Antique Russian Faberge Jewelled Gold and Agate Kovsh, Erik Kollin, circa 1880
View Similar Items
Antique Russian Faberge Jewelled Gold and Agate Kovsh, Erik Kollin, circa 1880
About the Item
- Creator:Erik Kollin (Maker),Fabergé (Retailer)
- Dimensions:Height: 1.97 in (5 cm)Width: 2.76 in (7 cm)Depth: 3.94 in (10 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1880
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. In Excellent Condition - No Damage.
- Seller Location:Royal Tunbridge Wells, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: A54681stDibs: LU1348211988161
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.
- Antique Russian Import Solid Silver Impressive Centrepiece, circa 1880Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentAntique 19th century Russian import solid silver centrepiece in a form of a palm tree, the base of the tree decorated with various exotic foliage and applied with a figure of an ostr...Category
Antique 19th Century German Centerpieces
MaterialsSilver
- 19th Century Russian Solid Silver-Gilt & Plique-A-Jour Enamel Kovsh, circa 1890By Ivan KhlebnikovLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentAntique 19th century imperial Russian solid silver-gilt and plique-a-jour enamel kovsh. Oval, with raised shaped trefoil handle, decorated with exotic birds, flowers and floral scrolls in red, blue, pink, green and white within red and twist wire borders. Hallmarked Russian silver 84 (875 standard), Moscow, year 1890, Maker NX ( Ivan Khlebnikov, silversmith and jeweller to the Russian Royal...Category
Antique 19th Century Russian Centerpieces
MaterialsEnamel, Silver
- Russian Eight-Piece Silver and Glass Vodka Set, circa 1880By Karl Antriter, Alexandr Egomov, Nikolai Nemirov-KolodkinLocated in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentAntique 19th century Imperial Russian eight-piece solid silver and cut-glass vodka set, comprising: a circular tray engraved with Lillis of the valley and pl...Category
Antique 19th Century Russian Barware
MaterialsSilver
- Antique 20Thc Lignum Vitae Bulldog Inkwell Jar c.1910Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, KentAntique early-20th Century Victorian lignum vitae inkwell carved in the form of a bulldog head. The detail is of exceptional quality, featuring glass eyes and a red felt collar aroun...Category
Vintage 1910s British Other Inkwells
MaterialsGlass, Wood
- 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
- Antique 19thC 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 1890s English Victorian Desk Sets
MaterialsSilver
- Antique Black Agate Pekingese Dog Mounted Ashtray / Match Strike Faberge StyleBy FabergéLocated in Atlanta, GAThis is an extremely unique and beautiful piece. Having a deep toned black agate ashtray bowl, finely carved Pekingese dog and barrel (match holder) form mount to edge and match stri...Category
Early 20th Century More Desk Accessories
MaterialsAgate
- Fabergé Style Russian Officer Figure: Nephrite, Jade, Jasper, & Agate 24K GoldBy Karl FabergéLocated in New York, NYFabergé Style Russian Officer Figure in Nephrite, White Jade, Red Jasper, and Agate with 24k Gold. Presenting a Fabergé Style Figure of a Russian Officer, fashioned from Nephrite whi...Category
Vintage 1920s Russian Other Paperweights
MaterialsJade, Gold
- Antique French Bronze and Marble Inkwell, circa 1880Located in Dallas, TX19th century French inkwell depicting a beautiful woman. Striking color combination of soft grey marble with contrasting bronze, circa 1880.Category
Antique 1880s French Inkwells
MaterialsBronze
- Large Antique French Marble and Bronze Inkwell, circa 1880Located in Dallas, TXThis is a stunning, large, antique French marble and gilt bronze double inkwell. The inkwells’ lids are hinged to the wells and have motifs of swirling leaves with berries culminatin...Category
Antique 1870s French Louis XIV Inkwells
MaterialsMarble, Bronze
- Scotland Scottish 1880-1900 Antique Letter Opener Sterling Silver Topaz & AgateLocated in Miami, FLA jeweled gem-set Scottish dirk letter opener in Agate. Fabulous and unusual antique letter opener made in Scotland, between the 1880 and 1900. This ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Scottish Late Victorian Letter Openers
MaterialsAgate, Multi-gemstone, Sterling Silver
- Antique Travel Inkwell, Silvered, France, Circa 1880Located in Greven, DEBeautiful travel inkwell with a silver plated lid and a bottom of black leather. On the lid are the initials of a former owner grounded in. Several stamps are on the side of the lid....Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Late Victorian Inkwells
MaterialsSilver Plate
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.