20th Century Russian Faberge Enamel on Gold Pencil and Letter Opener, circa 1910
View Similar Items
20th Century Russian Faberge Enamel on Gold Pencil and Letter Opener, circa 1910
About the Item
- Creator:Fabergé (Retailer),Vladimir Soloviev (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 4.34 in (11 cm)Width: 0.4 in (1 cm)Depth: 0.79 in (2 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:Russia
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1910
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Small chips to the enamel on the edge of the blade.
- Seller Location:Royal Tunbridge Wells, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: A54661stDibs: LU1348211275903
Fabergé
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, the House of Fabergé 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 jewelry, clock cases, silver and myriad objets de vertu that included picture frames, cigarette boxes, 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, who took over in 1872.
Cosmopolitan, widely-traveled and himself a master goldsmith, 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. (Relatively simple in design compared to the complex cloisonné-adorned eggs that followed, the first 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.) Czar Nicholas II continued the tradition, presenting two eggs each Easter — one for his wife and one for his mother. 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.
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.
As you will see from the vintage jewelry and objects on these pages, Fabergé pieces are richly redolent of a romantic past, and a source of thorough delight.
- 20th Century British Solid Silver Letter Opener, Asprey & Co, c.1996By Asprey International LimitedLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent20th Century British solid silver letter opener, terminating with a woven silver decoration mounted with a lapiz cabochon, in its original retail case. Hallmarked English silver (925...Category
20th Century British Letter Openers
MaterialsSilver
- 20th Century English Solid Silver Music Sheet Stands, Carrington & Co, c.1910By Carrington & CoLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent20th Century English pair of cast silver music sheet stands, each modelled with a Classical maiden playing a lyre standing above scrolling acanthus leaves with a frieze of leaves bel...Category
20th Century British Musical Instruments
MaterialsSilver
$3,169 / setFree Shipping - Stylish English Solid Silver Letter Opener, c.1973Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentA stylish 20th English solid silver letter opener, designed with a flat "S" shaped handle with reeded detailing finishing in a rounded point. Inscribed on one side of the letter opener is "From K, 17th Sept 1980". Hallmarked English silver (925 standard), London, year 1973 (s), Makers mark Grant MacDonald Silversmiths (George Grant MacDonald...Category
20th Century British Letter Openers
MaterialsSilver
- 19th Century Victorian Solid Silver & Enamel Novelty Champagne Bottle PencilLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentAntique 19th Century Victorian novelty solid silver pencil modelled as a champagne bottle, complete with textured top mimicking foil and a black and white enameled label indicating '...Category
Antique 19th Century Desk Sets
MaterialsSilver, Enamel
- 20th Century Art Deco Solid Silver Photo Frame, Chester, circa 1907By Zachariah Boyle & SonsLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentAntique early 20th century Art Deco solid silver photograph frame, mounted on a velvet easel support and set with glass. Hallmarked English silve...Category
20th Century English Art Deco Picture Frames
MaterialsSilver
- 20th Century Mahogany Perpetual Desk Calendar c.1930Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentA superb 20th Century perpetual desk calendar, made from mahogany. Featuring four knobs on one side, these are used to move forward and rewind the day and date behind three glazed ap...Category
Vintage 1930s British Other Desk Sets
MaterialsGlass, Wood
- 20th Century Letter OpenerLocated in Greven, DEAntique Letter Opener, So beautiful, very nice condition!Category
Mid-20th Century Letter Openers
MaterialsBrass
- Paper Knife by Fabergè, Early 20th CenturyBy FabergéLocated in Roma, ITPaper knife with silver swan-shaped handle and precious stones by Fabergè. Original velvet box. Realized in the early 20th century. Length 29 cm. Branding inside and out of...Category
Early 20th Century Russian Desk Sets
MaterialsOnyx, Silver
- Late 20th Century English Solid Brass Fox Letter OpenerLocated in Middleburg, VALate 20th Century English Solid Brass Fox Letter Opener Measures: 2" H, 11.5" L, 1" DCategory
Late 20th Century English Letter Openers
MaterialsBrass
- 20th Cebtury Italian Big Sterling Silver Letter OpenerBy Arval Argenti ValenzaLocated in VALENZA, ITLarge, completely handmade, sterling silver letter opener. Perfect for a prestigious desk. The blade is smooth while the hand is embossed by hand on both sides with scrolls and fl...Category
1990s Italian Other Letter Openers
MaterialsSterling Silver
- 20th Century French Letter Opener Nicely Decorated with Green Stone on the TopLocated in Sofia, BGFrench metal letter opener decorated with two woman's head on both sides ending with a green stone on the top. France, circa 1930.Category
Early 20th Century French Letter Openers
MaterialsMetal
- Inuit Walrus Tusk Pencil Holder and Letter OpenerLocated in Philadelphia, PAInuit Walrus tusk carved pencil holder and 6" letter opener. Carved with images of a Walrus and Seals. Probably done for the tourist trade in the 1930s or...Category
Vintage 1940s American Native American Desk Sets
MaterialsIvory
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.