Newsletter 2008 April

The abdication of the last Romanov tsar, Nicholas II, brought the history of the reigning Russian family and the House of Fabergé to an end. As Nicholas II and his family were brutally massacred in a Siberian basement, the eggs disappeared, only to emerge years later in the storerooms of the Kremlin. Their subsequent history encompasses Bolsheviks and entrepreneurs, tycoons and heiresses, con men and queens. Eggs have been sold and smuggled, stolen and forged. Now, as they have returned to Russia, bought by oligarchs, their history – like that of Russia itself – seems to have come full circle. Fabergé’s Eggs: The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire provides an engrossing, compelling and at times, surprising window into the empire these masterpieces outlived. This historical narrative, new to the genre of Fabergé publications, is available from Macmillan in the UK in March 2008; the American edition from Random House in October 2008.

Mr. Faber is a grandson of the Faber and Faber Publishing Company, which in 1953 published The Art of Carl Fabergé by A. Kenneth Snowman, still a classic in the field. Faber’s other book, Stradivari’s Genius: Five Violins, One Cello, and Three Centuries of Enduring Perfection, is also a delightful read based on the author’s extensive research and total enthusiasm for his subject.

Auctions

Exhibitions
(Updates are posted in Exhibitions on the Fabergé Research Site)

March 14 – September 28, 2008 Queen’s Gallery, London
Treasures from the Royal Collection has been brought together from royal residences across the UK, including dazzling pieces of Fabergé. An e-Gallery online of Fabergé objects from the collection of Queen Elizabeth II is being developed. Currently 170 pieces are in the catalog with more being added as they are shown in exhibitions.

Opening on May 24, 2008 Victoria & Albert Museum
The completely refurbished William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery will display 3,500 jewels from 4000 years. The loan of the late Sallie and Kenneth Snowman Collection will be prominently displayed.

Fabergé window shopping at Wartski on Grafton Street. Stunning photos and an interesting provenance discovery on the Fabergé Imperial chair for sale by this leading UK dealer are on view on their website.

October 19, 2008 – January 19, 2009 Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio
Artistic Luxury: Fabergé – Tiffany – Lalique
This venue will be a comparative study of three of the greatest jewelry and luxury goods designers, who exhibited at the 1900 World’s Fair. Some of their most elaborate designs will be reunited for the first time in a gallery recreating the ambience of the Fair. Moves to San Francisco in January 2009.

November 8, 2008 – January 11, 2009 New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana
The Opulent Object: Fabergé from the D. Lee Hodges Family Collection
Picture frames, desk clocks and bell pushes, used to awaken his own children in childhood, are part of the over 100 objects exhibited. His children best describe Dr. Hodges’ enthusiasm – “our father’s passion for the chase is only surpassed by his enthusiasm for the pursuit of knowledge, as it pertains to the pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg and Moscow workshops of Fabergé.”

Permanent U.S. Exhibitions

Baltimore, Maryland – Walters Art Museum
Nashville, Tennessee – Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art
Richmond, Virginia – Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Washington, District of Columbia – Hillwood Museum and Gardens

Fabergé window shopping at A La Vieille Russie on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Readers Forum

Fabergé Automatons

A Happy and Peaceful Easter to
Fabergé Friends and Enthusiasts Everywhere in the World!

Readers of this newsletter are invited to share information about Fabergé happenings worldwide.