Details
An agate, diamond and enamel cigarette case probably by Faberge of oval section, with gold-mounted carved agate body decorated with blue and white enamel and rose-cut diamonds
9cm long, marked indistincly possibly with French import marks
The use of hardstone, rose-cut diamonds and enamel is typical of the craftsmanship of the House of Faberge. "Faberge's disinclination to employ the usual costly materials of his profession.....the most typical stones he used were the following.......different varieties of agate......he tended to confine himself to rose-diamonds......Faberge's superb enamelling technique is regarded as one of his main contributions to art at the end of the last century" (Faberge Court Jeweller to the Tsars-G.von Habsburg-Lothringen A.von Solodkoff)
As for the piece bearing the French import mark this is not in any way unusual as we learn from Henry C.Bainbridge, who ran the firms London branch, "Time and again...I submitted the most highly finished enamelled objects to the assay office in Paris and with infinate care it managed to assay them and stamp them without damaging them in any way"(Henry Charles Bainbridge Peter Carl Faberge, London 1966)
9cm long, marked indistincly possibly with French import marks
The use of hardstone, rose-cut diamonds and enamel is typical of the craftsmanship of the House of Faberge. "Faberge's disinclination to employ the usual costly materials of his profession.....the most typical stones he used were the following.......different varieties of agate......he tended to confine himself to rose-diamonds......Faberge's superb enamelling technique is regarded as one of his main contributions to art at the end of the last century" (Faberge Court Jeweller to the Tsars-G.von Habsburg-Lothringen A.von Solodkoff)
As for the piece bearing the French import mark this is not in any way unusual as we learn from Henry C.Bainbridge, who ran the firms London branch, "Time and again...I submitted the most highly finished enamelled objects to the assay office in Paris and with infinate care it managed to assay them and stamp them without damaging them in any way"(Henry Charles Bainbridge Peter Carl Faberge, London 1966)