before 1899
Russian
Decorative Arts
Frames
Metalwork
gold, silver, enamel, pearls, glass, celluloid (modern)
Russia,St. Petersburg
Overall: 3 3/16 × 2 7/8 × 1/2 in. (8.1 × 7.3 × 1.27 cm)
47.20.352
This star-shaped frame was purchased by Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, in 1896. It was among their personal possessions at their death. After the execution of the imperial family in 1918, the commandant of the Soviet soldiers who had guarded them in Ekaterinburg created an inventory of their belongings. In this document, the frame is described as “gold frame, star-shaped with white and yellow enamel.” The frame was made while Mikhail Perkhin was the chief supervisor, or workmaster, of Fabergé’s many specialized workshops. Under Perkhin’s direction, the firm created snuffboxes, cigarette cases, fans, card cases, parasol and cane handles, picture frames, and countless other small decorative objects, often in lush enamel colors.
Fabergé, initials of workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, assay mark of St. Petersburg before 1899, 56 zolotnik, scratched inventory number 55135
Bequest of Lillian Thomas Pratt
Fabergé Revealed, Palace Museum, Beijing, China, April 16 - July 17, 2016

Fabergé: Jeweler to the Tsars, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, June 20 – September 27, 2015

Fabergé Revealed, Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 14, 2014 - May 25, 2015

Fabulous Fabergé, Jeweler to the Czars, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, June 14 - October 12, 2014

Fabergé Revealed, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, June 22 - September 29, 2013

Fabergé: The Rise and Fall, Detroit Institute of Art, October 14, 2012 - January 21, 2013

Lillian Thomas Pratt Collection of Fabergé, coinciding with Fabergé in America, Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 12 - April 18, 1996, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, May 25 - July 28, 1996, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, August 24 - November 10, 1996, New Orleans Museum of Art, December 7, 1996 - February 8, 1997, Cleveland Museum of Art, March 12 - May 11, 1997

Collector of the Year, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, February 6 - March 13, 1983.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.