Faberge In America

The outstanding legacy of the Russian goldsmith and jeweler Carl Faberge has captured the public's imagination for many years. During his lifetime, Faberge's extravagant jewelry and "objects d'art" brought him patronage from the world's most affluent people, and throughout this century his work has been avidly collected by public art institutions and individuals. Published to accompany a travelling exhibition organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, this text is dedicated to the works that have been amassed by American collectors. Spanning almost half a century, this work combines bibliographical accounts of the most important American Faberge clients and collectors with photographs of the treasures. Following a brief background history of the House of Faberge, the first section of the book is devoted to the period before World War I. The second part covers the years between 1930 and 1950 when the first great American collections were formed, including those of Matilda Geddings Gray, India Early Minshall, Lillian Thomas Pratt and Marjorie Merriweather Post. A final section looks at those formed between 1950 and the present day, with particular emphasis on Malcolm S. Forbes, who built up what is undoubtedly the biggest and most impressive Faberge collection in the world.