FABERGÉ IN LONDON The British Branch of the Imperial Russian Goldsmith
Kieran McCarthy
Fabergé in Edwardian London
The drawing room at Polesden Lacey, the Surrey home of the Hon. Mrs. Ronald Greville, remodelled for her by the architects Mewès & Davis. The homes of Fabergé’s Edwardian customers were designed for comfort: central heating, ample plumbing and electricity were all expected. © National Trust Images / Andreas von Einsiedel
recalled in her memoirs that Lady Alington decreed that all the ladies in her Christmas party must exchange Fabergé presents. As there were between twenty and thirty guests, the number of Fabergé gifts required was substantial. Those who could not afford the cost were forced to refuse her invitations, while others economically passed on gifts they had previously received, ‘sometimes absentmindedly back to the original donor’.2 Bainbridge also recalled that when Stanislas Poklewski-Koziell, a popular Russian diplomat stationed in London attended an Edwardian house party, he arrived,
‘…loaded with things from Fabergé; two large suitcases filled with them. I have no doubt that the ladies of the party scanned the list of visitors with eagerness to see if his name was included and, if so, took care to be present with aprons extended when he shook the tree.’ 3
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Fabergé in Edwardian London
Left: Card (front and reverse) sent by Fabergé in London to its customers in spring 1907, announcing the arrival of new stock. Such cards were sent out twice yearly before the summer and winter season in which the branch’s trade was concentrated. Below: Seal by Carl Fabergé, carved from a single piece of nephrite and mounted with rose diamonds. Bought from Fabergé’s London shop on 5 January 1915 by Mrs. Gubbay for £68. Private Collection; photograph: Wartski, London
The use of Fabergé pieces as a social currency in Edwardian Society is clearly reflected in the patterns of business at the branch. Its trade fluctuated during the year and largely coincided with the social seasons when its customers assembled in London. Practically all its trade was done between mid-May and the end of July, and mid-October and the end of December.4 Christmas was an especially busy time and sales peaked in late December. Acknowledging the seasonality of its business, the branch sent circulars twice yearly to existing customers: in spring to announce the arrival of new stock for the summer season and in the autumn announcing arrivals for the winter season. Fabergé’s creations were ideally suited to be gifts as they were not intrinsically valuable and likely to compromise the recipient. Their desirability lay in their craftsmanship and ability to delight rather than the value of the precious materials they contained. Mark Romer, Fabergé’s British lawyer, compared valuing Fabergé’s works on the basis of their constituent materials to viewing the contents of the National Gallery as merely a ‘collection of
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CHAPTER TWO
From Moscow to Bond Street Fabergé’s London branch was established and initially run by Henry “Allan” Talbot Bowe, in tandem with his brother Arthur. The collaboration between the Bowe family and Fabergé had begun in Russia. Born in South Africa, Allan was the son of an English doctor who had settled in Springbok, Namaqualand. Allan’s father died when he was young and he returned to England to be schooled. On completing his education, he moved to Moscow to work for his second cousin, James Shanks, a partner in the Magasin Anglais, an outfitters that also sold jewellery and silver. Allan worked there until 1886 when, by chance, he met Carl Fabergé travelling on a train from Russia to Paris. Allan was a capable young man and as they journeyed westwards, he won Fabergé’s confidence. Fabergé, who was considering opening a business in Moscow, recognised Bowe’s potential and asked him to run the new enterprise. Fabergé’s Moscow branch opened in 1887 as an equal partnership between Bowe and Carl Fabergé. It traded from premises on the corner of Kusnetsky Most and Neglinnaya Street in the centre of Moscow’s luxury goods district. Allan Bowe was in control of the business and under his guidance it grew and prospered. Allan was assimilated into the closely-knit British merchant colony in Moscow and married Emma Billet, a member of the expatriate community in the city.They moved into a large house where they entertained lavishly; their daughter Essie recalled frequent parties at their home and playing with the elaborate Fabergé silver centrepieces that adorned the dinner table.1 Allan’s ambitions were not limited to Russia and the demand for Fabergé in his homeland led him and his brother Arthur to open the London branch in 1903. Its first location was the Berners’ Hotel at 6 & 7 Berners Street, north of Oxford Street. Whether Arthur merely stayed at the hotel on arriving in London or if he opened an office there is not recorded. Shortly afterwards, he relocated to premises incorporating ‘a private reception room’ in Portman House, 415 Oxford Street, on the corner of Duke Street.2 Though Arthur
Henry “Allan” Talbot Bowe.
Opposite page: Fabergé’s Moscow premises. Photograph courtesy Wartski, London
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Fabergé: A British Royal Fascination
cheaply.Then there was the need to please the Royal recipients with new ideas. The King had ordered that Fabergé’s wares be endlessly varied and no duplicates be made. As the years passed, creating innovate and ever more amusing gifts – at modest prices – became a greater and greater struggle. Above: Entries in Bainbridge’s daybook relating to potential gifts for King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. On the left hand, an egg, costing £40 with a ‘flower or animal inside or enamel view’ is suggested as a possible gift for The Queen. On the right hand page, an ‘Electric lighter’ and an ‘English’ flat barometer are proposed for The King. The Bainbridge Papers
Opposite page: Jewelled coloured gold case, Moscow Workshops. The case, bearing the diamond mounted cypher ‘EA’, was given by Maria Feodorovna, Dowager Empress of Russia to King Edward VII in 1903, to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of his marriage to her sister Queen Alexandra. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2016
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The pressure to devise suitable gifts for King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra is evident in Bainbridge’s daybook. The planning for their birthdays would begin months in advance. In February 1909, he was already making notes in his daybook regarding possible gifts for their birthdays at the end of the year; The King’s in November, and The Queen’s in December. Under the heading ‘Small egg for Queen’s Birthday’ he drew a picture of a hen sized egg and wrote next to it ‘with flower or animal inside, or enamel view’.The limitation on cost is reflected by the Bainbridge’s heavily encircled notation next to the picture: ‘£40’. Not content with just the egg, Bainbridge also doodled ideas for other presents, including a ‘Jack-in-the-Box’ and noted the model for one should ‘be sent from London’. He also wrote in large capital letters ‘DOVECOTE’. Previously in the daybook he had drawn a design for a dovecote, showing a small birdhouse with a peaked roof elevated on crossed supports. Aware of The Queen’s fondness
Fabergé and the Royal Farmyard – The Sandringham Commission
Chief Workmaster, Henrik Wigström. It was at his workshop that the Sandringham animals were mounted in gold and set with jewelled eyes. Wartski, London
Opposite page: Portrait of a bantam cockerel, composed of grey obsidian, figured creamcoloured agate, purpurine and white agate (used sparingly under the wings to highlight the plumage of the bird). Queen Alexandra reared rare breed poultry at Sandringham; on 4 December 1907, while Fabergé was modelling at the Estate, she entered some of her birds into ‘The King’s Lynn Fur and Feather show’, at which she won prizes for a gamecock and a Sebright cock and hen’. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2016
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Fabergé and Woerffel did not limit themselves to single materials. For some of the sculptures, they brought differently coloured stones together. Using internal joints and fish glues to join the stones seamlessly, these ‘mosaic’ studies produced a highly naturalistic effect. Grey obsidian, cream-coloured agate, white agate and purpurine (a red oxide glass) were selected to represent the colouring of a bantam cockerel. The Sandringham portraits were made under the supervision of Henrik Wigström, the last of Fabergé’s three Chief Workmasters. He was entrusted with the firm’s most prestigious ventures and in his workshop above Fabergé’s shop in St. Petersburg, the carvings were fitted with finely chased gold feet and their eyes set with gemstones.
Their Exquisitenesses – The Rothschilds
diamonds costing £88. The following year, on 9 July, he purchased a neo-Renaissance enamelled and gem-set smoky quartz cup with a snake stem for £75. This was kept in the vitrine of the ‘telephone room’ at Seamore Place. In July 1913, Alfred received a dark blue enamel frame with gold and platinum garlands for £135. The last gift in the series, bought on 13 July 1914, was a silver gilt mounted purpurine vase for £75. Alfred was not a customer of the branch, Bainbridge believing he was ‘too entangled with everything to do with the Eighteenth Century’ to be a patron. His companion, Mrs.Wombwell did, however, visit the branch and Bainbridge noted in November 1909 that she wanted to know when ‘Xmas things come in’. Almina, her natural daughter by Alfred, who married the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, was a frequent visitor to Fabergé in London; her name appears in the ledgers twenty-three times between December 1908 and December 1916.8 The Countess of Carnarvon’s parentage was readily recognised by the Rothschild family. Her acceptance into the family is demonstrated by her uncle Leopold giving her a hardstone Fabergé flower study of a bamboo plant in the Japanese taste for Christmas in 1908.The flower did not, however, meet with the Countess’ approval and she returned it to Fabergé for a refund on 11 January 1909. Having cost Leopold £35, Fabergé allowed her £30 back for the piece. Above: Almina, Countess of Carnarvon (1876-1969), natural daughter of Alfred de Rothschild. The Countess and her husband, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, were regular customers of Fabergé in London. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London Opposite page: Jewelled and enamelled smoky quartz cup; Chief Workmaster: Michael Perchin, St. Petersburg. One of two pieces in the Renaissance taste bought by Leopold de Rothschild from Fabergé in London. The Rothschilds were famed for their collection of Renaissance and early continental works of art. This cup was bought on 9 July 1912 for £75 and is third in the ‘Rothschild series’ of Fabergé gifts given by Leopold to his brother Alfred. Private Collection; photograph: Wartski, London
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Leopold did not reserve Fabergé gifts for members of his family alone. For their coronation on 22 June 1911, he presented King George V and Queen Mary with an enamelled and jewelled gold-mounted rock crystal Fabergé vase in the Renaissance taste. At a cost of £430 it was the most expensive item he purchased from Fabergé.9 The gift was planned well in advance of the event and bought on 12 April 1911. The vase had been made earlier by Fabergé’s Chief Workmaster, Michael Perchin, and adapted for the occasion
Their Exquisitenesses – The Rothschilds
Opposite page: Enamelled and gem-set goldmounted rock crystal vase in the Renaissance taste; Chief Workmaster: Michael Perchin, St. Petersburg. The vase was given by Leopold de Rothschild to King George V and Queen Mary on the occasion of their coronation on 22 June 1911. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2016
Below: Circular guilloché enamelled and gold-mounted silver box with articulated painted figures in the lid and base; Chief Workmaster: Henrik Wigström, St. Petersburg. Purchased by Leopold de Rothschild in London on 23 December 1908 for £32. Courtesy of A La Vieille Russie
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by engraving the date of the coronation and the Royal arms into the rock crystal. In paying homage to the Renaissance, the vase reflected the Rothschilds’ identity as collectors of works of art from that period. Leopold enlisted Fabergé’s staff to help deliver the gift. Early on the day of the coronation, his gardener brought prized orchids from his glasshouses at Gunnersbury to the Fabergé premises. They were arranged in the vase, which was then taken to Buckingham Palace, where it was placed on the Royal breakfast table for The King and Queen to discover soon after they awoke. Leopold’s purchases included some of the most ambitious works supplied to Fabergé in London. On 23 December 1908, he acquired a circular guilloché enamelled gold box with articulated figures in its lid and base. When the box is moved, the figures perform the ‘cakewalk’, an African-American dance parodying the American upper classes.The dance was all the rage in Edwardian England and only the year before Daisy, Princess of Pless had danced it in front of The King and Queen at Chatsworth.10 Only a small number of similar boxes were made and they are among Fabergé’s most eccentric works.
Great Britain Immortalised
Although there is no evidence that a figure of a policeman was made, two of ‘John Bull’ were, and both survive. Created by the satirist John Arbuthnot in 1712, the character became an internationally recognisable representation of a fair and morally upright Great Britain. He was drawn as a sturdy middle-aged man dressed in a tailcoat, waistcoat and wearing a top hat. The first of the two hardstone figures of ‘John Bull’, wearing a purpurine coat and lapis lazuli waistcoat, was acquired by Emperor Nicholas II in St. Petersburg on 12 April 1908 for 600 roubles. The second ‘John Bull’, with a nephrite coat and white onyx waistcoat, was bought from the London branch by Stanislas Poklewski-Koziell in December 1908 for £70; this figure is now in the Thai Royal Collection. In his diary, Bainbridge noted the following list of further British figures that might be made: ‘St George and Dragon – Shakespearean figures – re representations of English History from early times, Old Woman in Shoe, Little Miss Muffit – Humpty dumpty – Alice in wonderland –Alice thro’ the looking glass. (Danish fairy-tales). the cat & the Fiddle – gold fish in Bowl (Ganges) – Robin on snow – Dick Whittington.’
Above and opposite page: Hardstone figure of John Bull, the personification of England, with a purpurine jacket, lapis lazuli waistcoat and chalcedony trousers. Although of English inspiration and likely to have been made for the London shop, the figure was bought by Emperor Nicholas II on 12 April 1908 for 600 roubles and kept in Russia. Seven months later another version of John Bull was sold at the London branch to Stanislas Poklewski-Koziell for £70; this figure, with a nephrite coat and white onyx waistcoat, is now in the collection of His Majesty The King of Thailand. Private Collection
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The figures were complex and difficult pieces to produce and of Bainbridge’s suggestions, only those from the novel Through the LookingGlass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll were agreed to by Fabergé. Bainbridge vaguely remembers ‘perhaps half a dozen’ such figures being made, including ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and the ‘Mad Hatter’.The figure of Alice is recorded nowhere other than in Bainbridge’s memoirs and it is not known if it was ever made.A figure depicting the Mad Hatter was made and is described as being represented in ‘different stones’ on a list of items sent to Thailand, which were insured by Fabergé in December 1914. Its current whereabouts are unknown. On the same list, a carving of the characters ‘Tweedledum and Tweedledee’ from the same novel is also recorded. A conjoined portrait of the two characters carved from purpurine and orletz wearing lapis lazuli caps is now held in the Thai Royal Collection. Also proposed by Bainbridge and immortalised by Fabergé was ‘Humpty Dumpty’, a popular nursery rhyme character who appeared in Carroll’s story. An orletz bellpush described in the ledgers as ‘Humpty Dumpty’ was sold to Queen Alexandra on 3 November 1908 for £20.5s. These hardstone figures were a departure from those made previously in Russia and are the only known examples inspired by literary characters.
Great Britain Immortalised
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The Russian Goldsmith and the Sport of Kings
Enamelled silver gilt cigarette case by Fabergé, of rectangular form, enamelled with opaque pink, blue, white and green stripes, mounted with a chased gold border with stylised acanthus leaf design, the thumb piece a deep blue cabochon sapphire; Chief Workmaster: Henrik Wigström, St Petersburg. By happy coincidence, the colours of this case matched the racing colours of Sir Hedworth Meux, which prompted its purchase by his father-in-law Lord Alington on 4 April 1914. Wartski, London
as far as speaking to Winans’ secretary by telephone about his colours. Despite this and the other references, there is no surviving evidence that any of these racing colours were represented in Fabergé’s work. The only other instance of Fabergé intentionally producing pieces in British horse-racing colours was in response to a request by Mrs. George Keppel to supply tie rings in the colours of three of her friends. In early November 1909 Bainbridge noted the order in his daybook, writing: ‘Mrs. George Keppel 3 tie rings in colours, Ilchester, Cassel, Arthur James’. Fabergé’s workshops were evidently able to complete the order in time for Christmas, as on 23 December 1909 her name appears in the sales ledgers alongside the tie rings. Costing £8.5s each, they were enamelled grey and blue for Sir Ernest Cassel, blue and yellow for Giles Fox-Strangways, the 6th Earl of Ilchester, and mauve for Arthur James, brother of William Dodge James. All the recipients were closely associated with Mrs. Keppel: Sir Ernest was her constant protector, Lord Ilchester was her frequent host at his Dorset home, Melbury House and Arthur James a close friend. After King Edward VII’s death in 1910 she secretly fled to James’ home on Grafton Street in London to escape the press and to mourn in private. Opposite page: George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, customer of Fabergé in London. He was noted for leaving his cheque book in Fabergé’s offices after his visits. Bertram Park/Camera Press
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Fabergé’s Patrons
Although it was popular with many, Fabergé’s work was not to every British aristocrat’s taste. Marion Margaret Violet Manners, The Duchess of Rutland, did not share the prevailing appetite for Fabergé’s creations. She made no purchases from the branch and when she was given a Fabergé glass smelling salts bottle topped with a jewelled pink enamel mount she immediately returned it to the branch for a refund. Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough also resisted becoming a customer. Encouraged by the Duchess of Marlborough’s purchase of the Marlborough Egg in St. Petersburg in 1902, Fabergé attempted to persuade her husband to visit the London shop. Four cigarette cases and four pairs of cufflinks were sent specially from St. Petersburg for him to view. The impoverished Duke, however, never came to see the pieces and in October 1910 they were returned to Russia.
Sir Ernest Cassel (1852-1921) by Philip de László. Financier, friend of King Edward VII and frequent customer of Fabergé in London. Allegedly, it was Cassel’s advice that allowed the spendthrift Prince Albert Edward to ascend the throne debt free. Sonia Keppel viewed him as a bastion of financial security, a perception that was enhanced by his habit of wearing shirts with broad parallel stripes, ‘like the bars in front of a cashier’s desk’.7 Nick Pollard © de Laszlo Foundation
The British aristocracy’s share of the nation’s wealth in the early 1900s was decreasing; their economic dominance was now challenged by the fortunes made and won by newcomers from the world of industry and commerce. Many of the newly moneyed were welcomed at Court and subsequently became customers of Fabergé. Sir Ernest Cassel was one of the new breed who bestrode the worlds of finance and Royalty. He was born to Jewish parents in 1852 in Cologne, Germany, and moved to England as a young man. From a web of international investments, ranging from Mexican railways to Swedish iron ore production, he became one of the most accomplished financiers of the age. His success in business was matched by that he had in British Society. Sir Ernest became a close friend of King Edward VII, when he was Prince of Wales, and discreetly put his financial skills at his disposal. In 1902, Sir Ernest was made a member of The King’s Privy Council and his envious detractors dubbed him ‘Windsor-Cassel’. Sonia Keppel remembered him as ‘a living form of gilt edged security’8 and Margaret Asquith as a man possessing natural authority who disliked small-talk. On his trips to Fabergé, Sir Ernest similarly spoke little; on entry he would ask for a table and proceed to silently fill it with pieces; when finished, he would instruct they be delivered to Brook House, his Park Lane home. Ever conscious of the value of money, as he left he would ask for a discount and suggest 15%. His visits to Fabergé were undertaken to
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Fabergé’s Patrons
buy presents in order to bring ‘his Edwardian friends enjoyment’.9 All his purchases, except one, occurred in the months of November and December, suggesting they were chosen as Christmas gifts. His selections reflect not only his wealth, but also a sophisticated taste in Fabergé’s work. The first of his recorded purchases, on 4 November 1907, was the circular jewelled gold bonbonnière with painted enamel depictions of Windsor and Balmoral Castles.10 His choices continued to be of the highest calibre and included one of the only two miniature working roulette wheels sold by Fabergé.
Enamelled gold roulette wheel; Workmaster: Fedor Afanassiev, St. Petersburg. Purchased from Fabergé in London on 24 November 1909 for £23.10s by Sir Ernest Cassel. The wheel is one of the firm’s most imaginative works, it is finely balanced on gimbals and sprung by turning the gold trigger to the side. Fabergé made only two roulette wheels, the other was purchased by Leopold de Rothschild. Private Collection; photograph: Wartski, London
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An Influx of Americans
Right: Large table clock, carved from Siberian nephrite, the bezel of chased green gold laurel leaves bound by red gold ties, mounted below the dial with a green and red gold swag and festoons, the base with similarly-coloured gold swags; Workmaster: Henrik Wigström, St. Petersburg, c.1912. Purchased from Fabergé’s London branch by Mrs. William Bateman Leeds for £75 on 4 December 1915. She later married Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark, becoming Princess Anastasia. Wartski, London Below: Gold bonbonnière, enamelled black and engraved in the renaissance taste; Chief Workmaster: Henrik Wigström St. Petersburg. Purchased from Fabergé’s branch at 173 New Bond Street on 16 December 1916, for £45 by Mrs. W. B Leeds. The bonbonnière was one of twenty-four pieces, totaling £1,130, she bought on the same visit. The Fabergé Museum, St. Petersburg, photograph Wartski, London
Below: Large enamelled gold-mounted nephrite papercutter; Chief Workmaster: Henrik Wigström, St. Petersburg. Purchased from Fabergé’s London shop on 4 December 1915, for £30 by Mrs. W.B. Leeds. Wartski, London
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An Influx of Americans
Her relationship with The King and Queen helped make Lady Paget one of London’s most important hostesses and her home, at 35 Belgrave Square became the centre of American society in London. The exchanges of Fabergé gifts noted in the branch’s ledgers point to Lady Paget’s popularity and importance among the American émigré community in London. In 1911, Princess Hatzfeldt gave her a pink enamel calendar frame costing £10.13s; and for Christmas 1914 Lady Paget received a pink enamel umbrella top from Colonel Anthony Drexel Junior, grandson of the founder of the American investment firm Drexel and Company. The umbrella top did not meet with her favour, however, and she returned it to the branch for a refund. One of the richest Americans whom Lady Paget helped to enter London high society was Nancy Leeds, the widow of William Bateman Leeds. Nancy’s late husband had prospered in the American tin-plate trade and had left her and their young son a fortune estimated to be between $30 and $40 million. Lady Paget helped introduce Mrs. Leeds to Fabergé by presenting her gifts of its works. In 1910, she gave her an oval gold cigarette case enamelled dark blue and set with rose diamonds costing £23.10s. In the summer of 1913 she gave her a more expensive case, formed from two parts of quartz mounted in platinum, set with rose diamonds and a cabochon sapphire, costing £75. Later the same year, on 23 September, Mrs. Leeds made her own first purchase from Fabergé in London, a matchbox and cigarette case for the substantial price of £208.10s. Mrs. Leeds was famed for her extravagant expenditure and, despite her late start, became one of Fabergé’s most prolific customers in London. Her purchases between September 1913 and January 1917 amounted to £3,292. All but three were made in the years 1915 and 1916, while she lived at 41 Grosvenor Square. Her perception of Fabergé was as a gift shop rather than as a jeweller. When it came to buying her own jewellery, she favoured rival firm, Cartier. In 1912, the French jewellers made her a diamond épaulette in the garland style mounted with a seventy-carat emerald. The following year she acquired from Cartier an elaborate diamond and pearl tiara modelled on one belonging to Grand Duchess Vladimir. From Fabergé she purchased only one jewel approaching the importance of those from Cartier: an aquamarine brooch mounted with rose- and brilliant-cut diamonds, costing £200.
Mrs. W. B Leeds by Giovanni Boldini. Mrs. Nancy Leeds was the second wife and heiress of the American tin-plate magnate William Bateman Leeds. In her youth, she was celebrated for her beauty and had the childhood nickname of ‘Pinkie’ in reference to her flawless complexion. She allegedly attracted the attention of the married William while working in his office as a stenographer. Following his death in 1908, she moved to Europe and became a customer of Fabergé in London. She later lived in Kenwood, the previous home of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich. Sotheby’s London
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An Outpost of Home – The Russian Patrons of Fabergé in London
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An Outpost of Home – The Russian Patrons of Fabergé in London
Silver box in the ‘Old Russian’ taste by Carl Fabergé, the lid centred by an enamelled depiction of Nicholas Roerich’s 1902 painting Overseas Visitors, showing the Varangian Chieftain Rurik’s arrival in Rus and the moment the Russian nation was founded. Bought from Fabergé’s New Bond Street shop for £22 on 23 December 1912, by Robert Younger. Private Collection; photograph: Wartski, London
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ISBN: 978-1-85149-828-4
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