TWO-HANDLED CONDIMENT BOWL
Silver, brilliant-cut glass
Max. H. 2⅛ inches • Max. W. 8⅞ inches • Diam. of glass element 4¾ inches
WORKMASTER: Unidentified
PLACE MADE: Moscow
DATE MADE: 1899–1908
MARKS OR SIGNATURES: On the interior flange of the silver mount: 84, kokoshnik head facing left, the Cyrillic initials I.L. for Ivan Lebedkin, all partially struck in an elliptical punch; double-headed eagle/K. FABERGÉ, in Cyrillic
Fabergé opened his Moscow branch in 1887, and the large production of his silver took place there in the San Galli House at 4 Bolshoi Kiselni Lane. The San Galli House premises had previously been the headquarters of F. San Galli, a successful metalsmithing and tin-smithing company, which had been founded in 1853 but which apparently moved to larger quarters by 1887 after a rapid growth and the award of an Imperial Warrant. Fabergé’s manager at the San Galli House was Michael M. Chepurnov.
Given his acumen as a businessman, Fabergé’s opening of workshops in Moscow was virtually inevitable. It was wise to seek the patronage of the increasingly rich Moscow merchants, and the Moscow silver trade was of long standing, was well organized, and its products enjoyed a solid reputation for quality. To those advantages were added presence of good training schools, a ready supply of newly trained artisans, and salaries that were at best twenty percent lower than those of St. Petersburg.
The decorative vocabulary of this condiment bowl reflects the brilliant eclecticism of Fabergé’s designs, for the bound reeded rim is derived from French First Empire motifs while the scrolled handles are in the earlier Louis XV taste. In spite of such disparate design sources, the piece remains coherent, tasteful and elegant.
The Fabergé firm did not, of course, produce its own glass but acquired it from outside suppliers whose identities today remain obscure. It is possible that some of the glass was obtained from foreign sources. Brilliant-cut glass was internationally fashionable, and Russian taste particularly favored the overall cut patterning observed on this bowl. The base of the bowl is cut on its exterior with a large but delicate sunburst.
In keeping with the practice of Fabergé’s Moscow workshop, the workmaster here was not noted with any identifying initials. Instead, the silver mounts of this bowl bear the double-headed eagle denoting the Imperial Warrant awarded to the firm by Tsar Alexander III in 1884. That eagle appears over the Fabergé name in Cyrillic, including the first initial of K.
Although much of Fabergé’s silver production has been overshadowed by the renown of his objets de fantaisie, it must in fairness be emphasized that the silver designs were always of high quality and the actual pieces beautifully finished.
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