I’m not quite ready for a walking stick yet – unless, of course, it has been crafted by the genius that is Fabergé, writes Charles Hanson.
Two exquisite Victorian walking canes made by this famous luxury brand have just emerged thanks to a free valuation day visit. A client who’d arranged to have objects assessed at our Derbyshire headquarters in Etwall had already shown me a few items when she mentioned she had something else in her car.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Wrapped in bath towels for protection were two exquisite Fabergé walking canes, circa 1900. And there was more – a pink quartz and gem-set ornamental Fabergé dog in its original box. I was astonished and delighted. These wonderful items enter our October 7 Fine Art Auction. The jewelled, enamel and silver-topped walking canes are valued at £4,000-£6,000 each.
Sometimes, valuing antiques is like mining for gold. Important historical gems suddenly emerge and fill you with excitement. Fabergé is renowned the world over for quality, craftsmanship and ingenuity. The canes, topped by elaborately crafted animal heads, are exquisite in their detail. They were part of a Fabergé collection which belonged to the client’s grandfather.
The workmanship, attention to detail and use of fine materials is mesmerising. Fabergé turned the ordinary into the extraordinary, and that’s certainly true of the walking cane. More than a century ago it was a fashionable accessory for the wealthy fop to have by his side as he strolled through Covent Garden.
What began as a basic tool for animal herders evolved into a symbol of prestige. For centuries, wielding an elaborate walking stick was associated with power. French king Louis XIV was fond of them. They replaced swords as a male accessory and were ‘worn’. Fast forward to the fashionable Victorian era, and any well-respected gentleman carried a walking stick as a symbol of taste, wealth, and class.
To meet this demand, the Fabergé workshop began crafting walking sticks topped by stunning coloured enamel handles inlaid with dazzling white diamonds, pearls and other precious gems. Under the direction of Henrik Wigström, head of the Russian Faberge workshop from 1903-1917, Fabergé created some of the most luxurious canes ever made.
Peter Carl Fabergé, born in 1846, crafted items that were so ingenious they dazzled royalty in Russia and around the world. He’s regarded as the greatest Russian jeweller and goldsmith of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Fabergé produced luxury objects the like of which no-one had ever seen before. As well as jewellery and canes, he created ‘Objects de Fantaisie’ and the famous Fabergé eggs. The Russian royal family commissioned him to make Fabergé Easter eggs for more than 30 years.
Though simpler in form, Fabergé walking canes are regarded as fine examples of Fabergé’s legendary creativity. Many showcased the firm’s ground-breaking enamelling techniques, which surpassed that of any artisan previously.
The complex enamelling process led to the creation of more than 140 colours including delicate hues such as mauve and salmon. Enamel is often used as both a means of decoration and protection. Fabergé added up to six layers to achieve the ultimate lustre and depth of colour. An object originally invented to help a shepherd herd his sheep was transformed into a gentleman’s work of art. Fabergé canes are regarded as pinnacles of decorative art.
Peter Carl Fabergé was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to Baltic German jeweller Gustav Fabergé and his Danish wife Charlotte Jungstedt. In 1860 Gustav retired leaving the House of Fabergé in Peter Carl’s hands. In 1864, Peter Carl embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe. He received tuition from respected goldsmiths in Germany, France and England, attended a course at Schloss’s Commercial College in Paris, and viewed objects in Europe’s leading museums.
It was the start of a glittering career which saw him enchant the world with his genius. He turned everything he touched into a work of art, whether it was a practical object or ornamental. Speaking of the latter, in 2018 two decorative Fabergé botanical studies emerged at Hansons. They were taken along for free valuation at our London saleroom – wrapped in a tea towel.
One was a miniature Fabergé flower study of a convolvulus, commonly known as Dwarf Morning Glory. The other was a simple sprig of Barberry in a rock crystal vase, the leaves, berries and thorns referenced in chased gold, Siberian jade and a synthetic red hardstone known as purpurine. They sold for £400,000.
The walking canes and ornamental dog will be offered in Hansons’ October 7 Fine Art Auction. Further entries invited. To arrange a free valuation, email Isabel Murtough: [email protected]. Free valuations of all types of antiques and collectables are available. To book an appointment, email: [email protected].
