Lot Essay
Carl Fabergé, jeweller and goldsmith to the Russian Imperial Court delivered approximately fifty six Easter Eggs for the Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II between the years 1885 and 1916, which were presented to Tsarinas Maria Feodorovna and Alexandra Feodorovna. The whereabouts of only forty seven of these are now recorded in various private and institutional collections.
Besides the Imperial commissions, Fabergé also created Easter Eggs for wealthy patrons, both Russian and foreign. These include the Duchess of Marlborough Egg, made for Consuelo Vanderbilt in 1902; the 25th Wedding Anniversary Egg, made for Zenaida Yusupov in 1907, and the Ice Egg, made for Dr. Emmanuel Nobel around 1910.
Perhaps the wealthiest private patron, however, was the industrialist and gold-mining entrepreneur Alexander Kelch, who commissioned Fabergé to produce a documented total of seven eggs to be presented to his wife Barbara (née Bazanova). As lavish as those of the Tsars, each was created by Fabergé's head workmaster, Michael Perchin, between 1898 and 1903. In addition to the Apple Blossom Egg probably made in 1901, the six other documented Kelch eggs are:
- The Hen Egg, dated 1898, in the Forbes Magazine Collection, New York.
- The Twelve Panel Egg, dated 1899, in the Collection of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II.
- The Pine Cone Egg, dated 1900, in the Collection of Mrs. Joan B. Kroc, San Diego (sold at Christie's Geneva, May 10, 1989).
- The Rocaille Egg, dated 1902, in a private American collection.
- The Bonbonnière Egg, dated 1903, sold privately by Christie's New York.
- The Chanticleer Egg, probable date 1903 for presentation in 1904, in the Forbes Magazine Collection.
There are some striking similarities between two of the Easter Eggs created for Barbara Kelch and two of the Imperial commissions; the Kelch Hen Egg, after the first Imperial Egg of 1885 and the Bonbonnière Egg, after the 1902 Gatchina Palace Egg. The similarities are evident, but details such as size, design and theme vary (A. von Solodkoff, The Art of Carl Fabergé, New York, 1988, p. 39). However, the Apple Blossom Egg and the Pine Cone Egg appear to have no Imperial prototype and can both be regarded as works of art in their own right. The Apple Blossom Egg, carved from a single piece of nephrite, is one of the largest eggs made by Fabergé (13,4 cm long).
Following the Revolution, six of the seven Fabergé Kelch eggs appeared around 1920, together with the Nobel Ice Egg (see lot ..) and were offered by the jeweller Morgan in the rue de la Paix in Paris. These were acquired by Mr. Zolotnitzky who sold them through his shop, A la Vieille Russie, to an American collector. Three of these, including the "Pine Cone" Egg, have been incorrectly described as missing Imperial Eggs.
It was not until 1979, with the publication of G. von Habsburg and A. von Solodkoff, Fabergé, Joaillier à la Cour de Russie, that the Apple Blossom Egg was revealed to have been made for the Kelch family, by reference to the contemporary notes made in 1922 by Léon Grinberg of A la Vieille Russie in Paris.
"Morgan himself did not know to whom these eggs originally had belonged. Judging from the exceptional richness, they must be Imperial Easter eggs. We think they were presented by the Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich to the ballet dancer Mrs. Balletta". (Quoted in Solodkoff's Masterpieces from the House of the Fabergé, p. 43.)
In Grinberg's notes, the Apple Blossom Egg is described as follows:
"3. Box in the shape of an egg made of nephrite; on four golden legs of branches with flowers surrounding the egg. The flowers are of varicoloured gold, the centres of the flowers with roses on coloured foil. Each half of the egg is made from one piece of nephrite. Dimensions 0.14 x 0.11 m. Work by Fabergé."
(Additional information regarding the provenance was kindly provided by Mr. Alexander von Solodkoff, Ermitage, London.)
In May 1989, Christie's Geneva sold the Pine Cone Egg, the first Fabergé Easter Egg made for the Kelchs to come to auction since they were made at the beginning of this Century. Following this remarkable sale, Christie's was approached by a relation of the vendor, who claimed that their side of the family owned three more Fabergé eggs: the Kelch Bonbonnière egg of 1903 (sold privately by Christie's New York), the Kelch Apple Blossom egg and the Nobel Ice egg, which are now offered in this sale.
The Kelchs
Barbara Bazanova, heiress of a wealthy Moscow family, married Alexander Kelch, in 1894. They resided in a mansion, designed by V. Shene and V. Chagin, at 28 Sergeevskaya Street in one of St. Petersburg's most fashionable areas. Indeed it was for this Gothic-style house that Fabergé created an extensive and elaborate silver table-service. Alexander Kelch was actively involved in shipping and mining enterprises in Siberia. Furthermore, he is reported to have been a major supplier of gold and other materials to the House of Fabergé (see Niva, 1990, op.cit.). Barbara Kelch was active in charitable organizations such as the Women's Red Cross Hospital Committee.
In 1904, the couple's marriage ended in separation, which explains why the Chanticleer Egg is the last commission recorded.
Documentation shows that Mr. Kelch remained in St. Petersburg after their official divorce and after the 1917 Revolution whilst Mrs. Kelch is said to have travelled to Paris via Moscow with her collection shortly after their separation. In 1920 five of her Fabergé eggs were sold by the Parisian jeweller Mr. Morgan to Mr. Zolotnitzky then bought by an American collector around 1928.
Mr. Kelch remained in Russia throughout the Revolution. For eight years he lived in the Eastern region, where he married again and worked in the mining industry and coal fields. He returned to St. Petersburg (by then renamed Leningrad) in 1924, where he was jobless for over a year. At that time he began a correspondence with Barbara, who sent him money every few months, hoping that he would emigrate and join her in Paris. In 1925, he found a job selling cigarettes on the streets. In 1928, after many letters had been exchanged and Alexander decided not to leave his new family, the Kelchs broke off their correspondence. In 1930, Alexander Kelch was arrested, sent to trial and sentenced to hard labour.
(Additional information regarding the Kelch was kindly provided by Natash Kaufman).
It should be noted that the organisers of the 1995 Fabergé exhibition at the Kusnthalle in Bremen, Germany, would be pleased to include this Easter egg in the exhibition of which the catalogue is being prepared by Mr. A.V. Solodkoff.
Besides the Imperial commissions, Fabergé also created Easter Eggs for wealthy patrons, both Russian and foreign. These include the Duchess of Marlborough Egg, made for Consuelo Vanderbilt in 1902; the 25th Wedding Anniversary Egg, made for Zenaida Yusupov in 1907, and the Ice Egg, made for Dr. Emmanuel Nobel around 1910.
Perhaps the wealthiest private patron, however, was the industrialist and gold-mining entrepreneur Alexander Kelch, who commissioned Fabergé to produce a documented total of seven eggs to be presented to his wife Barbara (née Bazanova). As lavish as those of the Tsars, each was created by Fabergé's head workmaster, Michael Perchin, between 1898 and 1903. In addition to the Apple Blossom Egg probably made in 1901, the six other documented Kelch eggs are:
- The Hen Egg, dated 1898, in the Forbes Magazine Collection, New York.
- The Twelve Panel Egg, dated 1899, in the Collection of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II.
- The Pine Cone Egg, dated 1900, in the Collection of Mrs. Joan B. Kroc, San Diego (sold at Christie's Geneva, May 10, 1989).
- The Rocaille Egg, dated 1902, in a private American collection.
- The Bonbonnière Egg, dated 1903, sold privately by Christie's New York.
- The Chanticleer Egg, probable date 1903 for presentation in 1904, in the Forbes Magazine Collection.
There are some striking similarities between two of the Easter Eggs created for Barbara Kelch and two of the Imperial commissions; the Kelch Hen Egg, after the first Imperial Egg of 1885 and the Bonbonnière Egg, after the 1902 Gatchina Palace Egg. The similarities are evident, but details such as size, design and theme vary (A. von Solodkoff, The Art of Carl Fabergé, New York, 1988, p. 39). However, the Apple Blossom Egg and the Pine Cone Egg appear to have no Imperial prototype and can both be regarded as works of art in their own right. The Apple Blossom Egg, carved from a single piece of nephrite, is one of the largest eggs made by Fabergé (13,4 cm long).
Following the Revolution, six of the seven Fabergé Kelch eggs appeared around 1920, together with the Nobel Ice Egg (see lot ..) and were offered by the jeweller Morgan in the rue de la Paix in Paris. These were acquired by Mr. Zolotnitzky who sold them through his shop, A la Vieille Russie, to an American collector. Three of these, including the "Pine Cone" Egg, have been incorrectly described as missing Imperial Eggs.
It was not until 1979, with the publication of G. von Habsburg and A. von Solodkoff, Fabergé, Joaillier à la Cour de Russie, that the Apple Blossom Egg was revealed to have been made for the Kelch family, by reference to the contemporary notes made in 1922 by Léon Grinberg of A la Vieille Russie in Paris.
"Morgan himself did not know to whom these eggs originally had belonged. Judging from the exceptional richness, they must be Imperial Easter eggs. We think they were presented by the Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich to the ballet dancer Mrs. Balletta". (Quoted in Solodkoff's Masterpieces from the House of the Fabergé, p. 43.)
In Grinberg's notes, the Apple Blossom Egg is described as follows:
"3. Box in the shape of an egg made of nephrite; on four golden legs of branches with flowers surrounding the egg. The flowers are of varicoloured gold, the centres of the flowers with roses on coloured foil. Each half of the egg is made from one piece of nephrite. Dimensions 0.14 x 0.11 m. Work by Fabergé."
(Additional information regarding the provenance was kindly provided by Mr. Alexander von Solodkoff, Ermitage, London.)
In May 1989, Christie's Geneva sold the Pine Cone Egg, the first Fabergé Easter Egg made for the Kelchs to come to auction since they were made at the beginning of this Century. Following this remarkable sale, Christie's was approached by a relation of the vendor, who claimed that their side of the family owned three more Fabergé eggs: the Kelch Bonbonnière egg of 1903 (sold privately by Christie's New York), the Kelch Apple Blossom egg and the Nobel Ice egg, which are now offered in this sale.
The Kelchs
Barbara Bazanova, heiress of a wealthy Moscow family, married Alexander Kelch, in 1894. They resided in a mansion, designed by V. Shene and V. Chagin, at 28 Sergeevskaya Street in one of St. Petersburg's most fashionable areas. Indeed it was for this Gothic-style house that Fabergé created an extensive and elaborate silver table-service. Alexander Kelch was actively involved in shipping and mining enterprises in Siberia. Furthermore, he is reported to have been a major supplier of gold and other materials to the House of Fabergé (see Niva, 1990, op.cit.). Barbara Kelch was active in charitable organizations such as the Women's Red Cross Hospital Committee.
In 1904, the couple's marriage ended in separation, which explains why the Chanticleer Egg is the last commission recorded.
Documentation shows that Mr. Kelch remained in St. Petersburg after their official divorce and after the 1917 Revolution whilst Mrs. Kelch is said to have travelled to Paris via Moscow with her collection shortly after their separation. In 1920 five of her Fabergé eggs were sold by the Parisian jeweller Mr. Morgan to Mr. Zolotnitzky then bought by an American collector around 1928.
Mr. Kelch remained in Russia throughout the Revolution. For eight years he lived in the Eastern region, where he married again and worked in the mining industry and coal fields. He returned to St. Petersburg (by then renamed Leningrad) in 1924, where he was jobless for over a year. At that time he began a correspondence with Barbara, who sent him money every few months, hoping that he would emigrate and join her in Paris. In 1925, he found a job selling cigarettes on the streets. In 1928, after many letters had been exchanged and Alexander decided not to leave his new family, the Kelchs broke off their correspondence. In 1930, Alexander Kelch was arrested, sent to trial and sentenced to hard labour.
(Additional information regarding the Kelch was kindly provided by Natash Kaufman).
It should be noted that the organisers of the 1995 Fabergé exhibition at the Kusnthalle in Bremen, Germany, would be pleased to include this Easter egg in the exhibition of which the catalogue is being prepared by Mr. A.V. Solodkoff.