CARD CASE
14-karat gold, sapphire
H. 1⅛ inch • W. 3⅜ inches • Max. D. 2⅓ inches
 
WORKMASTER: Albert Holmström

DATE: 1908–17

PLACE: St. Petersburg
 
MARKS OR SIGNATURE:
On the interior leaf, left: FABERGÉ in Cyrillic, in an oblong punch/kokoshnik head facing right with Greek letter alpha, 56, all in an oval punch; AH in an oval punch. On the interior leaf, right: Kokoshnik head facing right with Greek letter alpha, 56, all in an oval punch; AH in an oval punch.
 
The narrow reeding of this slender case reflects mid-Belle Époque taste for styles eschewing historical revivals. There is no reference here to the previously popular Louis XV or XVI modes; those have been superseded by a simple precise reeding. Such reeded decoration had become widely popular by the late 1890s. The cabochon sapphire thumbpiece is set in gold; the interior is matte-gilded.
 
The workmaster initials AH struck on this case are initially somewhat puzzling until one realizes that they are the initials of Albert Holmström (Finnish, 1876–1925) who assumed the operation of his father, August Wilhelm Holmström’s, shop upon August Holmström’s death in 1903. Albert Holmström continued to use a hallmark identical to that of his father after the latter’s death. Albert was a talented jeweler and continued the high standards of craftsmanship established in the family workshop. Albert Holmström’s production of gold cigarette and card cases for Fabergé is relatively rare. Today, Albert Holmström is perhaps most remembered as the workmaster for the 1913 Winter Egg and the Mosaic Egg of the following year both of which were based upon the designs of Albert’s niece, Alma Theresia Pihl (Finnish, 1888–1976).
 
Please contact for price