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Lot Essay
The present sleigh is one of only two known miniature sleighs created by Fabergé, making it one of the rarest types of objects produced by the firm. Renowned for the whimsy and charm of its objets de fantasie, the House of Fabergé crafted miniature replicas of everyday objects, including furniture, with meticulous attention to detail.
These miniature works were created solely to enchant and delight their owners, showcasing the exceptional skill of Fabergé’s craftsmen, who used a variety of materials to mimic the textures and forms of their full-scale counterparts.
A comparable miniature sleigh, executed in gold and guilloché enamel, was created by Henrik Wigström around 1911 and is now part of the Royal Collection of Thailand. A drawing of this model is featured in the album of completed pieces by Henrik Wigström (lot 48).
The design of the guilloché enamelled golden sleigh from the Royal Collection of Thailand bears a close resemblance to the large sleigh made for Emperor Paul I by the renowned coachmaker Johann Buckendahl (1726-1796) in the late 18th century, now held in the Museum of Court Carriages in St Petersburg. Notably, Buckendahl’s 1793 state coach served as the model for the surprise inside the 1897 Imperial Coronation Easter Egg.
Imperial palaces and collections clearly inspired Fabergé’s designs. The Museum of Court Carriages, founded in the 1820s during the reign of Emperor Alexander I, likely offered Fabergé's workmasters a wealth of historical references. By the time of Emperor Nicholas II, the museum held one of the world’s most extensive collections of carriages and transport, including imperial sleighs.
DONNA SIMONETTA COLONNA, DUCHESS DI CESARÒ (1922-2011)
This exuberant Rococo sleigh with a beautiful swan finial was once in the collection of Donna Simonetta Colonna, an international style icon and one of the most celebrated Italian fashion designers. She launched her first collection in Rome in 1946 and went on to design clothes for Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy among other celebrities in Europe and America. Her designs featured in the films of Federico Fellini, including La Dolce Vita.
Simonetta sold her business in the early 1970s and moved to India, where she established a colony for the care of leprosy patients. Later, she moved to the Himalayas where she studied Eastern spirituality and mysticism. In 2008, her legacy was celebrated with a retrospective exhibition, Simonetta: The First Lady of Italian Fashion, at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.
These miniature works were created solely to enchant and delight their owners, showcasing the exceptional skill of Fabergé’s craftsmen, who used a variety of materials to mimic the textures and forms of their full-scale counterparts.
A comparable miniature sleigh, executed in gold and guilloché enamel, was created by Henrik Wigström around 1911 and is now part of the Royal Collection of Thailand. A drawing of this model is featured in the album of completed pieces by Henrik Wigström (lot 48).
The design of the guilloché enamelled golden sleigh from the Royal Collection of Thailand bears a close resemblance to the large sleigh made for Emperor Paul I by the renowned coachmaker Johann Buckendahl (1726-1796) in the late 18th century, now held in the Museum of Court Carriages in St Petersburg. Notably, Buckendahl’s 1793 state coach served as the model for the surprise inside the 1897 Imperial Coronation Easter Egg.
Imperial palaces and collections clearly inspired Fabergé’s designs. The Museum of Court Carriages, founded in the 1820s during the reign of Emperor Alexander I, likely offered Fabergé's workmasters a wealth of historical references. By the time of Emperor Nicholas II, the museum held one of the world’s most extensive collections of carriages and transport, including imperial sleighs.
DONNA SIMONETTA COLONNA, DUCHESS DI CESARÒ (1922-2011)
This exuberant Rococo sleigh with a beautiful swan finial was once in the collection of Donna Simonetta Colonna, an international style icon and one of the most celebrated Italian fashion designers. She launched her first collection in Rome in 1946 and went on to design clothes for Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy among other celebrities in Europe and America. Her designs featured in the films of Federico Fellini, including La Dolce Vita.
Simonetta sold her business in the early 1970s and moved to India, where she established a colony for the care of leprosy patients. Later, she moved to the Himalayas where she studied Eastern spirituality and mysticism. In 2008, her legacy was celebrated with a retrospective exhibition, Simonetta: The First Lady of Italian Fashion, at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.