An exhibition showcasing the largest collection of Fabergé Easter Eggs in a generation opens at the V&A this Saturday, 20th November. Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution is a celebration of the master goldsmith and his London branch.
Running from 20th November 2021 to 8th May 2022, the exhibition is devoted to the international prominence of the legendary Russian goldsmith, Carl Fabergé, and the importance of his little-known London branch.
With a focus on Fabergé’s Edwardian high society clientele, the exhibition shines a light on his triumphs in Britain as well as a global fascination with the joyful opulence of his creations. The largest collection of the legendary Imperial Easter Eggs in a generation will be on display as part of the exhibition’s dramatic finale, several of which are being shown in the UK for the first time.
Showcasing over 200 objects across three main sections, the exhibition tells the story of Carl Fabergé, the man, and his internationally recognised firm that symbolised Russian craftsmanship and elegance.
Unknown to many, the exhibition explores the Anglo-Russian nature of his enterprise with his only branch outside of Russia opening in London in 1903. Royalty, aristocrats, American heiresses, exiled Russian Grand Dukes, Maharajas, financiers with newly-made fortunes and socialites flocked there to buy gifts of unparalleled luxury for each other. Fabergé works were as popular in Britain as they were in Russia.
Kieran McCarthy and Hanne Faurby, Curators of Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution, said: “The story of Carl Fabergé, the legendary Russian Imperial goldsmith, is one of supreme luxury and unsurpassed craftsmanship. Celebrating Fabergé’s extraordinary achievements, this exhibition focuses on the over-looked importance of his London branch, the only one outside of Russia. It attracted a global clientele of Royalty, aristocrats, business titans and socialites. Through Fabergé’s creations the exhibition explores timeless stories of love, friendship and unashamed social climbing. It takes the visitor on a journey of sublime artistry and patronage towards the revolution that tragically closed Fabergé – but sends visitors away on a high, by honouring Fabergé’s greatest legacy, with a dazzling final display of his iconic Easter Eggs.”
Part I
The exhibition opens by looking at the important patronage of the Romanov family. A miniature of the Imperial Regalia, lent by the Hermitage Museum and made for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle captures Carl Fabergé’s role as official goldsmith to the Imperial family. Its members often gave each other intimate Fabergé gifts, including a number of bespoke, ornate objects shown here such as flowers made from rock crystal, gold and rose-cut diamonds and exquisite family portrait miniatures.
This section also takes a close look at the mastery of techniques and intricate detailing that became synonymous with Carl Fabergé and his firm. Creating a culture of creativity throughout his workshops, Carl Fabergé’s restless imagination inspired daring material choices and designs, while the integration of designers, craftsmen, and retailers under one roof galvanised creative collaboration. The dazzling beauty of Fabergé’s work is shown by a sparkling aquamarine and diamond tiara – a token of love from Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg- Schwerin to his bride Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland on their wedding day. The only known example of solid gold tea service crafted by Fabergé is also on display, one of the most magnificent items to emerge from the firm’s Moscow branch.
Part II
The second section of the exhibition tells the story of Fabergé’s time in London, including how the firm flourished under royal patronage, and how its creations became a social currency for gift giving and ostentatious displays of wealth, amongst the cosmopolitan elite who gathered in the city.
Fabergé’s choice of London for its new premises was partly because it was the financial capital of the world, a luxury retail destination able to draw a wealthy and international clientele. It was also the home of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra who were already avid Fabergé collectors, making royal patronage in London highly likely.
The exhibition transports visitors from Russia to a bustling London and highlights the strong links between the British and Russian Royal Families. Royal photography in Fabergé frames and gifts presented by Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to their British relatives are shown, including a notebook given by Tsar and Tsarina to Queen Victoria for Christmas in 1896.
Fabergé carefully tailored his works to his British clientele. He created hardstone portraits of the farm animals King Edward and Queen Alexandra bred at Sandringham, their favourite country estate, and objects enamelled in The King’s horse racing colours. Highlight objects include a commission from The King of his faithful wire-haired fox terrier Caesar, a silver model portrait of Persimmon, his most loved and successful racehorse and one of the firm’s rarest creations – a figurine of a veteran English soldier.
Fabergé became the most exclusive and fashionable place to buy gifts. The King’s mistress, Mrs George Keppel, gifted The King an elegant art-nouveau cigarette case with a snake laid in diamonds biting its tail – a symbol of unbroken and everlasting love.
The exhibition also shows the fateful impact of the Great War and Russian Revolution on Fabergé. With Russia’s entry into the war in 1914, Fabergé’s production suddenly shifted. The workshops focused their output on the war effort and went from creating exquisite objects to producing munitions. In 1917, as the Revolution hit Fabergé’s workshops in Russia, its outpost in London ceased to operate.
Finale
The final section of the exhibition celebrates the legacy of Fabergé through the iconic Imperial Easter Eggs with a kaleidoscopic display of 15 of these famous treasures. This is the largest collection on public display for over 25 years.
It includes several that have never before been shown in the UK including the largest Imperial Egg – the Moscow Kremlin Egg – inspired by the architecture of the Dormition Cathedral, on loan from the Moscow Kremlin Museums. The Alexander Palace Egg, featuring watercolour portraits of the children of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra – and containing a surprise model of the palace inside – and the Tercentenary Egg, created to celebrate 300 years of the Romanov dynasty, only a few years before the dynasty crumbled.
Other eggs that feature include the recently rediscovered Third Imperial Egg of 1887, found by a scrap dealer in 2011 – one of the ‘missing’ eggs created by Fabergé that was lost for many years. The Peacock Egg of 1907-8, shown on public display for the first time in over a decade, containing a surprise of an enamelled gold peacock automaton and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna’s Basket of Flowers Egg, lent by Her Majesty The Queen from the Royal Collection, will also be on display.
While the Russian Revolution and the war irrevocably changed the social order in Russia and Europe, the taste for collecting Fabergé survived, especially in London, where the firm’s works continued to be prized.
This exhibition offers a wonderful opportunity for admirers of Fabergé to view an extensive collection of the firm’s exquisite objects. For further information please visit the V&A
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Photo: Caesar, by Fabergé. Chalcedony, gold, enamel, rubies c. 1908 Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021