Object of the Month - Fabergé Pig
1st October 2024
“Hens, turkeys, bulls, heifers, horses and even pigs!”
So said Henry Bainbridge, the London agent for Fabergé, when Edward VII presented him with a list of animals on the Sandringham estate that he wished the Russian jewellers to recreate in hardstone. The original idea to produce animal study carvings from the Royal menagerie had not come from the King himself, but the monarch had embraced it so enthusiastically that Bainbridge was taken aback by the list provided and had serious concerns about the firm’s abilities to match royal expectations. Fabergé had no such qualms and sent artist, Boris Frödman-Cluzel, from Russia to sculpt wax models of the animals at Sandringham in 1907. In December of that year, Bainbridge’s fears were fully allayed when Edward VII asked him to “tell Mr Fabergé… I think the work splendid”.
The Sandringham commission built on a rich heritage of animal studies that already existed at Fabergé. Carl Fabergé had acquired the stone-carving workshop of Karl Woerffels around 1884, and it was his own son, Agathon, who chose most of the stones; the wealth of mineral resources of nearby Siberia and the Urals providing him with a vast array of options.
Edward VII was not the only English collector to be wowed by the miniature models; Leopold de Rothschild also bought and commissioned a number of the small hardstone creations, and they proved popular gifts among the British aristocracy. The Royal Collection still contains over 350 examples.
Likely an English commission, and possibly modelled from the Sandringham Estate, a dendritic agate carving of a Gloucester Old Spot pig was a feature of the Fine Jewellery auction on 30th October. The stone (sometimes known as moss agate) is an unusual choice for a carving, being more commonly utilised as an inlay. In this instance it has clearly been selected for its distinctive markings to recreate those of the famed English pig breed. Measuring a mere 8cm across, it exceeded its starting price of £5,000 to sell for a premium-inclusive £15,120.
