In 1842 Gustav Faberg opened a jewellery shop in St. Petersburg. In 1870 his son Carl took over his father's firm. Carl insisted that the value of the objects made in his workshop should recide it's craftmanship rather than its materials.
The firm produced elaborate jewels, functional objects such as cigar-cases and objects de vertu, in many different styles; medieval Russian, Renaissance, Italian and contemporary Art Nouveau.
Czar Alexander III (deceased 1894) patronized the Faberg firm and awarded Faberg the title 'supplier of the Imperial Court'.
The firm expanded and at the beginning of the 20th Century over 500 people were employed in branches in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa, London and Kiev. In 1918, one year after the Russian revolution, Faberg closed the workshop and left the country
Literature:
J. Turner (ed.), The Dictionary of Art (10), London, New York, 1996 A.K. Snowman, Carl Faberg, goldsmith to the imperial court of Russia, London, 1979
See illustration