A Fabergé Gilded Silver-Mounted Craquelé Glass Vase, Workmaster Michael Perchin, St. Petersburg, circa 1890

the amethyst glass vase tapering from rounded, inverted rim to a square base, the gilded silver base chased with a pattern of intertwined ribbon and raised on four paw feet headed by scrolling acanthus supports

A La Vieille Russie, New York
The FORBES Magazine Collection
Sotheby's New York, December 1, 1998, lot 326

A. von Solodkoff, Masterpieces from the House of Fabergé, New York, 1984, p. 178.

overall good condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Exhibited:

Richmond, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Fabergé: Selection from the FORBES Magazine Collection, February 9-March 13, 1983 (traveling exhibition, visiting the following locations)
Minneapolis, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, April 3-June 12, 1983
Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, November 1-December 31, 1983

Fort Worth, The Kimbell Art Museum, Fabergé: The FORBES Magazine Collection, June 25-September 18, 1983, no. 113
Detroit, The Detroit Institute of Arts, June 27-August 12, 1984, no. 112.

Edinburgh, The Fine Art Society, Fabergé and the Edwardians, August 8-31, 1987, no. 7
Aberdeen, The Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum, September 5-26, 1987, no. 7

New York, Place des Antiquaires, Fabergé Silver from the FORBES Magazine Collection, November 10, 1987-January 31, 1988
Kansas City, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, June 11-July 18, 1988
Nashville, The Tennessee Botanical Gardens and Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, October 3-28, 1988
Atlanta, The High Museum Antiques Show, November 17-20, 1988
Seattle, The Bank of California, December 1, 1988-January 6, 1989
St. Louis, The St. Louis Antiques Show, May 24-29, 1989
Oklahoma City, The Oklahoma Arts Center, October 15, 1989-January 1, 1990
Tulsa, The Philbrook Museum of Art, January 28-April 8, 1990
Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, September 1-October 8, 1990

Of the many historical traditions of European decorative arts that Fabergé revived and made his own, perhaps the most interesting is that of the marchand-mercier. Working outside of France's strict guild system, they were able to combine exotic porcelains with gilded mounts or embellish the finest furniture with Sèvres plaques to create exciting, new concoctions. In both Moscow and St. Petersburg, Fabergé's craftsman combined contemporary European and Russian art glass and pottery with imaginative silver mounts complementing the original forms. Ernest Baptiste Léveillé, maker of the glass vase, is best known for his production of craquelé glass which he exhibited to great acclaim at the 1892 and 1896 Paris Salons, winning a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition universelle. For another craquelé glass vase with Fabergé mounts once in Nicholas and Alexandra's Lower Dacha at Peterhof, see Velikii Fabergé: Iskusstvo iuvelirov pridvornoi firmy, Leningrad, 1990, p. 67, no. 3. On Léveillé, see V. Arwas, Glass: Art Nouveau to Art Deco, New York, 1987, p. 198.