Peter Carl Fabergé
Encyclopedia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n jeweller
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
of Baltic German
Baltic German
The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...
-Danish and French origin, best known for the famous Fabergé egg
Fabergé egg
A Fabergé egg is any one of the thousands of jeweled eggs made by the House of Fabergé from 1885 to 1917. Most were miniature eggs that were popular gifts at Eastertide...
s, made in the style of genuine Easter egg
Easter egg
Easter eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime.The oldest tradition is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans...
s, but using precious metal
Precious metal
A precious metal is a rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical element of high economic value.Chemically, the precious metals are less reactive than most elements, have high lustre, are softer or more ductile, and have higher melting points than other metals...
s and gemstone
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
s rather than more mundane materials.
Early life
He was born in Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia to the jeweller Gustav Fabergé
Gustav Fabergé
Gustav Fabergé was a Russian jeweller of Baltic German origin and father of the famous Peter Carl Fabergé, maker of Fabergé eggs. He established his own business in Saint Petersburg, which his son inherited....
and his Danish wife Charlotte Jungstedt. Gustav Fabergé’s paternal ancestors were Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s, originally from La Bouteille
La Bouteille
La Bouteille is a commune in the department of Aisne in Picardy in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
, who fled from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes
Edict of Fontainebleau
The Edict of Fontainebleau was an edict issued by Louis XIV of France, also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes of 1598, had granted the Huguenots the right to practice their religion without persecution from the state...
, first to Germany near Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, then in 1800 to the Baltic
Baltic provinces
The Baltic governorates , originally the Ostsee governorates is a collective name for the administrative units of the Russian Empire set up at the territories of Swedish Estonia, Swedish Livonia and, afterwards, of Duchy of Courland and Semigallia .-History:The Treaty of Vilnius of 1561 included...
province of Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
, then part of Russia.
Initially educated in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia, in 1860 Gustav Fabergé, together with his wife and children retired to Dresden, leaving the business in the hands of capable and trusted managers. Peter Karl possibly undertook a course at the Dresden Arts and Crafts School. Two years later, Agathon, the Fabergé's second son was born. In 1864, Peter Karl embarked upon a "Grand Tour of Europe". 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. His travel and study continued until 1872, when at the age of 26 he returned to St. Petersburg and married Augusta Julia Jacobs. For the following 10 years, his father’s trusted workmaster Hiskias Pendin acts as his mentor and tutor. The company was also involved with cataloguing, repairing, and restoring objects in the Hermitage
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
during the 1870s. In 1881 the business moved to larger street-level premises at 16/18 Bolshaya Morskaya.
Takes over the family business
Upon the death of Hiskias Pendin in 1882, Karl Fabergé took sole responsibility for running the company. Karl was awarded the title Master Goldsmith, which permitted him to use his own hallmark in addition to that of the firm. Karl Fabergé’s reputation was so high that the normal three-day examination was waived. His brother, Agathon, an extremely talented and creative designer, joined the business from Dresden; where he had also possibly studied at the Arts and Crafts School. Karl and Agathon were a sensation at the Pan-Russian Exhibition held in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1882. Karl was awarded a gold medal and the St. Stanisias Medal. One of the Fabergé pieces displayed was a replica of a 4th century BC gold bangle from the Scythian Treasure in the Hermitage. The Tsar declared that he could not distinguish the Fabergé's work from the original and ordered that objects by the House of Fabergé should be displayed in the Hermitage as examples of superb contemporary Russian craftsmanship. The House of Fabergé with its range of jewels was now within the focus of Russia’s Imperial Court.
When Peter Karl took over the House, there was a move from producing jewellery in the then fashionable French 18th century style, to becoming artist-jewellers. This resulted in reviving the lost art of enamelling and concentrating on setting every single stone in a piece to its best advantage. Indeed, it was not unusual for Agathon to make ten or more wax models so that all possibilities could be exhausted before deciding on a final design. Shortly after Agathon joined the firm, the House introduced objects deluxe: gold bejewelled items embellished with enamel ranging from electric bell pushes to cigarette cases, including objects de fantaisie.
In 1885, Czar Alexander III
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...
gave the House of Fabergé the title; ‘Goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown’.
Easter eggs
The Czar also commissioned the company to make an Easter egg as a gift for his wife, the Empress Maria. The Czar placed an order for another egg the following year. However, from 1887, Carl Fabergé was apparently given complete freedom with regard to design, which then become more and more elaborate. According to the Fabergé Family tradition, not even the Tsar knew what form they would take: the only stipulation was that each one should contain a surprise. The next Czar, Nicholas IINicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
, ordered two eggs each year, one for his mother and one for his own wife, Alexandra
Alexandra Fyodorovna of Hesse
Alix of Hesse and by Rhine later Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova , was Empress consort of Russia as spouse of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of the Russian Empire...
. The tradition continued until the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
.
Although the House of Fabergé is famed for its Imperial Easter eggs, it made many more objects ranging from silver tableware to fine jewelry. Fabergé’s company became the largest jewellery business in Russia. In addition to its Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
head quarters, there were branches in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It produced some 150,000 to 200,000 objects from 1882 until 1917. In 1900 his work represented Russia at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. As Karl Fabergé was a member of the Jury, the House of Fabergé therefore exhibited hors concours (without competing). Nevertheless, the House was awarded a gold medal and the city’s jewellers recognised Karl Fabergé as maître. Additionally, Karl Fabergé was decorated with the most prestigious of French awards – he was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour. Two of Karl’s sons and his Head Workmaster were also honored. Commercially, the exposition was a great success and the firm acquired a great many orders and clients.
Stock, Russian Revolution and Nationalization
In 1916, the House of Fabergé became a joint-stock company with a capital of 3-million rubles.The following year upon the outbreak of the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, the business was taken over by a 'Committee of the Employees of the Company K Fabergé. In 1918 The House of Fabergé was nationalised by the Bolsheviks. In early October the stock was confiscated. The House of Fabergé was no more.
After the nationalisation of the business, Karl Fabergé left St. Petersburg on the last diplomatic train for Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. In mid-November, the Revolution having reached Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, he fled to Germany and first settled in Bad Homburg
Bad Homburg
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe is the district town of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hesse, Germany, on the southern slope of the Taunus, bordering among others Frankfurt am Main and Oberursel...
and then in Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
. Eugène, the Fabergé's eldest, travelled with his mother in darkness by sleigh and on foot through snow-covered woods and reached Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
in December 1918. During June 1920, Eugène reached Wiesbaden and accompanied his father to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
where other members of the family had taken refuge at the Bellevue Hotel, in Pully near Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
. Peter Karl Fabergé never recovered from the shock of the Russian Revolution. In exile, the words always on his lips were, ‘This life is not worth living’. He died in Switzerland on September 24, 1920. His family believed he died of a broken heart. His wife Augusta died in 1925. The two were reunited in 1929 when Eugène Fabergé took his father’s ashes from Lausanne and buried them in his mother’s grave at the Cimetière du Grand Jas
Cimetière du Grand Jas
The Cimetière du Grand Jas is located at 205 avenue de Grasse in Cannes on the French Riviera. The nine hectare terraced cemetery began operations in 1866 and is known for its landscaped architecture with rich floral decorations and statuary.Its "English square" or Cimetière Anglais, is the final...
in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France.
Fabergé had four sons: Eugéne (1874–1960), Agathon (1876–1951), Alexander (1877–1952) and Nicholas (1884–1939). Descendants of Peter Karl Fabergé live in Europe, Scandinavia and South America.
Personal life
Henry Bainbridge, a manager of the London branch of the House of Fabergé recorded recollections of his meetings with his employer in both his autobiography and the book he wrote about Fabergé. We are also given an insight into the man from the recollections of François Birbaum, Fabergé’s senior master craftsman from 1893 until the House’s demise.From Bainbridge we know that while punctilious with his dress, Fabergé ‘rarely if ever wore black but favoured well-cut tweeds’. He added ‘There was an air of the country gentleman about him, at times he reminded one of an immaculate gamekeeper with large pockets.’ He was a very focused individual with no wasted actions or speech. He did not like small talk. On one occasion during dinner Bainbridge, feeling out of the conversation said, ‘I see Lord Swaythingly is dead’. Fabergé asked who he was and upon being told responded cuttingly, ‘And what can I do with a dead banker?’
When taking orders from customers he was always in a hurry and would soon forget the fine detail. He would then interrogate the staff so as to find who was standing near him who may have overheard. His great-granddaughter Tatiana Fabergé notes that he usually had a knotted handkerchief in his breast pocket.
When he noticed an unsuccessful article, he would call for his senior master craftsman and make endless derisory and ironical remarks. On occasions when Birbaum realised Fabergé was the designer, he would show him his sketch. Fabergé would then smile guiltily and say, ‘Since there is nobody to scold me, I have had to do it myself’. From Birbaum we also know that he was famous for his wit and was quite merciless to fops, whom he hated. A certain Prince who fell into this category boasted to Fabergé about his latest honour from the Czar adding that he had no idea as to why the award was made. Anticipating to be showered with congratulations from the jeweller, Fabergé simply replied, ‘Indeed, your Highness, I too have no idea what for’.
He never travelled with luggage, but bought all his requisites at his destination. On one occasion he arrived at the Negresco Hotel in Nice. The doorman barred his entrance because of this. Thankfully one of the Grand Dukes who was in residence called out a greeting and Karl Fabergé was ushered apologetically into the establishment.
Bainbridge concludes, ‘Taking him all in all, Fabergé came as near to a complete understanding of human nature as it is possible for a man to come, with one word only inscribed on his banner, and that word – tolerance. There is no doubt whatever that this consideration for the worth of others was the foundation for his success.’
External links
- More facts from Faberge biography
- Empire of Eggs, Svetlana Graudt, Moscow Times, November 18, 2005
- Wartski London Historic Fabergé specialists
- A La Vieille Russie. New York. American Fabergé Specialists
- The House of Fabergé
- Current Fabergé Museum Exhibitions
- Picture gallery of private art collector
- Pallinghurst Resources LLP
- Objects of Fantasy – The World of Peter Carl Faberge Melissa Jellema. St. Xavier University. Chicago, IL. May 3, 2008