id:			74790
accession number:	2022.109
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/2022.109
updated:		2024-08-08 15:11:03.525000

Letter Opener, c. 1899–1908. House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918). Silver, bear claw, garnet; overall: 1.3 x 16.8 x 2.5 cm (1/2 x 6 5/8 x 1 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Hiller-Borneman Collection 2022.109

title:				Letter Opener
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 1899–1908
creation date earliest:		1899
creation date latest:		1908
current location:		211 Fabergé
creditline:			Gift of the Hiller-Borneman Collection
copyright:			

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culture:	Russian
technique:	Silver, bear claw, garnet
department:	Decorative Art and Design
collection:	Decorative Arts
type:		Silver
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

* House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918)  - maker
Peter Carl Faberge (1846-1920) took over the House of Faberge in 1870 from his father Carl Gustav Faberge who had founded the firm in 1842. Until 1881, the firm manufactured primarily jewelry for Saint Petersburg's aristocrats and wealthy elite. In 1885 the firm was awarded the coveted imperial warrant as goldsmith to the tsar and began to produce elaborate presentation Easter eggs as a gift for the tsarina from her husband every year. They also produced luxurious accessories, jewelry, and hardstone sculptures. At one point, Faberge employed over 300 workers including 22 workmasters who oversaw the production of the firm's jewelry and precious objects. A branch of the firm opened in Moscow in 1887, specializing in neo-Russian and pan-Slavic motifs in jewelry, silver, and enamel. Other branches followed in Kiev, London, and Odessa as well as new premises in Saint Petersburg. At the onset of the Russian Revolution, Peter Carl Faberge fled the country to Paris then Switzerland, where he died in 1920. His firm was nationalized by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
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measurements: Overall: 1.3 x 16.8 x 2.5 cm (1/2 x 6 5/8 x 1 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

	inscription:	“K. Fabergé” in Cyrillic
	translation:	
	remark:		

	inscription:	Cyrillic initials “AR”
	translation:	
	remark:		

	inscription:	kokoshnik
	translation:	
	remark:		

	inscription:	“88” silver standard
	translation:	
	remark:		

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique 
	opening date:   2008-10-19T04:00:00
	<i>Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique </i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 19, 2008-January 18, 2009); Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (February 7-May 31, 2009).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* {'description': '<em>Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique, </em>Cleveland Museum of Art, October 19, 2008—January 18, 2009; Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, February 7—May 31, 2009.', 'opening_date': '2008-10-19T00:00:00'}

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PROVENANCE

	(Wartski Ltd, London, sold to J. Randolph Hiller)
	date: 2001
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	Hiller-Borneman Collection, Pittsburgh, PA, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: 2001–2022
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 2022–
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact:


digital description:


wall description:

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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Harrison, Stephen, Emmanuel Ducamp, and Jeannine J. Falino. <em>Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique.</em> Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008.
	page number: 	Reproduced and mentioned:  p. 215
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2022.109/2022.109_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2022.109/2022.109_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2022.109/2022.109_full.tif