Lot 0082
Very Rare Faberge Silver, Engraved Rock Crystal and Guilloche Enamel Vase by Mikhail Perchin
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 g
This 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: UNSOLD€
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Lot 0083
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Estimate: 3500-4500€
Lot 0083
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Estimate: 3500-4500€A Russian Gold and Gem-Set Smoking Set “Samorodok”
Maker’s mark of “FK”. Petersburg, late 19th century.
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Lot 0084
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Lot 0081
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Makers mark of «AW». Petersburg, 1908-1917.
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