Fabergé’s Flowers: Masterpieces of Jewelry and Artistry
The floral masterpieces created by the legendary jeweler Carl Fabergé represent an extraordinary blend of natural beauty, artistic imagination, and exquisite craftsmanship.
Renowned worldwide for his iconic Imperial Easter Eggs, Fabergé applied the same meticulous attention to detail and innovative design to his celebrated flower creations. These remarkable works, crafted from precious and semiprecious materials, stand as symbols of luxury and refinement, enchanting art lovers and collectors alike.
Each Fabergé flower captures more than mere aesthetic appeal; they embody the essence of Russian cultural appreciation for nature’s transient beauty.
Born from the intersection of artistic inspiration drawn from both Western and Eastern traditions, Fabergé's floral jewels skillfully combine artistic freedom with technical perfection, ensuring their status as unique treasures.
This article explores the profound significance, innovative techniques, historical inspirations, and enduring allure of these breathtaking floral creations.
Trollius europaeus by Fabergé - Robert Strauss Collection / Ranunculus by Fabergé - Mrs Josiane Woolf
The Significance of Flowers in Russian Culture
Fabergé's floral creations represent some of his most exquisite and admired works, capturing the deep cultural significance and symbolic beauty that flowers hold in Russian tradition.
Given Russia’s long, harsh winters, flowers symbolize the rebirth of nature, bringing hope and joy. Historically, natural flowers were transported on ice from the South of France to Saint Petersburg, gracing lavish aristocratic festivities.
Even today, in Russia, carefully chosen single flowers at memorials or airports hold more emotional meaning than extravagant Western bouquets.
Within this cultural context, Fabergé’s never-wilting blossoms rapidly gained immense popularity among the Russian elite and were frequently gifted, especially during Easter celebrations.
Blueberry spray by Fabergé - State Hermitage, Leningrad / Mistletoe spray by Fabergé - The Brooklyn Museum (Bequest Helen B. Sanders)
by Fabergé - British Royal Collection
Inspiration from European Court Jewelers
Fabergé drew inspiration primarily from the sumptuous floral jewelry crafted by European Court jewelers of the 18th century.
Originally worn as personal adornments, these floral jewels—many of them masterpieces of diamonds, pearls, and gold—are now treasured in collections across Europe, including those in Vienna and Saint Petersburg.
Notably, the Hermitage houses three exquisite examples of these arrangements, including a striking diamond-and-pearl lily, likely familiar to Fabergé himself.
Influence of Eastern Art
Furthermore, like many of Fabergé’s animal figures, his floral creations were significantly influenced by Eastern art, particularly Chinese hardstone carvings from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
These Eastern influences are evident in Fabergé’s precise rendering of flowers using nephrite leaves, meticulously shaped stems, and blossoms crafted from carefully selected semiprecious stones.
The Artistic Craftsmanship Behind Fabergé’s Flower Creations
Fabergé’s flower creations combine meticulous craftsmanship with extraordinary artistry.
Each flower stands in vases sculpted from flawless rock crystal, ingeniously designed using the trompe l'oeil technique to simulate the transparency of water—an artistic illusion that continues to captivate viewers. In some rare instances—though often regarded with unjust skepticism—Fabergé employed opaque semiprecious stones like agate, jasper, and lapis lazuli to mimic flower pots or decorative tubs.
The delicate gold stems are engraved with nearly microscopic detail, while the veined leaves, carved thinly from nephrite or occasionally fashioned from enameled gold, exhibit a naturalistic elegance.
Semiprecious stones and rose-cut diamonds further accentuate the realistic beauty of these floral arrangements.
Cornflower and oats by Fabergé - State Hermitage, Leningrad
Cornflower and oats by Fabergé -The British Royal Collection
Artistic Freedom and Botanical Interpretation
Fabergé did not pursue exact botanical accuracy; rather, he prioritized decorative harmony and artistic effect.
Seasonal accuracy was secondary, resulting in arrangements such as cherry blossoms improbably combined with ripe fruit or buttercups paired with cornflowers and oats on a single stem, reflecting artistic liberty rather than botanical precision.
Rarity and Notable Examples
Today, genuine Fabergé flowers remain exceptionally rare, with approximately sixty authentic examples known worldwide. Due to their rarity, fragility, and value, these pieces are almost as coveted as Fabergé’s legendary Easter eggs.
Among the most famous floral arrangements is the celebrated basket of lilies-of-the-valley, presented in 1896 to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna upon her coronation by merchants of Nijni-Novgorod. It remains the earliest documented flower arrangement by Fabergé, uniquely bearing the hallmark of August Holmström’s workshop.
Imperial basket of lilies-of-the-valley by Fabergé, 1896, presented to her Imperial Majesty, Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna - The Mathilda Geddings Gray Foundation Collection, New Orleans
Fabergé's flower studies represent far more than mere decorative objects—they embodied profound emotional significance for their royal owners. The Queen Mother of Britain once confided that during World War II's darkest moments, she "took great comfort in looking at her Fabergé florals to cope with the hardship and destruction."
These botanical masterpieces have a surprising artistic lineage, drawing inspiration from both Catherine the Great's 18th-century floral brooches and the Japanese art of ikebana.
Each flower's stem was ingeniously set into rock crystal basins meticulously carved to resemble water pots, creating the illusion of freshly cut blooms. Their extreme rarity—only about 80 flower and fruit studies are known to have survived—has driven individual pieces to multi-million-dollar valuations.
Provenance records reveal fascinating ownership histories: one apple blossom, reportedly the largest Fabergé flower outside the Royal Collection, was jointly purchased by four Romanov Grand Dukes, who split the cost of 800 rubles in installments. Another notable example, a violet, was acquired from Fabergé's London branch in 1908 by Mrs. Ino Ward for £32.
For the Russian Tsarina and her sister Alexandra (the future Queen of England), these exquisite creations served as portable reminders of spring during harsh northern winters—intimate gifts exchanged among friends at court that captured "the ephemeral, fleeting beauty of nature made eternal."
Miniature frame shaped like a pansy by Fabergé , 1904 - Armory Museum of the Kremlin, Moscow
Influences of Art Nouveau and Japanese Art
Fabergé’s floral designs were significantly influenced by the Art Nouveau movement, which gained prominence in French decorative arts around 1893-94. His tribute to Art Nouveau is clearly evident in floral motifs adorning iconic creations such as:
- The 1898 Easter egg lavishly decorated with lilies-of-the-valley.
- The 1899 egg featuring delicate pansies
Fabergé’s fascination with Japanese art—particularly the ikebana flower arrangement technique—also deeply influenced his designs, with at least five distinct Japanese-inspired flower studies documented in his London sales ledgers.
Among these is a Japanese pine purchased by the Prince of Wales, still part of the British Royal Collection, demonstrating Fabergé’s global artistic influences.
Dandelion seed clock by Fabergé / Japanese wild cherry in blossom by Fabergé (Robert Strauss Collection)
Challenges in Authenticating Fabergé Flowers
Due to the delicate nature of these creations, authentic Fabergé flowers rarely carry hallmarks, as stems were considered too slender and elegant to bear marks.
Notably, among the twenty genuine Fabergé flowers belonging to Queen Elizabeth II’s collection, only two carry Wigström’s initials.
Hallmarked flowers, particularly those prominently displaying Fabergé’s full name, are usually fakes. Counterfeits often originate from Idar-Oberstein in Germany—known for lifeless nephrite imitations—or from Parisian forgers active since the 1920s, specializing in bouquets of anemones displayed in striped rock-crystal vases.
Authenticating Fabergé flowers thus requires exceptional expertise, emphasizing provenance, historical documentation, and attention to subtle nuances of craftsmanship and materials.
Fabergé's floral masterpieces remain timeless testimonies to his artistry, reflecting profound cultural influences and an unmatched dedication to decorative elegance. Their enduring charm continues to captivate collectors and connoisseurs worldwide, celebrating a harmonious fusion of nature, history, and refined artistic sensibility.
Cover Photo: Wild strawberry, Forget-me-not, Lilly-of-the-valley - The Wernher Collection, Luton Hoo
Bibliography: Fabergé by Geza von Habsburg - Geneva, Feldman Editions, 1988.
