An excerpt of the catalogue for the upcoming exhibition taking place at The Museum of Russian Art, Minneapolis, MN. October 6, 2016 to February 24, 2017. tmora.org

1. Unknown Fabergé
New Finds and Re-discoveries
Mark Moehrke
E D I T O R
With contributions by
Mark Moehrke & Marilyn Swezey
G U E S T C U R A T O R S
Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm
Mikhail Ovchinnikov
The Museum of Russian Art
Minneapolis, MN
The Museum of Russian Art
M I N N E A P O L I S , M N
Unknown
FABERGÉ
N E W F I N D S A N D R E - D I S C O V E R I E S

2. 32 33
11
IMPERIAL CUFFLINKS
Fabergé, St. Petersburg, circa 1907
Workmaster Henrik Wigström
Scratched inventory number 80377
Gold, enamel, diamonds
H. ¾ in.
L I T E R A T U R E
A. von Solodkoff, The Jewel Album of Tsar Nicholas II and A Collection of Private
Photographs of the Russian Imperial Family, London, 1997, no. 267, illustrated
p. 37 of the album.
Nicholas II, Jewel Album, Archives at the State Museums of the Moscow
Kremlin, no. 267, illustrated p. 37.
Wartski, Fabergé and the Russian Jewellers, London, 2006, no. 231, p. 88,
illustrated p. 79.
E X H I B I T E D
London, Fabergé and the Russian Jewellers, Wartski, 2006, no. 231.
PRIVATE COLLECTION
These cufflinks were purchased
by Dowager Empress Maria
Feodorovna (1847–1928) from
Fabergé’s St. Petersburg shop and
given to Emperor Nicholas II
(1868–1918) on Easter 1907. They
were recorded in his gift album
in watercolor and captioned,
Original watercolor from the album of Nicholas II.
Courtesy of Alexander von Solodkoff.
“From Mama, Easter 1907.” The
entry from Nicholas’ album is
reproduced below.

3. 44 45
INSIDE COVER
20
IMPERIAL CIGARETTE CASE
Fabergé, St. Petersburg, circa 1890
Workmaster Mikhail Perkhin
Gold, enamel, silk tinder cord, in the original chamois slip case
L. 4 ¾ in.
L I T E R A T U R E
U. Tillander-Godenhielm, Fabergé: ja hänen suomalaiset mestarinsa, Helsinki,
2008, pp. 98–99.
U. Tillander-Godenhielm, Fabergén suomalaiset mestarit, Helsinki, 2011, p. 75.
E X H I B I T E D
Tampere, The Era of Fabergé, Museums in Finland and Moscow Kremlin
Museum, June 17–October 1, 2006.
Shanghai, Christie’s, October 2014.
PRIVATE COLLECTION, FINLAND
Emperor Alexander III and Empress
Maria Feodorovna.
The inside cover engraved in
facsimile handwriting of the
Empress Maria Feodorovna:
28 October 1890.
A gift from the Empress Maria
Feodorovna (1847–1928) to her
husband, Emperor Alexander III
(1845–1894), on their 24th wedding
anniversary, then by descent.
In 1866, Alexander III (1845–1894)
married the Danish Princess
Dagmar (1847–1928), daughter
of King Christian IX of Denmark
(1818–1906) and Queen Louise, née
Louise of Hesse-Kassel (1817–
1898). Dagmar took the name
of Maria Feodorovna after her
conversion to Russian Orthodoxy.
Together the couple had five
children, including Tsarevich
Nicholas Alexandrovich (1868–
1918), who would succeed
his father as Emperor of Russia
in 1894.
The tall, powerful emperor and the
petite princess, so unalike in both
personality and appearance, shared
a very happy marriage and family
life. They remained devoted and
attached to each other throughout
their lives.

4. 4746
21
IMPERIAL RHINOCEROS
AUTOMATON
Fabergé, St. Petersburg, circa 1905
Workmaster possibly Julius Rappoport
Oxidized silver, key, in the original wood case
L. 2 7
⁄8 in.
L I T E R A T U R E
M. Saloniemi, U. Tillander-Godenhielm, T. Boettger, The Era of Fabergé,
Tampere, Finland, 2006.
U. Tillander-Godenhielm, Fabergé: ja hänen suomalaiset mestarinsa, Helsinki,
2008, pp. 340–341.
E X H I B I T E D
Tampere, The Era of Fabergé, Museums in Finland and Moscow Kremlin
Museum, June 17–October 1, 2006.
Shanghai, Christie’s, October 2014.
PRIVATE COLLECTION, FINLAND
A gift of the Dowager Empress
Maria Feodorovna (1858–1939) to
her grandson, Vasili Alexandrovich
(1907–1989), then by descent.
When the rhinoceros is wound
with a key, it lumbers forward,
raising and lowering its head and
moving its tail. The oxidized silver
simulates the coarse texture and
color of the animal’s skin.
Prince Vasili Alexandrovich
was the youngest child of Grand
Duke Alexander Mikhailovich
Prince Vasili Alexandrovich with
his mother, Grand Duchess Xenia
Alexandrovna.
(1866–1933) and Grand Duchess
Xenia Alexandrovna (1875–1960),
the daughter of Emperor Alexander
III (1845–1894) and sister of
Emperor Nicholas II (1868–1918).
Vasili escaped Russia in 1919, at
the age of 11, and later emigrated
to the United States. There he met
Princess Natalia Golitsyna, whom
he married in 1931. The couple
lived in California and had one
daughter.
This rare silver rhinoceros
automaton is one of only a small
number known to have been
produced by Fabergé. One was
formerly in the Forbes Magazine
Collection and is now preserved
in the Fabergé Museum in
St. Petersburg. The others are
in private collections, including
one which was given to Queen
Alexandra (1844–1925) for her
sixty-fifth birthday in 1909 by
the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Howe
(1861–1929).

5. 54 55
23
IMPERIAL PHOTOGRAPH
FRAME
Fabergé, St. Petersburg circa 1901
Workmaster Mikhail Perkhin
Scratched inventory number 3748
Gold, enamel, diamonds
H. 1 ½ in.
ARTIE AND DOROTHY MCFERRIN COLLECTION
AT THE HOUSTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE
Collection of Grand Duke George
Mikhailovich (1863–1919), then by
descent.
This rare mechanical photograph
frame contains original
photographs of Grand Duke
George, Grand Duchess Marie
(1876–1940) and Princess Nina
Georgievna (1901–1974) as an
infant. The original purchase has
not been traced, but the age of
Nina in the photograph and the
workmaster’s mark of Mikhail
Perkhin (who died in 1903),
ANOTHER VIEW
suggest a date of 1901, the year
of Nina’s birth. Each photograph
is covered by functioning windows,
which are operated by a diamond
push-piece at the bottom edge
of the frame and powered by
an intricate mechanism located
inside the back cover. The design
and construction undoubtedly
were inspired by the surprise in
the Imperial Pansy Egg (1899),
a similar enamel heart-shaped
photograph frame with functioning
windows, which also was made in
Perkhin’s workshop.

6. 60 61
31
PAIR OF SCENT BOTTLES
K. Fabergé, Moscow, 1899–1908
Gold, enamel, glass
H. 5 ½ in.
L I T E R A T U R E
A. K. Snowman, Victoria & Albert Museum, Fabergé 1846–1920, London,
1977, no. K27, pp. 68–69.
A. K. Snowman, Carl Fabergé, Goldsmith to the Imperial Court of Russia,
London, 1980, p. 28.
Queen’s Gallery, Fabergé from the Royal Collection, London, 1985, no. 47.
E X H I B I T E D
London, Fabergé 1846–1920, Victoria & Albert Museum, 1977, no. K27.
London, Fabergé from the Royal Collection, Buckingham Palace, Queen’s
Gallery, 1985, no. 47.
PRIVATE COLLECTION
Former the collection of H.R.H. The Princess Margaret, Countess of
Snowden (1930–2002) at Kensington Palace, London.
30
PHOTOGRAPH FRAME
K. Fabergé, Moscow, before 1899
Gold, enamel, diamonds
H. 3 3
⁄8 in.
PRIVATE COLLECTION
Containing a photograph of
Princess Margaret. Former
collection of H.R.H. The Princess
Margaret, Countess of Snowden
(1930–2002) at Kensington Palace,
London.
Princess Margaret was born
the second daughter to T.R.H.
The Duke and Duchess of York,
the future King George VI
(1895–1952) and Queen Elizabeth
(1900–2002). The younger sister
of Queen Elizabeth II (b. 1926),
the glamorous princess become
H.R.H. Princess Margaret,
Countess of Snowden.
a prominent player on the world
stage for the rest of her life.
Princess Margaret, charming,
sophisticated, and the epitome of
royal elegance, was a fashion icon
and a regular fixture on the world’s
best dressed lists. Although the
attractive and exuberant princess
gained a reputation as a free spirit,
she was known for her generosity to
friends and for her devotion to the
queen. The princess was married
once, to Antony Armstrong-Jones,
1st Earl of Snowdon (b. 1930),
whom she later divorced, and had
two children.
A gifted singer and pianist, the
princess was a devoted patron
of the arts. In addition to her
love of music and ballet, her
artistic patronage extended to her
significant collection of jewelry and
Fabergé, including the photograph
frame which contains her portrait
(cat. number 30) and the pair of
elegant scent bottles (cat. number
31).

7. 8584
44
“SNOWFLAKE” PENDANT
WITH RED CROSS
Fabergé, St. Petersburg, 1915
Workshop of Albert Holmström, designed by Alma Pihl
Scratched inventory number 100171
Rock crystal, platinized alloy of gold and silver, diamonds, rubies
H. 2 ¼ in.
L I T E R A T U R E
A. von Solodkoff, Masterpieces from the House of Fabergé, New York,
1984, p. 167.
M. Kelly, Highlights from the Forbes Magazine Collection, New York, 1985,
p. 18.
J. Booth, The Art of Fabergé, New Jersey, 1990, p. 76.
K. Snowman, Fabergé: Lost and Found, 1993, p. 163, illustration of the pencil
design.
C. Forbes & R. Tromeur-Brenner, R. Fabergé, The Forbes Collection,
New York, 1999, p. 150–151.
E X H I B I T E D
Boston, The Museum of Science, Gems, 1991.
Virginia/Minneapolis/Chicago, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,
The Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago,
Fabergé, Selections from the Forbes Magazine Collection, 1983, no. 38, p. 13.
Fort Worth, The Kimbell Art Museum, Fabergé, The Forbes Magazine
Collection, 1983, no. 69.
Detroit, The Detroit Institute of Arts, Fabergé, The Forbes Magazine
Collection, 1984, no. 71.
Washington D.C., Corcoran Gallery, Fabergé and Finland: Exquisite Objects,
1996.
Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, Carl Fabergé: Goldsmith to the Tsar, 1997,
no. 226, p. 206.
Biltmore, Biltmore Estate, The Glitter and the Gold: Fabergé at Biltmore Estate,
1998.
THE COLLECTION OF RICHARD H. DRIEHAUS, CHICAGO
Original design for the ice pendant
with red cross from the design books of
Fabergé workmaster Albert Holmström.
Courtesy of Wartski, London.
This pendant is yet another
snowflake jewel relating to World
War I, the tragedies of which
greatly upset and engulfed the
entire world. The female members
of the Russian Imperial family,
inspired by Empress Alexandra
Feodorovna (1872–1918) and her
daughters, worked as nurses in
hospitals created for urgent help to
injured soldiers. Many ladies of the
highest society followed the good
example of their sovereigns, doing
all in their power to assist the many
unfortunate. The workshops of
Fabergé produced a mass of objects,
jewels and miniature Easter eggs,
decorated with the symbol of the
Red Cross. Many of these pieces
were intended as gifts for those who
did valuable voluntary work.
On the very last page (dated
March 20, 1915) of the ledgers of
the workshop of Fabergé’s head
jeweler, Albert Holmström, several
of these jewels are illustrated. 1
The
original design from the ledgers is
reproduced below.
One of the sketches shows this red
cross pendant. The diamond drop
at the bottom is, however, missing.
It may be a later addition.
Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm
1
K. Snowman, Fabergé: Lost and
Found, (1993), p. 163. The ledgers
are today in the collection of
Wartski in London.

8. 90 91
49
SEDAN CHAIR
Fabergé, St. Petersburg 1899–1903
Workmaster Mikhail Perkhin
Scratched inventory number 2707
Gold, rock crystal, mother-of-pearl, enamel
H. 3 ½ in.
L I T E R A T U R E
G. von Habsburg, A. von Solodkoff, 1979, Fabergé: Court Jeweler to the Tsars,
New York, 1979, color plate 89/90.
Fabergé: Imperial Jeweler, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Musée
des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 1993–1994,
no. 253.
Elsebeth Welander-Berggren, Carl Fabergé: Goldsmith to the Tsar, Stockholm,
1997, no. 150.
U. Tillander-Godenhielm; M. Engman; R. Niskanen; et al, Fabergé: loistavaa
kultasepäntaidetta, Lahti, Finland, 1997.
G. von Habsburg, Fabergé: Imperial Craftsman and His World, London, 2000,
p. 187, no. 432.
M. Saloniemi, U. Tillander-Godenhielm, T. Boettger, The Era of Fabergé,
Tampere, Finland, 2006.
U. Tillander-Godenhielm, Fabergé: ja hänen suomalaiset mestarinsa, Helsinki,
2008, pp. 188–189.
U. Tillander-Godenhielm, Fabergén suomalaiset mestarit, Helsinki, 2011,
pp. 82–83.
E X H I B I T E D
Helsinki, Fabergé and his Contemporaries, The Museum of Applied Arts, 1980.
St. Petersburg, Paris, London, Fabergé: Imperial Jeweler, State Hermitage
Museum, St.Petersburg, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, Victoria
& Albert Museum, London, 1993–1994, no. 253.
Stockholm, Carl Fabergé: Goldsmith to the Tsar, Nationalmuseum,
June 6–October 19, 1997, no. 150.
Lahti, Fabergé: loistavaa kultasepäntaidetta, 1997.
Tampere, The Era of Fabergé, Museums in Finland and Moscow Kremlin
Museum, June 17–October 1, 2006.
Shanghai, Christie’s, October 2014.
PRIVATE COLLECTION, FINLAND
ANOTHER VIEW
This sedan chair was reputedly in
the collection of the Neuscheller
family of St. Petersburg, one
of Fabergé’s foremost customers.
The Neuscheller family was in
business in the Russian capital
since the mid-nineteenth century.
In 1860, they established the
Russian-American Rubber
Company. Known in Russia for its
galoshes, the company eventually
became the world’s largest
rubber company.
This sedan chair, which can be
categorized among the pieces of
miniature furniture produced
by the firm, is one of the rarest
types of object produced by
Fabergé. It closely resembles
another sedan chair, formerly in
the Forbes Magazine Collection
and the collections of J.P. Morgan
and Lansdell Christie, which is
now in the Sandoz Collection in
Switzerland. Another Fabergé
sedan chair of different form is
preserved in the Fabergé Museum
in St. Petersburg. Other notable
examples of miniature furniture by
Fabergé include a Louis XVI style
table and a Louis XV style desk,
preserved in the Royal Collection;
a bidet, formerly in the India Early
Minshall Collection and now
preserved in the Cleveland
Museum of Art; and a grand
piano in the Sandoz Collection in
Switzerland.