Faberge Company

Categories / Art/Fine Arts/Art and Craft Production
Categories / Economy/Industry
FABERGE COMPANY is a jewelry company, founded in 1842 by Gustav Faberge, master of diamond business (1814-94). The Company was located at Bolshaya Morskaya Street; before 1854 at No.11; in 1854-1900 at No.16; and from 1900 – at No. 24 (House of Faberge; 1899-1900, architect K. K. Schmidt). In 1872, Gustav’s son Carl Faberge inherited the business (1846-1920). It is to him that the company owes its worldwide glory. In 1885 Faberge became a jeweler of the Imperial Court. In 1882, his brother Agafon Faberge (1862-95) entered the business. From the middle of the 1880s, the Faberge Company opened a number of independent workshops in St. Petersburg under the guidance of V. Aarne, K. Armfeldt, E. Kollin, А. Nevalainen, M. E. Perkhin, Y. A. Rappoport, V. V. Reimer, K. R. Tileman, A. Holming, A. Holmstrem and others. The Faberge Company hired masters of Peterhof Lapidary Factory and Ekaterinburg handicraftsmen to take part in the work; at a later time the Company acquired the stone-cutting and bronze work factory of K. Werfel. In 1887, a branch office of the Faberge Company was opened in Moscow, followed in 1900 by a branch office in Odessa, in 1903 - in London, and in 1905 - in Kiev. Sons of C. Faberge, Evgeny (1874-1960), Agafon (1876-1951), Alexander (1877-1952), and Nikolay (1884-1939) worked at the company. By 1893, artist and technologist F. P. Birbaum became the closest assistant of C. Faberge. By 1910, the number of staff at Faberge Company in St. Petersburg reached 300. Before 1917, craftsmen of the company created over 250,000 jewelry articles (snuff-boxes, lacquer boxes, cigarette-cases, brooches, Easter eggs with surprises, tableware items, cut stone figurines and sophisticated jewelry compositions) distinguished by exquisite workmanship and high artistic value. Designed in various artistic styles, richly decorated with precious stones, metals, and enamels, they were usually purchased by members of the Imperial Family or used as diplomatic gifts. The company was awarded many honorable international medals, almost all the monarchs of Europe were its clients. On January, 5(18) 1918, the company board decided to liquidate the Company. In September 1918 C. Faberge left Petrograd because he feared an arrest (he died in Lausanne). Sale of numerous items by Faberge abroad was ordered by the Soviet government in the 1920s and the 1930s. Interest in Faberge jewelry in Russia reappeared again at the end of the 1980s. The first Faberge exhibition in the USSR, entitled “Faberge the Great” was organised in Elagin Palace in 1989. In 1998, a square on the intersection of Zanevsky Avenue, Energetikov Avenue and Utkina Avenue was named after C. Faberge (Carl Faberge Square).

References: История фирмы Фаберже: По воспоминаниям гл. мастера фирмы Ф. П. Бирбаума: Посвящается 150-летию со дня основания фирмы, 1842-1992. СПб., 1993; Фаберже Т. Ф., Горыня А. С., Скурлов В. В. Фаберже и петербургские ювелиры: Сб. мемуаров, ст., арх. док. по истории рус. ювелир. искусства. СПб., 1997.

V. V. Skurlov. Aarne V.
Armfeldt K.
Birbaum Franz Petrovich (Franz Peter)
Faberge Agafon
Faberge Agafon Сarlovich
Faberge Alexander Сarlovich
Faberge Evgeny Carlovich
Faberge Gustav
Faberge Nikolay Сarlovich
Faberge Сarl Gustavovich
Holming A.
Holmstrem A.
Kollin E.
Nevalainen A.
Perkhin M.E.
Rappoport Yu.A.
Reimer V.
Schmidt Karl Karlovich
Tileman K.R.
Werfel Karl Fedorovich
Bolshaya Morskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 24
Bolshaya Morskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 11
Bolshaya Morskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 16
Energetikov Ave/Saint Petersburg, city
Karl Fberge Square/Saint Petersburg, city
Utkin Ave/Saint Petersburg, city
Zanevsky Avenue/Saint Petersburg, city
История фирмы Фаберже: По воспоминаниям гл. мастера фирмы Ф. П. Бирбаума: Посвящ. 150-летию со дня основания фирмы, 1842-1992. СПб., 1993
Фаберже Т. Ф., Горыня А. С., Скурлов В. В. Фаберже и петербургские ювелиры: Сб. мемуаров, ст., арх. документов по истории рус. ювелир. искусства. СПб., 1997 Elagin Palace