BY FABERGÉ, MARK OF THE FIRST SILVER ARTEL, ST PETERSBURG, 1908-1917, SCRATCHED INVENTORY NUMBER 20834

Details

A SILVER TABLE LIGHTER IN THE FORM OF AN ELEPHANT
BY FABERGÉ, MARK OF THE FIRST SILVER ARTEL, ST PETERSBURG, 1908-1917, SCRATCHED INVENTORY NUMBER 20834
Realistically cast and chased with head slightly to one side and trunk curled up, hinged at the neck to reveal the taper and fuel compartment, the trunk being the outlet for the taper, marked on the edge of the right rear leg with 'Fabergé' in Cyrillic with the Imperial Warrant and the mark of the First Silver Artel
5 1⁄4 in. (13.2 cm) long
19.26 oz. (599.1 gr.)

Provenance

Purchased by Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich (1861-1929) from the St Petersburg branch of Fabergé on 25 August 1912 for 180 roubles.
The Property of Lord Ivar Mountbatten; Christie's, Geneva, 17 May 1995, lot 378.

Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Margo Oganesian Head of Department, Fabergé and Russian Works of Art

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Lot Essay

Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia (1861-1929) was the son of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich and the grandson of Emperor Nicholas I. Grand Duke Michael married Sophie Merenberg, daughter of Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau, which caused a scandal at the Russian court. Banished from returning to Russia, the young family settled in England in 1900. Prominent members of British society, the couple were frequent clients of Fabergé in London.

The present table lighter in the form of an elephant was acquired by Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich on 25 August 1912 in St Petersburg during one of his rare visits to Russia. That year he was allowed to attend the centenary celebrations for the Patriotic War of 1812, held on 26 August. The table lighter passed on to his great-grandson Lord Ivar Mountbatten and was subsequently sold at Christie's in 1995.

An identical model of an elephant in nephrite is in The Royal Collection, see A.K. Snowman, The Art of Carl Fabergé, London, 1964, pl. 247. We are grateful to Dr Valentin Skurlov for his assistance with the research of the present lot.

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