Masterpieces from the House of Fabergé

by Alexander Von Solodkoff

Peter Carl Faberge, court jeweler to the czars, is a name synonymous with beauty, craftsmanship, and sumptuous excess. This exciting book features some of the best photographs ever made of Faberge objects. Over 350 illustrations, 80 in full color.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published March 25, 1989

Reviews

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been doing some heavy reading lately, and thought it was time to turn to art and beauty to refresh my soul. While I’m rating this 5 stars, it was disappointing that most photos are black and white. Goodreads indicates that 80 of the 350 photos are in color, but I didn’t see that before I ordered the book on-line from a thrift book seller. Still, it is an informative and beautiful book (even if I mostly just looked at the pictures!).

These are exquisite masterpieces, works of art in such miniature form. The first Romanov egg, the Hen Egg, was commissioned in 1885 by Tsar Alexander III of Russia as an Easter gift for his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna. Compared to the 53 eggs that followed, this one was opulent in materials yet simple in design. The tradition of gifting the eggs began, each becoming more lavish and intricate in design. Just three to five inches tall, each unique egg was crafted of gold, diamonds and precious stones, with some taking years to complete to Fabergé’s exacting standards.

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[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually a 1984 publication but no matter what I did it always jumed back to 1989. Beautiful pictures and a history of Faberge. One person complained that most of the pictures were in black and white. My copy is 75%-80% color. Perhaps they had a different edition. It was interesting to perceive the amout of money that must have been spent on these very intricate jewels by the Russian Tsar and others. I would love to see some of them in person. The photographer did a fantastic job. Kudos to the people who put this fablous book together. The best part was that this book originally sold for $45.00 but I found it at a used book store, on line, for $8.OO.!!

[Anna L · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had quite a bit of information on the history of the Faberge brand and business, and on how their whimsical creations came to be collectibles (it did not happen immediately!). I expected it to be more of a photograph collection, but it was more of a collector's guide with quite a lot of information.

[Barb Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful photos of fabulous Faberge' creations.... and a little history too.

[Lyd's Archive (7/'15 to 6/'18) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting account of Fabergé beyond the eggs - Just how much other stuff he made. Type is a little hard on the eyes, but everything else is quite good. Serves its purpose well.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning images and a generally good overview of Faberge particularly from the Forbes collection.