A Fabergé Silver-Mounted Lustre Glazed Ceramic Carafe, Moscow, circa 1895

the Fabergé silver mounts in the Rococo taste, chased with rocaille, scrolls and cartouches with trelliswork, the cover of the hinged lid with a pomegranate on stems with leaves, the interior of the lid gilded, the ceramic ovoid body of the carafe with a cylindrical neck

Wilmington, DE, Fabergé: Imperial Craftsman and His World, 2000, no. 128.

Géza von Habsburg, et al, Fabergé: Imperial Craftsman and His World, London, 2000, p. 96, no. 128.

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.

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 to create exciting, new creations. In both Moscow and St. Petersburg, Fabergé's craftsman combined contemporary European and Russian art pottery or Favrile glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany with imaginative silver mounts complementing the original forms. The offered lot includes a body of lustre-glazed earthenware made by Clément Massier, one of the most popular ceramicists of French art nouveau whose work with experimental metallic lustre glazes was promoted by Siegfried Bing among others. Here the austere form of the ceramic body with the rich gold tones of the lustre glaze, like the Chinese porcelains of the 18th century, provides a perfect contrast to the delicate scrolls and vegetal forms of the silver mounts. For other examples of contemporary ceramics with silver mounts by Fabergé, see the Russian-style kovsh from the Monakhov workshop at the Imperial Stroganov School (Sotheby's, New York, April 15, 2008, lot 403), a vase by Lucien Levy for Clément Massier with silver mounts (Christie's, London, June 10, 2010, lot 278), and a Doulton Burselm vase with handles cast as snakes (Christie's, London, November 28, 2007, lot 80).