A Fabergé Jeweled Gold Étui Enameled in the Racing Colors of Leopold de Rothschild, Workmaster Henrik Wigström, St. Petersburg, circa 1910

of rectangular, rounded shape, enameled with undulating waves of transparent blue and bright yellow stripes, the racing colors of Leopold de Rothschild, the hinged cover set with a band of rose-cut diamonds

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.

According to H.C. Bainbridge, manager of Fabergé's London shop, the idea to use this color scheme was the result of numerous requests made each year just before Newmarket, Ascot and Derby time, for suitable gifts for Leopold de Rothschild. When the first shipment of items enameled in these colors arrived at the London shop from St. Petersburg, Bainbridge was exceedingly pleased and excited. He relates that "I ran straight off to New Court and showed them to Mr. Leopold, who said, `Splendid! I will take the lot.' ... Whenever he wanted to say `Good morning!' `I like you!' or `Don't bother me any more!' he simply slipped a dark blue and yellow Fabergé object into his friend's pocket." (H. C. Bainbridge, Peter Carl Fabergé, Goldsmith and Jeweller to the Russian Imperial Court, London, 1949, p.83 and Kieran McCarthy, "Fabergé and the Rothschilds," The Rothschild Archive: Review of the Year April 2004-March 2005, pp. 34-41.) Leopold de Rothschild (1845-1917) was the third son of Baron Lionel de Rothschild MP, and great grandson of Mayer Amschel Rothschild. He purchased Ascott in Buckinghamshire in 1876 in order to turn it into a hunting lodge and during the following years the house was enlarged and transformed into a family home. Mary Gladstone, daughter of the Prime Minister, William Gladstone, described Ascott as "the most luxurious and lovely thing I ever saw." Numerous small objets de luxe were produced by Fabergé in these Rothschild racing colors and the drawings of many of them from the Wigström workshop are reproduced by Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm et al, Golden Years of Fabergé, Drawings and Objects from the Wigström Workshop, New York, 2000. The offered lot is particularly outstanding because the free interpretation of the normally severe and controlled, yet bright Rothschild racing colors lends this stunning box an unusual and rare exuberance.