Lot 0207
Russian Silver and Guilloché Enamel Snuff Box by Henrik Wigström
Estimate: 150-200€
A Russian Silver and Guilloché Enamel Snuff Box/Pendant
Workmaster Henrik Wigström (1862–1923), for the House of Fabergé
St. Petersburg, 1908–1917
Dimensions: 4.0 × 1.1 cm Weight: 26.5 g
Of circular form, enameled in translucent sky blue over guilloché ground, the hinged lid and border finely detailed with engraved ornament. The refined execution exemplify Wigström’s workshop under the House of Fabergé during the firm’s final Imperial years.
Henrik Wigström, one of Fabergé’s most celebrated workmasters and successor to Michael Perchin, was responsible for many of the firm’s finest late creations — including Imperial Easter eggs, miniature objets de fantaisie, and elegantly enameled boxes such as the present example.
Starting price: 100€
Estimate: 150-200€
Hammer Price: €
Related Lots
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Lot 0208
Fabergé Rock Crystal Vase with Silver Mounts and Guilloché Enamel, Michael Perchin, St Petersburg, 1898–1903
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Lot 0208
Fabergé Rock Crystal Vase with Silver Mounts and Guilloché Enamel, Michael Perchin, St Petersburg, 1898–1903
Estimate: 6000-8000€Very Rare Fabergé Silver, Engraved Rock Crystal and Guilloché Enamel Vase
Maker’s mark of “MP” and “Faberge”. Petersburg, 1898–1903.
Inv. No. 1163. Height: 7.6 cm. Total weight: 114.8 gThis rare Fabergé vase, crafted under the supervision of the firm’s leading workmaster Michael Perchin, exemplifies the refinement of late Imperial lapidary art. The delicately engraved rock crystal body rests on a silver base with translucent guilloché enamel in deep red.
The exceptional clarity and size of the smoky quartz used for this piece are remarkable, as such flawless crystals were sourced exclusively from the Ural Mountains and reserved for Fabergé’s workshops. Cutting rock crystal of this purity without fractures required exceptional skill, making this vase a true testament to the artistry of Fabergé’s lapidaries. Comparable vases are discussed in Franz Birbaum’s Memoirs (in: Habsburg & Lopato, Fabergé: Imperial Jeweller, Milan, 1993, p. 457).
Fabergé collaborated with several renowned stone-cutting centers, including the Imperial Peterhof Lapidary Works and workshops in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. After 1908, the firm’s own lapidaries, such as Peter Kremlev and Peter Derbychev, created masterpieces from hardstones within the Fabergé atelier.
Michael Perchin (1860–1903) was Fabergé’s chief workmaster from 1888 until his death in 1903. Trained under the court jeweler Vladimir Finikov, Perchin oversaw the creation of over 20,000 works, including twenty-eight Imperial Easter eggs and the celebrated Kelch series. His workshop produced many of Fabergé’s most technically sophisticated and artistically refined gold, silver, and hardstone objects, often in collaboration with his talented assistant Henrik Wigström, who succeeded him after 1903. Comparable Works:
Christie’s, London, Important Russian Silver, Works of Art and Fabergé, 28 November 2007, Lot 32: A Fabergé Gold-Mounted Rock Crystal and Guilloché Enamel Vase, Workmaster Michael Perchin, c.1898–1903 (https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4857825)
Sotheby’s, London, Russian Works of Art, Fabergé and Icons, 30 November 2020: A Fabergé En Plein Enamel Gold-Mounted Rock Crystal Vase, early 20th century (https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/russian-works-of-art-faberge-and-icons/a-faberge-en-plein-enamel-gold-mounted-rock)
Starting price: 5000€
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0209
Silver-Gilt and Malachite Pill Box with Micromosaic “St Peter’s Square, Rome”, Leonid Pyanovsky, Moscow, 1899–1908
Estimate: 2500-3500€
Lot 0209
Silver-Gilt and Malachite Pill Box with Micromosaic “St Peter’s Square, Rome”, Leonid Pyanovsky, Moscow, 1899–1908
Estimate: 2500-3500€Silver-gilt and malachite pill box with micromosaic panel “St Peter’s Square, Rome” Moscow, Leonid Pyanovsky, 1899–1908.
Malachite, silver, micromosaic. Dimenisons: 4.8 × 8.9 × 2.2 cm.
Marks: maker’s mark “L. PAYNOVSKY”; Moscow assay mark for 1899–1908
A malachite casket with the lid is centred with an exceptionally fine architectural micromosaic depicting St Peter’s Square in Rome. The image is executed in the Roman tradition of micro-mosaic using minute smalti tesserae, so small as to read almost like threads, producing smooth tonal transitions and a painterly surface effect.
Works by Leonid Pyanovsky are described as scarce; only a small number are noted in Russian museum collections, including examples in the Pavlovsk State Museum-Reserve and the A. M. Gorky Museum in Nizhny Novgorod. Leonid Adamovich Pyanovsky (1885–1976) is associated in the literature with decorative arts in a Russian Revival vein and with commissions for high-profile projects and patrons, including works connected with the Romanov Tercentenary. A related reference is given in: T. Muntyan, Carl Fabergé and the Masters of Stone-Cutting. Gem Treasures of Russia, Moscow Kremlin Museums, 2011, pp. 214–215.Starting price: 2000€
Estimate: 2500-3500€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0205
Britzin Silver-Gilt Guilloché Enamel Pill Box, St Petersburg, 1908–1917
Estimate: 1000-1500€
Lot 0205
Britzin Silver-Gilt Guilloché Enamel Pill Box, St Petersburg, 1908–1917
Estimate: 1000-1500€Britzin. Enamel pill box.
Silver, gliding, guilloche enamel.
Makers mark of «Britzin.». Petersburg, 1908-1917. Dimensions: 5 x 3.3 x 1.5 cm. Weight: 79 g
A rectangular silver pill box, the lid beautifully decorated with translucent cobalt-blue guilloché enamel over a wave-patterned ground. The vivid enamel surface creates a shimmering play of light, a hallmark of Russian enameling at the turn of the century.Ivan Savelievich Britsyn (1870–1952), a gifted St. Petersburg enameller, briefly worked for Carl Fabergé before establishing his own workshop in 1903. His refined guilloché enamel objects—cigarette cases, compacts, clocks, and accessories—earned him a gold medal at the 1909 International Exhibition and a clientele that included the Imperial court. Even after the Revolution, Britsyn continued to create works of remarkable quality, often compared with those of Fabergé.
Starting price: 800€
Estimate: 1000-1500€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0206
Russian Silver-Gilt Guilloché Enamel Snuff Box, Odessa, 1908–1917
Estimate: 200-350€
Lot 0206
Russian Silver-Gilt Guilloché Enamel Snuff Box, Odessa, 1908–1917
Estimate: 200-350€A Russian Silver-Gilt and Guilloche Enamel Snuff Box
Odessa, 1908-1917
Dimensions: 4.6 x 1.2 cm
Weight: 30 gCircular in form, the lid of the box is beautifully decorated with translucent pale blue guilloche enamel over an engine-turned sunburst pattern radiating from the center. The subtle tonality and precise craftsmanship exemplify the refined enamel work produced in Russia during the late Imperial period.
Guilloche enamel – a decorative technique perfected by the leading workshops of Faberge and his contemporaries – was widely admired for its ability to catch and reflect light through layers of translucent enamel applied over finely engraved metal.
Starting price: 150€
Estimate: 200-350€
Hammer Price: €