932
Presented to Queen Mary
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Lapis lazuli, nephrite, mother-of-pearl, enamel, gold, diamonds and sapphires comprise this gorgeous desk clock, a gift from Sir Philip Sassoon to Queen Mary, consort of King George V, on the occasion of Her Majesty's birthday on May 26, 1932.  

Made by Cartier, this ball-shaped clock boasts a flattened mother-of-pearl face (with gold hands) set upon a case of lapis lazuli.  The gold frame around the clock face is adorned with groups of two sapphires on either side of diamonds.  The ball-shaped case sits upon a base formed by three geometricized nephrite owls with sapphire eyes and a triangular lapis plinth with a mother-of-pearl star and silver base.

Sculpture of the Day: A Kangaroo and its Baby by Carl Fabergé, 1913

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

In November of 1913, King George V purchased this carving by Carl Fabergé from Fabergé's London branch as a gift for his wife, Queen Mary. The humorous carving of a kangaroo and baby cost the King £23.

Like her mother-in-law, Queen Alexandra, before her, Queen Mary collected the extraordinary range of animals that Fabergé produced. The sculpture is made of Siberian nephrite rather than a more realistically-colored stone for a whimsical effect.  However, Fabergé, as always took great care in representing the anatomy of the animal as accurately as possible, even setting the eyes with rose-cut diamonds.

Mastery of Design: Queen Alexandra's Rowan Tree, c. 1900

Rowan Tree
c. 1900
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Made circa 1900 by Fabergé, this study of a Rowan tree is one of several botanical studies by Fabergé which were collected first by Queen Alexandra and, later, by Queen Mary.  This work of rock crystal, nephrite, gold and purpurine was a particular favorite of Queen Alexandra who marveled at the lifelike sculpture.  

The use of purpurine which exhibits colors from bright red to deep purple adds to the realism as the mineral was the perfect medium to replicate the berries of the Rowan tree, growing from fresh to those which withered on the branch.  The leaves were carved from mottled Siberain nephrite, and the workmaster took great care in detailing each vein of the leaves, even on the underside of each.

Upon the death of Queen Alexandra, the piece was bequeathed to her daughter, Princess Victoria upon whose passing in 1925, willed the work to King George V, her brother.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Gifts of Grandeur: Queen Mary's Fabergé Bleeding Heart, 1900

Bleeding Heart
circa 1900
Acquired by Queen Mary in 1934
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Another of Queen Mary’s important collection of works by the House of Fabergé, this little sculpture of rock crystal, gold, nephrite, rhodonite, and quartzite was made around 1900 and is considered one of the finest of the Fabergé treasures in The Royal Collection. 

Queen Mary acquired this study of “bleeding hearts” (a flowering plant which produces elegant arching sprays of heart-shaped red and/or white blooms) in 1934. The sculpture shows a double spray of the flowers, carved in rhodonite and quartzite. Three sets of delicately-carved nephrite leaves spring from green quartzite stalks. A vase of rock crystal serves as the base. To emulate the true nature of the flowers, the blooms are suspended on gold stems, articulated en tremblant so that they can move when the piece is touched, as if they were blown by the wind.

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

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.”

Gifts of Grandeur: A Fabergé Snail, pre-1896

Nephrite Snail
Carl Faberge
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Carl Fabergé—we know his work: the shimmering eggs, the wee, precious animals. But, what inspired this master? Fabergé amassed a tremendous and important collection of Japanese netsuke (those intricately-carved decorative pendants that were worn on men's kimonos). These jewel-like objects certainly influenced his animal carvings.

Fabergé employed a variety of hardstones to create the miniature menageries which were coveted by his Royal and aristocratic patrons, especially Queen Alexandra and her daughter-in-law, Queen Mary. Queen Alexandra assembled one of the largest collection of Fabergé animals when King Edward VII commissioned models from the Queen's Zoo at Sandringham. At Fabergé's London branch; in addition to the jewels, floral sculptures and other treasures, over 250 models of animals were available for purchase with the most popular being the elephant. 

This nephrite jade carving of a snail, made by Carl Fabergé himself before 1896. It lives at the V&A. I guess there was one that escaped both Alexandra and Mary. Or, maybe they didn’t like snails.

Mastery of Design: The Fabergé Raspberries, c. 1900

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

Made at the turn of the Twentieth Century by Carl Fabergé, this miniature sculpture is composed of rock crystal, nephrite and rhodonite. The piece takes the form of a spray of three raspberries carved in rhodonite. Nephrite makes the two leaves while the stalk is made of red gold. The small spray issues forth from a vase of rock crystal. This charming object was purchased by Queen Alexandra 1844-1925), Consort of King Edward VII who had a penchant for Fabergé.

Mastery of Design: Queen Alexandra's Parasol Handle, 1896

Parasol Handle
Michael Perchin, pre-1896
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Made by one of Fabergé’s finest workmasters, Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (1860-1903) (also known as Michael Perchin), this parasol handle is constructed of chalcedony mounted with gold, enamel and brilliant-cut diamonds. It’s difficult to date Perkhin’s works sometimes. This one dates to sometime before 1896.

The handle takes the form of a parrot’s head. It has long since been removed from its use as a parasol handle, and, has since been mounted as a paperweight on a base of nephrite. The bird’s head is made of grey chalcedony and his eyes are yellow brilliant-cut diamonds mounted and black enamel and gold. He wears a collar of two bands of green guilloché enamel and one of diamonds.

This once graced one of the parasols of Queen Alexandra, Consort of King Edward VII.  

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. 

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