Our Curatorial Director Dr Géza von Habsburg recently attended the opening of a Fabergé exhibition in Germany. It remains open until 16th October 2016.
I was recently invited to the opening of an unusually fascinating Fabergé exhibition held in a wing of a beautiful Baroque castle, Schloss Fasanerie, at Eichenzell, about 15 minutes from the centre of Fulda. This was formerly the summer palace of the Abbots of Fulda, but has belonged since the early 1800s to the family of the Landgraves of Hessen, where the collections of art of a foundation formed by the present owner, Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse and by Rhine, are now housed. The exhibition, Fabergé. Geschenke der Zarenfamilie (Fabergé. Gifts of the Tsar’s Family), curated by the erudite family historian and Director of the Hessen family museums, Dr. Markus Miller, comprises 119 items, mostly by Fabergé, and is open until October 16th. Definitely worth a visit for anyone planning a visit to the vicinity of Frankfurt (I stayed at the picturesque Golden Carp and drank the Landgrave’s excellent white wines).
The compelling thread of this exhibition is that it comprises virtually intact all the gifts and much of the relevant correspondence received by Ernst Ludwig, last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his family, from Emperor Nicholas II and his sister the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (née Alexandra von Hessen-Darmstadt), and from their sister Jelena Feodorovna (née Elizabeth von Hessen-Darmstadt) and her husband, the dreaded Grand Duke Sergeij, uncle of the Emperor (both sisters were murdered by the Bolsheviks in July 1918, both of them have since bee canonized by the Orthodox Church). Some related items received by the other two siblings of Ernst Ludwig, Irene, married to Henry, Prince of Prussia, brother of Kaiser Wilhelm II and to Victoria, married to Prince Louis of Battenberg, are also on view. Most of the items exhibited come from Schloss Wolfsgarten, one of the family palaces, and were seen previously at two exhibitions held at the Munich Kunsthalle in 1986 and 2003 and an exhibition in 2000 held at Wilmington, DE, curated by me. Three dozen items shown in the current exhibition have never before been publically seen.
The exhibition illustrates vividly the predilection of these related families for the art of Fabergé, which was a kind of lingua franca between them, the ideal present gifted at visits and all festivities – including Easter, Christmas and Christenings. The chosen presents for all occasions were miniature Easter eggs, of which 72 are shown, 40 of them suspended from a bespoke silver Fabergé frame, and 32 from a commemorative votive lamp. This silver lamp, a revelation, crafted by the Frankfurt jeweler Robert Koch in 1904 was designed by the Grand Duke in memory of his sole daughter, Elisabeth, deceased of typhus at the tender age of eight. It was her father’s decision that the jewels of this cherished child should never be worn by any other living being, but be destined for a higher purpose. Interestingly, the large majority of this lamp’s pendants are eggs evidently by Fabergé, but not all hallmarked, all perfect gifts for a child, then as now. There are 52 frames, all with original photographs or miniatures, evidence of this ever- popular means of furthering family relationships. Furthermore there are 15 cane- and parasol-handles, and 11 cigarette-cases, some of them inscribed with loving dedications, further demonstrating the multiple uses to which Faberge’s objects were put at that time.
The exhibition and its catalogue (which hopefully will be translated into English), are also a treasure trove of unpublished, glorious family photographs, portraits and endearing letters, written in English by these descendants of Queen Victoria. They provide a fascinating inside view of the private moments of this extraordinary family.
Dr. Géza von Habsburg
Fabergé Curatorial Director
Fabergé collections are available online or in the international boutiques.
