Peter Carl Faberge. Biography, history of the House of Faberge in Russia

Carl Faberge is one of the most famous Russian jewelers of the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. He was the founder of an entire dynasty producing precious items. The most famous were Faberge eggs, made for members of the Russian imperial family, as well as for ordinary customers. His works have become a symbol of old pre-revolutionary Russia, luxury, grace and refined taste. The works of the famous jeweler are highly valued not only in our country, but also abroad.

early years

Carl Faberge was born in St. Petersburg in May 1846 to a German family. His father founded his own jewelry factory in the capital of the empire. The future famous jeweler received a very good education: he traveled around Europe, where he studied his father's business: first, the young man studied in Dresden, then with the Frankfurt master Friedman. Later, the young man goes to replenish his education in the southern countries: in France and Italy. While still quite young, at the age of 24, he became the manager of his parent's firm.

Work for the imperial household

Carl Faberge took part in the All-Russian Exhibition in 1882, where his work was noticed by Emperor Alexander III, who asked him to make an Easter gift for his wife Maria Feodorovna. The master created an enamel egg, inside there was a colored hen, in which, in turn, a small copy of the imperial crown and a precious chain were placed. Such an idea was not completely original: the fact is that back in the 18th century there were three similar eggs (located in Vienna, Dresden and Copenhagen), inside of which there were also crowns. The empress liked the gift so much that since then, Carl Faberge received the title of court jeweler and began to receive regular orders, not only from representatives of the Russian imperial family, but also from members of foreign royal houses.

Jewelry work

The famous master owned a whole concern, which included several companies. Each of them was independent. The craftsmen who worked under the supervision of a well-known jeweler were independent in making decisions and designing jewelry.

It took about a year to develop a sketch and direct production. At the same time, one should take into account the fact that Carl Faberge himself, whose biography is the subject of this review, was not always a direct performing artist. His team was international: craftsmen from various countries worked in it. Due to the fact that a creative atmosphere reigned among the employees, each product of the company was unique and original, which was the main condition for orders.

Still life and other works

In addition to the famous Easter eggs, the company also produced many other precious items that were distinguished by elegance and richness of jewelry. One of the most famous surviving works is a still life created in 1905. It is an image of scrambled eggs, a glass of vodka and a half-smoked cigar. Despite the simplicity of the chosen plot, the authors approached the execution of this product very carefully, using precious stones (jasper, amber, white stone), minerals (crystal, quartz), precious metals (silver). In addition, the company was famous for the production of simple household items, such as copper cups and thimbles. But he gained the greatest fame, of course, thanks to the manufacture of jewelry. In addition to production, he was also engaged in the storage of expensive items of representatives of the aristocracy.

Technique

The jeweler received European recognition: in Paris he was awarded an order and the honorary title of master of the guild. In 1900, a jewelry factory building was erected in the capital, which was designed by the relative of the master, architect K. Schmidt.

In this room were workshops and shops. This spoke of how important the firm had become in Russia. The products of Carl Faberge were unique in their technical characteristics. The master became the founder of a new trend in jewelry, starting to use precious and semi-precious stones in his work. He also began to use minerals, for which, after some time, stone-cutting workshops were even founded in the capital. A variety of works were made at the factory: in addition to Easter eggs, which received the greatest fame, artisans made figurines of people, animals and flowers. The art of Carl Faberge was that he was able to make a real masterpiece out of even the most practical and everyday things. The craftsmen who worked for his company used a wide variety of techniques: they mastered the art of processing colored and transparent gems, decorated items with thin and very expensive enamel, and also made figurines from multi-colored gold, which, perhaps, was the main highlight in the production process. So, until now, no one can reproduce the technique of galoché enamel - the art of applying fibrous lines to the surface in the form of an interweaving of various shapes and contours. Although this technique has been known for a very long time, it was the jeweler Faberge and his workers who managed to bring this process to perfection.

Features of creativity

Perhaps the secret of the uniqueness of each item lies in the fact that the factory's jewelers used a rich color palette, which consisted of 124 shades. Thanks to such a variety of colors, craftsmen could make a variety of patterns in the form of Christmas trees, scales, and fancy zigzags. Peter Karl Gustavovich Faberge achieved European fame also because he never repeated himself: each of his customers each time received a unique little thing as a gift.

Life after the revolution

When the Bolshevik Party came to power, all the workshops and shops of the famous jeweler were nationalized. The entire supply of precious stones and finished products fell into the hands of the new government. Some part, however, his eldest son managed to bring to Finland. For several years, the products of the famous company were sold for next to nothing, primarily Faberge eggs. At the end of 1918, the undercover master himself left the country and went to Riga, as he feared arrest. After the Soviet troops occupied the territory of Latvia, he moved to Germany. When a revolution also took place in that country, he finally settled in Wiesbaden. According to the jeweler's own recollections, the shocks he experienced had a strong impact on his physical and mental state. In 1920 he died in Lausanne, where he had moved shortly before to treat a diseased heart.

Easter eggs from the 1880s

Unfortunately, not all the works of the famous jeweler have been preserved. One of them is an image of a hen taking out a sapphire egg from a small basket. The peculiarity of this product is that the figures were trimmed with diamonds cut in the form of roses. However, according to some descriptions, the egg was made of gold.

Also, nothing is known about the surprise, which was an obligatory component of the egg. At present, it remains a mystery where this work, commissioned by Alexander III, is located: most likely, it was lost or is in a private collection. Another egg, created for the emperor, was made in the form of a diamond watch. Inside was an original surprise - a clockwork. The egg itself is located on an elegant stand. After the revolution, the work of the famous jeweler was lost, and was found already at the beginning of our century in the American collection.

Works from the early 1890s

The Easter egg, commissioned by Alexander III in 1890, is covered with light pink enamel and divided into several sections. The peculiarity of this product is that it contains an internal mechanism for opening a special panel. In addition, it was for this gift that miniatures depicting castles and palaces were made.

Separately, mention should be made of the egg, which did not leave the borders of our country. It is called "Memory of Azov". The peculiarity of this product is that it is made in the style of the times of Louis XV. The egg is covered with a rococo ornament, and the inside is covered with beautiful green velvet. The surprise was a small model of the Russian imperial cruiser.

Another product was called "Caucasian egg". It is also made in the style popular during the time of Louis XV. There are four windows on its surface.

The work got its name because it contained miniatures depicting the palace of the Grand Duke in the Caucasus, where he lived for a long time.

Products from the mid-1890s

Faberge eggs could be of various shapes. So, one of them looked like an oval casket. It is known that the model for this work of art was a jewelry box, made back in the 19th century by the famous master Le Roy. However, the Faberge product is more elegant, as the master gave it an ovoid shape. Nothing is known about the surprise, although there is an assumption that there was a pearl jewelry inside.

Works from the reign of Nicholas II

The new emperor continued the tradition of his father and gave Easter eggs to his widowed mother and wife every year. One of the first pieces was made with a bouquet of roses. The work is done in the style of neoclassicism. The surprise was a rosebud, which is covered with light yellow enamel. Inside the flower was a small golden crown and a pendant. Unfortunately, both surprises were lost. This egg was presented by the emperor to his wife Alexandra Feodorovna: the crown meant her new title as empress.

In memory of her late wife, he gave his mother an egg, which is considered one of the most beautiful works of Faberge. It is covered with dark blue enamel and divided into six panels, on which the monograms of Maria Feodorovna and her husband Alexander III are engraved. It was one of four eggs dedicated to the memory of this emperor.

Exhibitions

The Carl Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg is located in the Shuvalov Palace on the Fontanka embankment. The basis of the collection is the products of the most famous jeweler; in addition, the building houses works by Russian masters of decorative and applied arts. The museum stores 4,000 items, among which, in addition to the famous Easter eggs, are interior items, silverware, as well as works by contemporaries of the famous master - other jewelers, such as I. Sazikov, P. Ovchinnikov, I. Khlebnikov and others. The museum has an expert council, which includes experts on the work of Faberge. Its purpose is cultural and educational activities.

Exhibits

The exhibition of Carl Faberge is interesting because it includes Easter eggs, which are popular and famous all over the world. The collection includes the first and last eggs. One of the most famous is the "Coronation", which was created on the occasion of the coronation of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna.

The surprise of the product was a carriage model, which was made during the reign of Catherine II. The work is decorated with two diamonds, the monogram of the Empress, it also has the inscription of the year - "1897". So, the works of the famous master have become a real standard in jewelry art. His works are of great importance not only for domestic, but also for world culture. Currently, the Faberge Museum is engaged in active educational work, as well as the preservation of the heritage of the famous jeweler. Virtual tours in 3D format have been created on the Internet, which allow anyone to get acquainted with both all the exhibits and the interiors of the palace itself, where they are located.

(1846-1920) Russian jeweler

His ancestors were French Huguenots. From religious persecution, they took refuge in Germany, and from there in 1800 they moved to Estonia, where Karl's grandfather worked as a carpenter. Then the family moved to St. Petersburg, and here Carl's father, Gustav Faberge, founded a jewelry company.

Carl Faberge joined the firm in 1866, when he was twenty years old. At that time they produced only jewelry. And just six years later, in 1872, Carl Faberge headed the firm. By this time he had made a trip to Europe and got acquainted with the products of the largest jewelry firms - Masse, Coulomb, Boucheron.

However, another ten years passed before his company won first all-Russian, and then world-wide fame. Along with Faberge jewelry, "useful items" began to be produced - watches, cigarette cases, ashtrays, magnifiers, lamps, lorgnettes and even table setting items. Much credit for this belongs to the younger brother of Carl Agathon Faberge. With his arrival in the company, the list of manufactured products has expanded.

In 1882, Carl Faberge made copies of Scythian jewelry for the Hermitage. This work attracted the attention of the emperor, who in 1885 made the first order for an Easter egg. Carl Faberge received the title of "Supplier of the Imperial Court", and in 1890 was appointed "Appraiser of the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty". The company's triumph was in 1894, when Carl Faberge made a pearl necklace for a wedding gift to the future Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

Since that time, Faberge has consistently received gold medals at all international exhibitions. He opened several workshops in St. Petersburg, each of which specialized in performing certain types of work - stone-cutting, enameling, gold and silver. Carl Faberge opens shops in Moscow, Kyiv, Odessa and London. The apogee of the glory of the House of Faberge was the World Exhibition of 1900 in Paris, where Karl received the title of master of the Paris Jewelers Guild and the Order of the Legion of Honor.

The company's products were supplied to the Middle East, America, as well as to the Danish, Spanish, Swedish and Norwegian royal courts. But the English royal house had a special love for Faberge. Queen Alexandra once even expressed a desire to get acquainted with the jeweler, but the great master was embarrassed and hastily left London.

It is necessary to say about those to whom Faberge owes his fame. First of all, these are wonderful jewelers - Mikhail Perkhin, Franz Birnbaum and Henryk Wigstrom. Major artists and architects also worked for him, such as Fedor Shekhtel and Viktor Vasnetsov.

Faberge was often criticized for being oversaturated with jewels. His things seemed expensive trinkets, not works of art. Indeed, some things were conceived by him as toy soldiers or animal figurines - made of gems. But Faberge turned these things into true masterpieces. “I am little interested in an expensive thing, if its price is only that a lot of diamonds or pearls are planted,” he said.

In 1902, an exhibition of the company's products was also held in St. Petersburg, where for the first time items made to order from titled persons were shown. During the First World War, the Faberge workshops produced copper pots and plates, as well as awards for Russian soldiers.

The firm was closed in 1918. By this time, the Faberge house had produced from 120 to 150 thousand items. Carl Faberge left Russia and died in Switzerland in 1920. His ashes were later transferred to France and buried in Cannes.

After the revolution and in the 1920s, Faberge products had practically no value. In the 1930s, the famous Easter eggs could be bought at auctions for just a few hundred dollars. And only today there is a new interest in Faberge: in 1992, Faberge's Easter egg was sold for more than three million dollars.

It is difficult to find a jeweler more famous than Carl Faberge. The Easter eggs he created for the imperial family are today valued at millions of dollars and are considered unsurpassed examples of jewelry craftsmanship. The jeweler himself lived a difficult life: he had both carefree years at the zenith of fame, and difficult days of emigration, oblivion and poverty. We publish the most interesting facts from the biography of Carl Faberge.
Caucasian, Faberge egg, 1893
Coronation, Faberge egg, 1893 1. The idea of ​​creating Easter eggs came from Emperor Alexander III. 1885. It was then that the emperor ordered the jeweler an outlandish little thing for a bright holiday. Carl Faberge made the Hen Egg, covered with white enamel. Inside it, as you might guess, there was a “yolk” made of gold, in which, in turn, a chicken with ruby ​​eyes was hidden. 2. The first craft made a splash at the court, and since then Faberge has been producing more and more new curiosities every year. A total of 71 eggs were created (of which 52 were for the emperor's family). The Faberge jewelry company began to work exclusively at the court, in addition to Easter souvenirs, Carl the master created caskets, jewelry and all kinds of accessories. Lilies of the valley, Faberge egg, 1898 Moscow Kremlin, Faberge egg, 1906 Gatchina Palace, Faberge egg, 1901 3. Faberge products were sold in the largest cities of Russia, it seemed that a carefree future awaited the outstanding jeweler. These illusions were dispelled in 1917 when the Bolsheviks came to power. At first, the revolution did not concern Karl, although treasures worth 7.5 million gold rubles were kept in his house. For safety, the jewels were kept in an armored elevator-safe, which was connected to electrical voltage.
Renaissance, Faberge egg, 1894
Fifteenth anniversary of the reign, Faberge egg, 1911 4. In addition to his own jewelry, Carl Faberge's house kept jewelry of foreigners that could not be taken out of Russia. When it became obvious that the Bolsheviks would get to Faberge, the jeweler rented out his house to the Swiss mission (at that time the law on the protection of foreigners' property was in force). He packed all the jewelry in 7 suitcases, and their full inventory took 20 pages! The hiding place existed until May 1919, when the Bolsheviks, contrary to the law, searched the house.
Order of St. George, Faberge egg, 1916
Memory of Azov, Faberge egg, 1891
Egg with a rosebud, Faberge, 1895 5. There are several versions about the future fate of the treasures. According to one of them, all the jewelry was confiscated by the Bolsheviks and later sold abroad, according to another, several suitcases were taken to the Norwegian embassy in advance, but from there they were stolen along with archival data, according to the third version, Carl Faberge and his sons were able to hide part precious items in hiding places. Egg with a lattice and roses, Faberge, 1907 6. After the incident, Carl Faberge had to leave Russia, everything was taken away from him - his favorite business, and the millionth fortune, and his native land. After moving to Switzerland, he eked out a miserable existence, longing for his former life. Karl died in 1920, in the same year the jewelry he created depreciated incredibly.
Hen, Faberge egg, 1885
Peacock, Faberge egg, 1908 7. After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks, trying to replenish the treasury of the "world's first communist state", sold Russian artistic treasures. They plundered churches, sold paintings by old masters from the Hermitage Museum and took up crowns, tiaras, necklaces and Faberge eggs that belonged to the Emperor's family. In 1925, a catalog of valuables of the imperial court (crowns, wedding crowns, a scepter, orb, tiaras, necklaces and other valuables, including the famous Faberge eggs) was sent to all foreign representatives in the USSR. Part of the Diamond Fund was sold to the English antiquary Norman Weiss. In 1928, seven “low-value” Faberge eggs and 45 other items were seized from the Diamond Fund. However, it was thanks to this that Faberge eggs were saved from being melted down. Thus, one of the most incredible creations, the Peacock Egg, was preserved. Inside the masterpiece of crystal and gold was an enamelled peacock. Moreover, this bird was mechanical - when it was removed from the golden branch, the peacock raised its tail like a real bird and could even walk.

Peter Karl Gustavovich Faberge. Born May 18 (30), 1846 in St. Petersburg - died September 24, 1920 in Lausanne (Switzerland). Russian jeweler. Manufacturer of the famous Faberge eggs.

Carl Faberge was born on May 18 (30 New Style) May 1846 in St. Petersburg.

By nationality - German.

Father - Gustav Faberge, came from a German family with French roots, originally from Estonia. In 1842 he founded a jewelry firm in St. Petersburg.

Mother - Charlotte Jungstedt, daughter of a Danish artist.

In his youth, Carl Faberge traveled around Europe, studied in Dresden. Then he began to master the jewelry business with the Frankfurt master Josef Friedmann.

After that, he returned to Russia and at the age of 24 in 1870 headed his father's company.

The godfather of the Faberge firm, which allowed his works to become world famous, can be considered the Russian emperor, who in 1882 at the All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition in Moscow drew attention to the master's products. Since that time, Peter Karl received the patronage of the royal family and the title of "jeweler of His Imperial Majesty and jeweler of the Imperial Hermitage."

Carl Faberge and the masters of his company created their first jewelry egg in 1885 - they fulfilled the order of Alexander III, who wished to make an Easter surprise for his wife Maria Feodorovna. The so-called “Chicken” egg is covered on the outside with white enamel imitating the shell, and inside, in the “yolk” of matte gold, is a chicken made of colored gold. Inside the hen, in turn, is hidden a small ruby ​​crown, which was later lost.

It should be noted that the idea of ​​such a piece of jewelry was by no means original - the Faberge Easter egg became a free interpretation of an egg made at the beginning of the 18th century (3 copies of which are known today). They are in the Rosenborg Castle (Copenhagen), the Museum of the History of Art (Vienna) and in a private collection (previously it was in the Dresden Art Gallery "Green Vaults"). In all three mentioned instances of eggs, a chicken is hidden, opening which, you can find a crown, and in it - a ring. It is believed that the emperor wanted to please his wife with a surprise that would remind her of a well-known product from the Danish royal treasury.

The empress was so fascinated by the gift that Faberge, who turned into a court jeweler, received an order to make an egg every year. At the same time, the product had to be unique and contain some kind of surprise - this was the only condition.

Soon the Faberge firm became famous all over Europe. Many relatives of the imperial family in Great Britain, Denmark, Greece and Bulgaria received items as gifts.

In 1900, in Paris, Faberge received the title of "master of the Paris Guild of Jewelers", and he was also awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.

In 1899-1900, the main building of the Faberge firm was erected in the center of St. Petersburg according to the project of the architect Karl Schmidt, the jeweler's cousin-nephew. Shops and workshops are located on the first floors. The rest of the building was occupied by the living rooms of the Faberge family.

Each egg took almost a year to make. As soon as the sketch was approved, a whole team of the company's jewelers took up the work, the names of some of them have been preserved - in connection with which it should not be said that the author of all the eggs was Carl Faberge himself. The contribution of master Mikhail Perkhin is especially great. Also mentioned are August Holstrom, Henrik Wigstrom, Eric Collin.

A series of imperial eggs enjoyed such fame that the Faberge firm produced several items for private customers. Among them stands apart a series of seven eggs presented by the gold miner Alexander Ferdinandovich Kelkh to his wife. The other famous eight Fabergé eggs were custom-made for Felix Yusupov, nephew of Alfred Nobel, the Rothschilds, the Duchess of Marlborough and unidentified persons. They are not as luxurious as the imperial ones, and are not original, often repeating the type invented for royal gifts.

It is possible that some other items were made for private individuals, but they were never documented (unlike royal eggs), which leaves some freedom for skilled forgers. An example of an unexpected discovery is the “Rothschild egg” put up for sale in the fall of 2007, which was ordered by the representatives of the clan in the Faberge firm and was kept among the family property, without being advertised, for a whole century.

Among other works by Faberge is a unique still life of 1905, which is a stone on which a "gentleman's set" is laid out: scrambled eggs, a faceted glass with unfinished vodka, an appetizer and an unfinished cigarette. Despite its apparent simplicity, the still life is made of the most expensive materials: a brick is carved from jasper, a squirrel is made of white stone, a yolk is made of amber, a newspaper, snack fish and flies are made of silver, a glass and its contents are made of crystal, and a cigarette butt is crystal and quartz.

The Faberge firm produced not only expensive "toys for the rich", but also things designed for a consumer with an average income. It is known that in 1914 one of the company's factories produced copper cups.

Faberge eggs

After the revolution of 1917 and the establishment of Soviet power, Faberge factories and shops in Petrograd, Moscow and Odessa were nationalized.

In Petrograd, practically all the stocks of precious metals, stones and ready-made products fell into the hands of the Bolsheviks, for which no compensation was paid to the owners. Only a small fraction of the products that Eugene Faberge was able to take to Finland shortly before this was saved from nationalization.

Subsequently, the Bolsheviks freely disposed of confiscated property - for example, Emanuel Snowman (Emanuel Snowman) from the Wartski trading house recalled that between 1925 and 1939 he regularly purchased a large number of Faberge products from a Soviet state sales agent, including six Easter eggs, directly in the location of the former Petrograd store of Carl Faberge on Bolshaya Morskaya, 24.

In September 1918, Carl Faberge, fearing arrest, illegally left Petrograd, under the guise of a courier for one of the foreign embassies, and went abroad by train - to Riga. Shortly thereafter, Soviet Russia invaded Latvia and Carl Faberge had to flee further west to Germany.

He settled in Berlin, but the revolution began there too. Faberge had to move to Frankfurt am Main, then to Homburg and Wiesbaden, where he finally stopped.

Carl Faberge never recovered from the revolutionary events that shook him. During this time, he often repeated: "Life is no more."

In May 1920, his heart became ill. When his health improved somewhat, the family moved him to the vicinity of Lake Geneva, known for its healthy climate.

He died in the city of Lausanne in Switzerland on the morning of September 24, 1920, having smoked half a cigar shortly before his death. He was buried in the Grand Jas cemetery in Cannes.

In memory of the great in Odessa, a memorial plaque was installed on the building of the Passage Hotel, where Carl Faberge's jewelry salon was located in the fashionable shopping arcade before the Bolshevik revolution. In Kyiv, there is also a memorial plaque in honor of the famous jeweler.

In St. Petersburg there is Carl Faberge Square.

On November 19, 2013, the Faberge Museum was opened in St. Petersburg in the Naryshkin-Shuvalov Palace.

Baden-Baden has the Faberge Museum, the first in the world entirely dedicated to the work of the jeweler's firm.

In Moscow there is a college of arts and crafts named after Carl Faberge.

Secrets of Faberge

Personal life of Carl Faberge:

Wife - Augusta Julia Jacobs. They got married in 1872.

Four sons were born in the marriage: Eugene Faberge, Nikolai Faberge, Alexander Faberge, Agathon Karlovich Faberge.

Carl Faberge had an affair with the cafeteria singer Joanna-Amalie Kriebel. He fell in love with her in Paris in 1902 at the age of 56. She was 21. Since that time, he traveled annually for about 3 months on commercial matters to Europe, where he cohabited with his passion. Their romance lasted 10 years.

In 1912, Joanna-Amalia married the 75-year-old Georgian prince Karaman Tsitsianov.

Fate brought them together in 1914, with the outbreak of war. At that moment she lived in Germany and begged her former lover to intercede about moving to Russia. Despite the fact that then the persecution of people with German surnames began and Faberge himself was teetering on the verge of expulsion (because of which he even partially re-registered the company's shares to trusted employees with Russian names), he used his connections at the Court and helped his former passion move to Petersburg, where she settled in the European hotel.

In 1916, Joanna-Amalia Tsitsianova (née Kriebel) was accused of spying for Germany and arrested. Faberge even then tried to petition for her, but to no avail: Amalia was convicted and sent to Siberia.

Amalia Kriebel - Faberge's mistress

Sons of Carl Faberge:

Eldest son - Evgeny Karlovich Faberge(05/29/1874 - 1960), a talented jewelry and portrait painter, studied in Petrischul from 1887 to 1892 and at the jewelry department of the University of Hanau in Germany, as well as with S. Seidenberg and J. Ollill in Helsinki.

In 1897 he worked as an expert at an exhibition in Stockholm.

In 1900, for an exhibition in Paris, he was awarded an officer's badge of the Academy of Arts and the Bulgarian Order of St. Alexander.

From 1894 he worked at his father's firm. From 1898 to 1918, together with his father and brother Agafon Karlovich, he was the actual head of the company in St. Petersburg.

In 1923 he emigrated to Paris, where, together with his brother, he founded the firm Faberge and Co.

Agafon Karlovich Faberge(01/24/1876 - 1951) studied in Petrischul from 1887 to 1892 and at the commercial department of the Wiedemann Gymnasium.

In May 1895, he entered his father's business, since 1898 - an expert of the Diamond Room of the Winter Palace, an appraiser of the Loan Fund, an appraiser of His Imperial Majesty by proxy of his father.

In the 1900-1910s, together with his father and brother Evgeny Karlovich, he managed the affairs of the company. Following the results of the exhibition in 1900 in Paris, he was awarded a gold medal.

He was unfairly accused by his father of stealing money, after which their relationship ended - only after many years a family friend himself confessed to the theft.

He did not leave Soviet Russia with his family. Since 1922, he was appointed authorized by the Gokhran and an appraiser.

In 1927, together with his wife Maria Borzova, he crossed the border with Finland on the ice of the Gulf of Finland, having previously transferred money and jewelry through acquaintances and friends, which did not last long, and much was stolen. He found himself in extreme poverty. He settled in a purchased and rebuilt four-story house in Helsinki. He lived by selling part of his richest collection of stamps.

Alexander Karlovich Faberge(12/17/1877 - 1952) studied in Petrishul from 1887 to 1895 and at the school of Baron Stieglitz, then at Cachot in Geneva.

Then - the head and artist of the Moscow branch of the company.

In 1919 he was appointed an expert of the People's Commissariat for Education.

Later he emigrated to Paris, where he worked for the firm Faberge and Co.

Nikolai Karlovich Faberge(05/09/1884 - 1939) - a graduate of Petrishule (studied from 1894 to 1902), a jewelry artist. Studied with the American painter Sergeant in England.

Since 1906 he lived in England, worked in the London branch of the Faberge firm.

Faberge eggs have long been associated with the imperial house of Russia. These unique pieces of jewelry were made especially for the Russian monarchs and miraculously survived the October Revolution.

Almost all the works of art by Carl Faberge have survived to this day, and there are a total of 71 copies. Of this number, 54 jewelry eggs were made specifically for several generations of the royal family. Each of these unique creations was made in a single version, and had its own secret.

What other secrets does this amazing collection hold? This article contains the most fascinating facts about jewelry, which the whole world called Faberge eggs!

Carl Faberge

The world-famous jeweler was born in St. Petersburg in 1846. His father was also engaged in jewelry business, it is not surprising that Karl took over the passion for this business from his family and at the age of 24 he became the head of a jewelry company. In 1882, he took part in the All-Russian exhibition, where Emperor Alexander III liked his works.

Carl Faberge, Emperor Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna

Since then, the monarch has approached him several times with orders. A few years later, the emperor had an idea that only Carl Faberge could realize. He wanted to give something unusual for the Ascension of Jesus to his beloved wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna.

Imperial Faberge Eggs

The first egg, ordered and designed by Emperor Alexander III, was made by a jeweler in 1885. Karl was not the creator of the concept of this souvenir, the emperor asked him to interpret the egg, which was created at the beginning of the 18th century. In total, three such copies were made, one of which was kept in Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen. Since Maria Feodorovna was born in Denmark, the emperor wanted to give her something that would remind her of her childhood and the treasures of her native country.

All three eggs were made with a secret, and contained inside a miniature figure of a chicken, in which a ring was hidden. According to the same principle, Carl Faberge made his first jewelry egg, which was called "Hen" - from white enamel and matte gold. Like in a nesting doll, it had a small bird in which jewels were placed - a mini version of the imperial crown and a gold chain with a ruby ​​pendant.

Faberge eggs, the first owner of which was Empress Maria Feodorovna

Maria Feodorovna really liked the creation of Faberge, and she immediately elevated him to the rank of a jeweler at court. Now, for each day of ascension, he had to make an egg, in which there must be a surprise. After the death of Emperor Alexander III, the tradition of giving eggs was continued by Emperor Nicholas II, who ordered gifts for his mother and his wife. Soon, a whole team of jewelers from all over the world was engaged in the development and creation of eggs. Most of the craftsmen were from Finland, they all had their own workshops, but considered it an honor to participate in the creation of an order for monarchs.

In total, he made 54 eggs for the imperial house, but today you can see only 48 with your own eyes. After the revolution and the overthrow of the imperial family, the path of these decorations was long and thorny. There are also other collectible eggs that Faberge made for private individuals. It is difficult to say the exact number of these decorations, because Charles only documented the orders of the imperial family. According to reports, a total of 71 specimens are known.

Other Faberge eggs

Carl Faberge skillfully created his masterpieces and each time came up with new designs. Its eggs contained tiny ships, a replica of the emperor's carriage, mini-portraits made on easels, an elephant, and even a mechanical peacock that could walk and lift its tail.

The emperor's collection attracted the attention of many, and some private individuals wanted the same specimens for themselves. The largest collection, in addition to the royal one, was commissioned by magnate Alexander Kelkh for his dearest wife. It consists of seven pieces and is also very popular, although the models are not as skillfully made as the imperial ones. Eight eggs are also known to have been designed by individual orders, including for the Duchess of Marlborough, Felix Yusupov, the Rothschild family and others.

Faberge eggs now

After the revolution, eggs from different collections were scattered all over the world, because at first the Bolsheviks considered them of little value and placed them together with other jewelry in the Kremlin. In 1930, some of the eggs were sold, many for a ridiculous amount of about $400. At the moment, the largest imperial collections are in the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg (11 pieces), in the Moscow Armory (10 pieces), in the Richmond Museum (5 pieces).

Faberge eggs from the Royal Collection of Queen Elizabeth II (London, UK)

There are jeweler's eggs in her possession - she keeps three masterpieces from the imperial collection and one belonging to Kelch. Among private collectors, tycoon Forbes managed to find the largest number of eggs, he boasted 15 copies. His heirs wanted to put the collection up for auction, but the Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg offered a decent amount and bought all the copies. Now they are in the Faberge Museum, which he founded. According to a rough estimate, the cost of the Forbes collection cost him 100 million rubles.

Faberge Museum

The rest of the eggs are scattered around the world in private collections and museums. Among them there are both well-known exhibits and little-known works by Faberge. Until now, it is very popular and famous all over the world.