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拍品專文
The hardstone animals by Fabergé represent one of the most charming and whimsical categories of items produced by the firm. It is believed that Fabergé began his production of animals around 1900. In the early years, Fabergé sourced most of the hardstone carvings from external artisans, including the stone carvers of Ekaterinburg and Karl Woerffel’s lapidaries.
In 1908, the House of Fabergé opened its own stone-cutting department, taking the production of animals to a new level. The firm employed sculptors to model animals in wax and skilled carvers to bring those designs to life in stone.
Carefully selected semiprecious hardstones were meticulously carved into animals with distinctively individual, sometimes comical characteristics. The models were highly polished, with eyes typically set in rose-cut diamonds, sapphires, or rubies to imbue them with lifelike expression. Legs and claws were often enhanced with gold. Great care was always taken in selecting stones with natural qualities that best suited each individual animal.
The present model of a cockerel is a rare example of a composite hardstone animal. Labradorite was selected for the wings to capture an iridescent effect reminiscent of a bird’s feathers, while the comb and wattles were crafted from purpurine, chosen for its rich red hue. The drawing of the present cockerel is featured in the album of completed pieces by Henrik Wigström (lot 48), numbered ‘12530’ and dated '19.VIII.1911'.
Henry Bainbridge, the manager of the London branch of Fabergé, wrote: ‘The outstanding quality [of the hardstone animals] is that they appear alive and in accordance with their natural bent. Put one or two of them together and this is very evident and amusing. Some are magnificently aloof and others forever poking into the affairs of their neighbour. The amusement in arranging and rearranging them in groups is never ending and this in a large measure is their attraction, and the reason that no one can possess too many of them’ (H.C. Bainbridge, Peter Carl Fabergé, London, 1949, p. 107).
In 1908, the House of Fabergé opened its own stone-cutting department, taking the production of animals to a new level. The firm employed sculptors to model animals in wax and skilled carvers to bring those designs to life in stone.
Carefully selected semiprecious hardstones were meticulously carved into animals with distinctively individual, sometimes comical characteristics. The models were highly polished, with eyes typically set in rose-cut diamonds, sapphires, or rubies to imbue them with lifelike expression. Legs and claws were often enhanced with gold. Great care was always taken in selecting stones with natural qualities that best suited each individual animal.
The present model of a cockerel is a rare example of a composite hardstone animal. Labradorite was selected for the wings to capture an iridescent effect reminiscent of a bird’s feathers, while the comb and wattles were crafted from purpurine, chosen for its rich red hue. The drawing of the present cockerel is featured in the album of completed pieces by Henrik Wigström (lot 48), numbered ‘12530’ and dated '19.VIII.1911'.
Henry Bainbridge, the manager of the London branch of Fabergé, wrote: ‘The outstanding quality [of the hardstone animals] is that they appear alive and in accordance with their natural bent. Put one or two of them together and this is very evident and amusing. Some are magnificently aloof and others forever poking into the affairs of their neighbour. The amusement in arranging and rearranging them in groups is never ending and this in a large measure is their attraction, and the reason that no one can possess too many of them’ (H.C. Bainbridge, Peter Carl Fabergé, London, 1949, p. 107).