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Faberge Eggs Treasures of the World
© Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
◦ Mementos of a Doomed Dynasty
◦ Nicholas and Romanov Russia
◦ Nicholas and Alexandra
◦ The tragic events that followed the coronation of Nicholas II
◦ Bloody Sunday
◦ Signs of revolution
◦ The inventive young Faberge
◦ Faberge's growing fame
◦ The Faberge Imperial Easter eggs featured in the Series
◦ The House of Faberge
◦ The workshops and workmasters
◦ Faberge the man
◦ Outrageous opulence
◦ Fragile remembrances
◦ The fate of the eggs ◦
The inventive young Faberge
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Born Peter Carl Faberge in 1846, he would
become the most famous goldsmith of his time. Son of jeweler Gustav
Faberge, owner of a small silver and jewelry shop in St. Petersburg,
Carl Faberge was well-trained in the jeweler's art by apprenticeships
in the major centers of the European decorative arts. By the time Carl
was twenty, he had also received a solid foundation in economics and
commercial affairs.
When Carl took over his father's jewelry firm in 1872 at the age of
twenty-four, it was not much different from several other workshops
catering to the upper classes of St. Petersburg. But the young Faberge
was determined to distinguish the family name. Jewelry and the decorative
arts of the day had previously been valued by the size and weight of
the precious stones and metals. In a departure from such gaudy ostentation,
and with the help of his younger brother Agathon, a talented designer
and valued advisor, Faberge eagerly formulated a new aesthetic, which
he hoped would capture the fancy of the Russian aristocracy.
According to Faberge collector Christopher Forbes,"His feeling
was that it should be creativity and craftsmanship rather than carat-content
that dictated the appreciation of a piece – and he certainly had a wonderful
sense of humor. So his pieces caught the attention of Alexander III,
who admired them as examples of Russian genius."
"And here you see the shrewd man, the businessman," says
author and Faberge expert, Geza von Habsburg. "He worked for an
institution called the Imperial Cabinet, which was in charge of all
the treasures of the Czars in the Hermitage. And he worked there free-of-charge
and repaired things, appraised things, and so on." Having earned
the recognition of this prestigious organization by virtue of his expertise
in the task of restoring its collections, Faberge was invited in 1882
to participate in the Moscow Pan-Russian Exhibition, where he earned
a gold medal and a good deal of press for his innovative work. It was
at this event that Czar Alexander III and his wife, Maria Fedorovna,
became acquainted with the House of Faberge, captivated by the exquisite
display of jewels and objects de luxe.
In 1885, Faberge's hard work, meticulous standards and shrewd positioning
paid off when he was given the highest honor possible for a jeweler:
an appointment as "Supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty."
That same year he received the now famous order from the Czar to create
the first Imperial Easter egg for the Czarina.
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