MARKED FABERGÉ, WITH THE WORKMASTER'S MARK OF MICHAEL PERCHIN, ST PETERSBURG, 1899-1903

Details

A JEWELLED GOLD-MOUNTED MOSS AGATE AND GUILLOCHÉ ENAMEL DESK CLOCK
MARKED FABERGÉ, WITH THE WORKMASTER'S MARK OF MICHAEL PERCHIN, ST PETERSBURG, 1899-1903
Triangular, enamelled in translucent lilac over a moiré sunburst guilloché ground, centring a white enamel dial within a seed-pearl bezel, suspended from a gold ribbon crest, with moss agate rosettes at corners, each within a seed-pearl mount, all within a reeded border, black Arabic chapter and pierced gold hands, the ivory back with silver-gilt angular strut, the back-plate with hand-set, with an engraved inscription in French ‘In memory of an appreciative friendship’, marked on lower rim, back and strut, also with import marks; in the original silk and velvet-lined wood case stamped 'Fabergé St Petersburg Moscow' beneath the Imperial warrant
5 1/8 in. (13 cm.) high

Provenance

Anonymous sale; Christie’s, Geneva, 28 April 1976, lot 200.
Acquired at the above by the grandfather of the present owner.

Literature

G. von Habsburg and A. von Solodkoff, Fabergé: Court Jeweler to the Tsars, Fribourg, 1979, listed p. 46, pl. 58.

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Brought to you by

Iona Ballantyne

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Lot Essay

Carl Fabergé was particularly interested in the patterns which naturally occur in moss agate, resembling tree branches, ferns, or other vegetation and often creating scenic landscapes.

Moss agate, a variety of chalcedony with dendritic inclusions, was very popular among Fabergé’s craftsmen who continued the long European tradition of using it in clocks, jewellery and boxes. French jewellers worked extensively with moss agate in the 18th century when it was discovered.

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