House of Fabergé

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"Fabergé" redirects here. For other uses, see Fabergé (disambiguation).

The House of Fabergé is a jewellery firm founded in 1842 in Imperial Russia famed for designing elaborate jewell encrusted Fabergé Eggs for the Russian Tsars[1]. Since January 2007 the Fabergé brand has been under the ownership of Fabergé Ltd[2].

Contents

[edit] Early years

The Fabergé family can be traced back to 17th century France, then under the name Favri. The Favris lived at the village of La Bouteille in the Picardy region of northern France. However, they fled the country during or shortly after 1685 because of religious persecution. An estimated fellow 250,000 Huguenots, as the movement of French Protestants was known, also became fugitives[citation needed].

Papers in the Fabergé Family Archives reveal that during the family's progress eastwards through Europe the family’s name changed progressively from Favri through Favry, Fabri, Fabrier and then to Faberge without an accent. At Schwedt-on-Oder northeast of Berlin in the second half of the 18th century a Jean Favri (subsequently Favry) is known to have been employed as a tobacco planter. By 1800 an artisan called Pierre Favry (later Peter Fabrier), had settled in Pärnu in the Baltic province of Livonia (now Estonia). A Gustav Fabrier was born there in 1814. By 1825 the family’s name had evolved to Faberge.

In the 1830s, Gustav Faberge moved to St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia, to train as a goldsmith under Andreas Ferdinand Spiegel, who specialised in making gold boxes. Later he continued his training with the celebrated firm of Keibel, goldsmiths and jewellers to the Tsars. In 1841, his apprenticeship over, Gustav Faberge earned the title of Master Goldsmith.

[edit] Launch of Fabergé

In 1842 Gustav Faberge opened his own retail jewelry. The addition of the accent may have been an attempt to give the name a more explicitly French character, appealing to the Russian nobility's francophilia. French was the language of the Russian Court and the urban nobility, and closely associated with luxury goods.

In 1842 Fabergé opened for business in a basement shop in the capital’s fashionable Bolshaia Morskaia. Later in that year Gustav married Charlotte Jungstedt, the daughter of Carl Jungstedt, an artist of Danish origin. In 1846 the couple had a son, Peter Carl Fabergé, popularly known as Carl Fabergé.

[edit] Carl Fabergé

Carl Fabergé was educated at the Gymnasium of St Anne’s. This was a fashionable establishment for the sons of the affluent middle classes and the lower echelons of the nobility, providing an indication of the success of his father's business. Gustav Fabergé retired to Dresden in 1860 leaving the firm in the hands of managers oustide of the Fabergé family while his son continued his education. The young Carl undertook a business course at the Dresden Handelsschule. At the age of 18 he embarked on a Grand Tour. He received tuition from respected goldsmiths in Germany, France and England, attended a course at Schloss’s Commercial College in Paris and viewed the objects in the galleries of Europe’s leading museums.

Carl returned to St Petersburg in 1872 aged 26 years. For the following 10 years, his father’s Workmaster Hiskias Pendin acted as his mentor and tutor. In 1881, the company moved to larger street-level premises at 16/18 Bolshaia Morskaia. Following Pendin’s death in 1882, Carl took over the running of the firm. Three other significant events happened that year. He was awarded the title of Master Goldsmith. Agathon Fabergé, his younger brother by 16 years, joined the business. While Agathon’s education was restricted to Dresden, he was noted as a talented designer that provided the business with fresh impetus, until his death 13 years later.

[edit] Rise to Prominence

Following Carl’s involvement with repairing and restoring objects in the Hermitage Museum, the firm was invited to exhibit at the Pan-Russian Exhibition in Moscow. One of the Fabergé pieces displayed at the Pan-Russian Exhibition was a replica of a 4th century BC gold bangle from the Scythian Treasure in the Hermitage Museum. Tsar Alexander III declared that he could not distinguish Fabergé’s work from the original. He ordered that specimens of work by the House of Fabergé should be displayed in the Hermitage Museum as examples of superb contemporary Russian craftsmanship. In 1885 the House of Fabergé was bestowed with the coveted title "Goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown" beginning an association with the Russian Tsars.

[edit] The Imperial Easter Eggs

Main article: Fabergé egg
The Moscow Kremlin egg, 1906
The Moscow Kremlin egg, 1906

In 1885 Tsar Alexander III commissioned the House of Fabergé to make an Easter Egg as a gift for his wife, the Empress Maria Fedorovna. Its ‘shell’ is enamelled on gold to represent a normal hen’s egg. This pulls apart to reveal a gold yolk, which in turn opens to produce a gold chicken that also opens to reveal a replica of the Imperial Crown from which a miniature ruby egg was suspended. Although the Crown and the miniature egg have been lost, the rest of the Hen Egg as it is known is now in the collection of Victor Vekselberg.

The tradition of the Tsar giving his Empress a surprise Easter Egg by Carl Fabergé continued. From 1887 it appears that Carl Fabergé was given complete freedom as to the design of the Imperial Easter Eggs as they became more elaborate. According to the Fabergé Family tradition, not even the Tsar knew what egg form they would take: the only stipulation was that each one should contain a surprise. The House of Fabergé completed 54 Imperial Eggs for Alexander III to present to his Empress and for Nicholas II to present to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna and his wife the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna[3]. Of these, 42 have survived. The Eggs for 1917 were never completed, but have been discovered in recent years.

[edit] Other Fabergé Creations

The House of Fabergé also stocked a full range of jewellery and other ornamental objects. There were enamelled gold and silver gilt, as well as wooden photograph frames; carved hardstone figures of people, birds and animals; vases of flowers crafted in hardstones and precious metals, some perhaps enhanced by precious stones; gold and silver boxes; desk sets and timepieces[2][citation needed]. Quality was assured by every article made being approved by Carl Fabergé, or in his absence by his eldest son Eugène, before it was placed into stock. The minutest of faults would result in rejection.

[edit] Continued Expansion

The House of Fabergé won international awards and became Russia’s largest jewellery firm employing some 500 craftsmen and designers. In the early 20th century the HQ of the House of Fabergé moved to a purpose-built four storey building in Bolshaia Morskaia. Branches were also opened in Moscow, Odessa, Kiev and London. From England, the company made annual visits to the Far East.

[edit] After the Revolution

The House of Fabergé was nationalised by the Bolsheviks in 1918. In early October, Carl Fabergé left St Petersburg on the last diplomatic train for Riga. The revolution in Latvia started in the middle of the following month and Carl was again fleeing for his life to Germany, first to Bad Homburg and then to Wiesbaden. The Bolsheviks imprisoned his sons Agathon and Alexander. Initially Agathon was released to value the valuables seized from the Imperial family, the aristocrats, wealthy merchants and Fabergé amongst other jewellers. He was re-imprisoned when the Bolsheviks found it difficult to sell this treasure at Agathon’s valuations. With Europe awash with Russian jewells, prices had fallen. Madame Fabergé and her eldest son Eugène avoided capture by escaping under the cover of darkness through the snow-covered woods by sleigh and on foot. Towards the end of December 1918 they had crossed the border into the safety of Finland.

Meanwhile Carl Fabergé was in Germany and became seriously ill. Eugène reached Wiesbaden in June 1920 and accompanied his father to Switzerland where other members of the family had taken refuge. Carl Fabergé died in Lausanne on September 24th 1920. His wife died in January 1925. Although Alexander managed to escape from prison when a friend bribed guards, Agathon did not succeed in making his escape from the USSR until 1927.

[edit] Post-World War II

The Fabergé Family remained scattered following the Revolution[1]. Both Eugène and Alexander settled in Paris and established Fabergé & Cie, which traded in and restored objects made by the House of Fabergé as well as general jewellery. After World War II, they learnt that during 1937 in the United States, Sam Rubin had established Fabergé Inc and was manufacturing perfume under the Fabergé name. It was later discovered that he had also registered the Fabergé trademark for jewellery. Unable to afford protracted and expensive litigation, the Fabergé Family settled out of court for US $25,000 in 1951[1], with the stipulation that the Fabergé name was to be used solely in connection with perfume. Sam Rubin sold Fabergé Inc. in 1964 for US $26 million. The company passed through various hands until Unilever purchased it in 1989 for US $1.55 billion [1]. Unilever soon discovered that it could use Fabergé trademarks in connection with jewellery. The company registered the Fabergé name as a trademark across a wide range of merchandise internationally and granted licenses to third parties to make and sell a range of products under the Fabergé cosmetics name.

In 1989, Fabergé Inc. appointed the Pforzheim jeweler Victor Mayer as the exclusive worldwide Fabergé workmaster. The company produces heirloom-quality Fabergé jewellery and Fabergé eggs. Fabergé expert Geza von Habsburg writes in his 2005 publication[1] "Today Fabergé (Workmaster Victor Mayer) has recaptured its place among the most successful international jewellers, continuing a famous tradition of German craftsmanship reaching back through the centuries."

In 2004 German based jeweller Mohr Time in conjunction with Fabergě Workmaster Victor Mayer secured the licence to produce a high end line of Fabergé wrist watches.

[edit] Fabergé in the 21st Century

On January 3rd 2007 Unilever sold its entire global portfolio of trademarks, licences and associated rights relating to the Fabergé brand. The new owner is Cayman Islands-based Fabergé Limited, which is advised by Pallinghurst Resources LLP, an investment advisory firm based in London and chaired by Brian Gilbertson, the former CEO of BHP-Billiton plc, the world's largest mining company[2].

The new owners have two aims for Fabergé. The first is to restore Fabergé as an exclusive luxury goods brand dedicated to Fabergé’s heritage by focussing on the highest standards of design and craftsmanship. The second is to create a supplier of individually branded Fabergé gemstones which guarantees exact provenance and ethical sourcing of the stones.

Fabergé Limited is in the process of recruiting a specialist team from the luxury goods sector in order to achieve these objectives. Mark Dunhill, the former President of Alfred Dunhill Limited, became Fabergé Limited's CEO on November 1st 2007[1]. Sarah and Tatiana Faberge, the last direct descendants of Carl Fabergé, have been employed by Fabergé Limited to advise on Fabergé style and history[1][2].

The new owners have also alluded to the possible creation of a diamond brand in conjunction with Russia's Alrosa. The idea involves deploying the Fabergé brand name on the best quality diamonds produced by Alrosa. Alrosa accounts for 97 percent of Russia’s diamond production and 25 percent of global diamond output. In 2005, the group sold $2.86 billion worth of core products, including $142.6 million worth of diamonds.

[edit] Fabergé Jewellery Today

On November 27th, 2007 The Rothschild Fabergé Egg was auctioned at Christie's (London) in £ 9,000,000. The Rothschild Fabergé Egg became the highest price ever paid for a Russian jewelry item, as well as the most expensive jewelry clock in the world to date[4].

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Revived Faberge firm links up with founder's family | Reuters
  2. ^ a b c d Bloomberg.com: News
  3. ^ List of Fabergé eggs
  4. ^ Russian bidding battle as crowing cockerel egg by Faberge fetches £9m - Times Online