Made on
Tilda
This book accompanies the exhibition of the same name that is staged at the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA. This is one of several events featuring Fabergé, which are being held to mark the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. It opened on 12th November 2017 and will run through to 27th May 2018.
The Museum is internationally renowned for its collection of art, which was amassed substantially by two men, the father and son railway barons and avid collectors William and Henry Walters. It was eventually bequeathed to the City of Baltimore. Henry Walters was introduced to the work of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1900 when he visited the Exposition Universelle in Paris and saw the display of Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs, jewellery and objets de luxe which brought the company wide acclaim.
The exhibition draws on the Russian art and objects in the Walters’ Collection as well as a generous gift in 2010 of Jean M Riddell’s collection of Russian enamels. When Tatiana Fabergé and I visited Baltimore in 2011, we saw this collection in the vaults prior to it being catalogued. Like the Walters’ Collection, it contains some stunning pieces.
The exhibition and the book give a fascinating overview of Russian decorative art over nine centuries. It reveals a highly accomplished crafts tradition that persisted for nearly 1000 years from a 12th century temple pendant to a the work of Fabergé, including the two Imperial Eggs.