Fabergé Pearl White Enamel Gold Lorgnette
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Weight:36.2 g
- Style:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1903-1908
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:
Fabergé
While the House of Fabergé is best known for creating the lavishly ornate and intricately devised Imperial Easter eggs given by the last czars to their families as annual holiday gifts, it was the most prestigious Russian luxury goods maker of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Serving the aristocracy and the well-to-do through stores in St. Petersburg, Moscow and as far afield as London, Fabergé crafted a wide range of brooches and other jewelry, clock cases, silver and myriad objets de vertu that included picture frames, cigarette cases, cufflinks and carved hardstone floral and animal figurines. Following the revolution, the firm was closed by the Soviet state in 1918.
Master goldsmith Gustav Fabergé, a descendant of Huguenot emigrées, founded the company in St. Petersburg in 1842. The firm did a brisk trade among the lesser nobility and the merchant class, but it flourished under the guidance of Gustav’s eldest son Peter Carl Fabergé — known also as Karl Gustavovich Fabergé — who took over in 1872.
Cosmopolitan, widely-traveled and himself a master goldsmith — he was sent on a Grand Tour in the 1860s — the younger Fabergé drew early design inspiration when he volunteered to catalogue and restore pieces in the imperial jewelry collection in the Hermitage.
Fabergé pieces based on historical jewelry from the Hermitage caught the attention of Czar Alexander III at a Moscow exhibition in 1882, and three years later he commissioned the first Imperial Easter egg as a gift for the czarina. Czar Nicholas II continued the tradition, presenting two eggs each Easter — one for his wife and one for his mother.
Relatively simple in design compared to the complex cloisonné-adorned eggs that followed, the first Fabergé egg was a white-enameled ovoid containing a gold “yolk” that held a gold hen, which in turn contained a replica of the imperial crown from which hung an egg-shaped ruby pendant.
As the appointed goldsmith to the royal court, the House of Fabergé became the darling of Russian aristocrats as well as wealthy patrons across Europe. Many and varied objets — hundreds of thousands by one count — were made to meet their demand. The firm employed some 500 craftsmen and designers when it was shuttered.
After the Russian Revolution, the Fabergé name and trademark endured a checkered passage through the 20th century.
Family members left their homeland in 1918 and set up a new business in Paris that was mainly concerned with repairing and restoring earlier-made wares. The name was adopted by an American fragrance and beauty products maker in the late 1930s, and later authorized by the family in a 1951 agreement. The trademark has been subsequently sold several times, and attached to numerous products including jewelry.
Fabergé pieces are richly redolent of a romantic past, and a source of thorough delight — for connoisseurs, true Fabergé refers to items made in the firm’s brief, golden decades from 1885 to 1917.
Collectors are advised to make a study of Fabergé works in museum collections such as the Victoria & Albert and the Royal Collection in London to gain an understanding of the quality of genuine goods made by the original firm, and then to purchase only from reputable and reliable dealers, such those at 1stDibs.
Find Fabergé eggs for sale and other objects and vintage jewelry on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 30 days of delivery.
- Faberge Blue Enamel Gold Vanity CaseBy FabergéLocated in London, GBA Fabergé two-colour gold and blue enamel vanity case by Workmaster A.Holmstrom, the rectangular case of three sections, the main powder compartment comprising two decorative section...Category
20th Century Russian Edwardian Enamel Frames and Objects
MaterialsDiamond, Yellow Gold, Rose Gold
- Bownite and Enamel Fabergé FrameBy FabergéLocated in London, GBA jewelled gold-mounted bowenite and enamel frame, Fabergé, Michael Perchin, St. Petersburg, before 1899, the circular bowenite frame centred by translucent mauve bezel with applied ...Category
Antique 1890s Russian Russian Empire Frames
MaterialsDiamond, Other, Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Enamel
- Important Faberge Red Enamel Gold Picture FrameBy Peter Carl FabergéLocated in London, GBA Faberge red enamel and gold miniature frame, the oval frame enamelled raspberry red with a sunray guilloche ground, the oval aperture with gold laurel leaf border, the outside border with gold bead decoration, fine bone back, scroll design gold easel...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Russian Victorian Enamel Frames and Objects
MaterialsYellow Gold
- Fabergé White Enamel Egg Shaped Miniature FrameBy FabergéLocated in London, GBA Fabergé white enamel egg shaped miniature frame, the translucent enamel on an engine turned radiating guilloché ground, with a picture aperture surr...Category
Antique Early 1900s Russian Russian Empire Enamel Frames and Objects
MaterialsEnamel
- Hollming Fabergé White Enamel Diamond Silver Pill BoxBy FabergéLocated in London, GBA Fabergé white enamel and diamond circular pill box, the translucent white enamel with undulating guilloché ground and circular rock crystal section to top and base, each with a ros...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Russian Victorian Enamel Frames and Objects
MaterialsDiamond, Rock Crystal, Silver, Enamel
- Faberge Circular Green Enamel Silver-Gilt Gold Pill BoxBy FabergéLocated in London, GBAn early twentieth century Faberge circular green enamel silver-gilt and gold pill box, the translucent grass green enamel upon an engine-turned guilloche ground with radiating patte...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Russian Victorian Enamel Frames and Objects
MaterialsYellow Gold
- Fabergé 18 Kt Gold Frame with Red EnamelBy Victor MayerLocated in BARI, ITSmall 18 kt gold frame with guilloche red enamel and small gold decorations inserted on the edge. Limited edition no. 21/300. It has its original certificate.Category
1990s European Enamel Frames and Objects
MaterialsGold, Enamel
- Fabergé Polar-Bear Egg Object, 18k White Gold, translucent Enamel, 0.17ct G VSBy FabergéLocated in Pforzheim, DEFabergé "Polar Bear"-Egg Object, 18k Yellow Gold, Diamonds 0,17ct G VS The egg is made of 18k white gold covered with multiple layers of turquoise fire enamel. The egg is crowned wi...Category
Early 2000s German Edwardian Enamel Frames and Objects
MaterialsTopaz, 18k Gold, Enamel, White Gold
- Fabergé 18 Kt Gold Egg Red Enamel with Gold Stand, Emeralds, Sapphires, DiamondsBy Victor MayerLocated in BARI, ITRare Fabergé gold egg with its gold stand. It is decorated with red guilloche enamel and precious stones: emeralds (0.40 carats), sapphires (3.15 carats), d...Category
1990s European Enamel Frames and Objects
MaterialsDiamond, Sapphire, Emerald, Gold, Enamel
- Fabergé "Autumn"-Egg Object, 18k Yellow Gold, translucent Enamel, 3.34ct G VSBy FabergéLocated in Pforzheim, DEFabergé "Autumn"-Egg Objet, 18k Yellow Gold, Diamonds 3.34ct G VS This Fabergé egg is part of the "Four Seasons" series inspired by the music of Vivaldi. Th...Category
1990s German Edwardian Enamel Frames and Objects
MaterialsAgate, Amber, Coral, Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
- Pair of Krementz Art Deco Red Enamel & Sterling Silver Lorgnette Reading GlassesBy Krementz & CoLocated in Philadelphia, PAA fine pair of signed Art Deco period reading glasses. In sterling silver and decorated with red enamel to the case. Made by Frank Krementz. Retailed by Lugene Opticians in New Y...Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Enamel Frames and Objects
MaterialsSterling Silver, Enamel
- Faberge Bi-Color Ribbed Gold Cigarette CaseBy FabergéLocated in Capri, IT1896 - 1908 Circa Yellow and Rose Gold Faberge Cigarette Case. Workmaster August Hollming, ST Petersburg with scratched inventory number 5695. ...Category
Antique 1890s Russian Victorian Enamel Frames and Objects
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
A Centuries-Old Style, Lockets Have Never Lost Their Romantic Appeal
Emblems of heartfelt emotion, elegant vessels for photos and keepsakes and perfect for layering, these special ornaments are an essential component of any thoughtfully curated jewelry collection.
Everything You’d Want to Know about Enamel Jewelry
From vibrant to subtle, elegant to cheeky, enamel jewelry encompasses a wide range of colors and styles, and there are almost as many techniques for creating these distinctive pieces.