Faberge: Imperial Jeweler

The artistry and technical virtuosity of the gold, enamel and gem-set objects created by Russian jeweler Carl Faberge (1846-1920) and his firm are celebrated in this snazzy catalogue of a 1993-94 exhibit held in St. Petersburg, Paris and London. Nearly half of the pieces shown in 360 color plates and additional illustrations are from Russian collections. Twelve scholars from the U.S., Europe and Russia examine the House of Faberge's omnipresence in the history of the Russian imperial family between 1896 and 1918, its ties to other ruling families of Europe, techniques used in making the Imperial Easter eggs, the output of Faberge's underrated Moscow branch and the widespread problem of ``Fauxberge'' forgeries. Newly unearthed archival documents reproduced here include the memoirs of Faberge's designer Franz Birbaum. Von Habsburg is curator of the Faberge Arts Foundation; Lopato is curator at St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum. (May)