MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Four objects produced by the firm of Fabergé from the Russian History Museum’s collection are currently on view in Unknown Fabergé: New Finds and Re-Discoveries at the Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis, MN. The most elaborate among them is a silver frame by with miniatures created by Fabergé workmaster Karl Gustaf Hjalmar Armfelt. The frame was presented by Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich to his wife, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Mavrikievna, in 1909 on their 25th wedding anniversary. The miniatures depict the Grand Duke, his children, and four residences where the couple lived at different times.
Another object on loan to the Museum of Russian Art is a silver coffer in the Neo-Egyptian style. It was presented to Baron Pavel Pavlovich Mestmacher in 1903 on the 25th anniversary of his service as the Podolsk Province Marshal of Nobility. The coffer is decorated with enameled coats of arms of cities in the Podolsk Province.
The remaining objects – a silver monogrammed tea glass holder and a shot glass adorned with acanthus leaves – represent the more commonplace items that were produced by Fabergé.
The exhibition is on view from October 8, 2016, to February 26, 2017. It features a rich array of objects produced by Fabergé in the late 19th–early 20th century. More than eighty beautifully crafted pieces, many of them previously unknown, have been gathered from public and private collections in the United States and Europe for this exhibition.
Distinguished by classic elegance and exquisite workmanship, Fabergé’s renowned works made abundant use of gold, silver, precious and semi-precious stones, as well as colorful enamels. Many of the masterpieces on display are rich in historical references. A silver and palisander bell push once adorned the tea table in the summer palace of Emperor Nicholas II; an enameled gold brooch was presented by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to a close family friend; a pair of enameled gold cufflinks were an Easter gift to Nicholas II from his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodoronva; and a rare silver rhinoceros automaton was a gift from the Dowager Empress to her grandson, Vasili.