This officially re-unites the Fabergé name with direct descendants of the nineteenth century founder of the House of Fabergé.
Fabergé underwent two dramatic setbacks in the first half of the 20th century. The first was the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 which resulted in the scattering of the Fabergé family, a violent end to production from the Fabergé workshops and the loss of many treasures. As a result, the Fabergé family has not been significantly involved in the production of items bearing the Fabergé name for almost 90 years. Secondly, in 1951 the Fabergé family effectively lost the rights to use their family name in marketing Fabergé-labelled designs when protracted and expensive litigation forced on them a settlement that ceded the rights to an American corporation in return for only US$ 25,000.
This announcement reverses the fragmentation of Fabergé over the last 90 years and sets the stage for a new generation of authentic Fabergé designs.
Tatiana Fabergé (great-granddaughter Peter Carl Fabergé) said: ‘I have dreamed of this moment for decades. It has been my life’s ambition to restore the unsurpassed standards of design and workmanship that characterised my great-grandfather’s treasures. Now, finally, we have the basis for fulfilling this ambition. I am very pleased to be a part of one of the most significant developments in Fabergé’s history.’
Sarah Fabergé (great-granddaughter Peter Carl Fabergé) said ‘This constitutes the reunification of the House of Fabergé and a new chapter in its history. My father, Theo Fabergé, grandson of Peter Carl Fabergé, passed away on 20th August 2007. It is poignant that, only days before he died, both he and I entered into the arrangements reuniting the family and the Fabergé name.’
Tatiana and Sarah Fabergé, together with Mr John Andrew (a long-standing friend of the Fabergé family), make up the founding members of the new Fabergé Heritage Council. It will counsel the unified Fabergé in its pursuit of excellence and exclusivity. Theo Fabergé became a member shortly before he died and he will be assigned a Memorial Seat on the Fabergé Heritage Council.
Dr Géza von Habsburg, one of the world’s leading Fabergé experts, has been appointed as Curatorial Director.
