A Fabergé enamelled gold cigarette case, workmaster Michael Perchin, St Petersburg, circa 1895

of upright rounded rectangular form, the surfaces of translucent powder blue enamel over pelleted engine-turning on gold, within opaque white-framed panels with incurved corners, the sablé borders with raised green leaves bound with red ribbons and interspersed with white and red beads, the corners with pink gold fleurons, circular-cut diamond-set thumbpiece, struck with workmaster's initials and Fabergé in Cyrillic, 56 standard, French import mark

Christie's Geneva, 12 May 1981, lot 118

Property of a Private European Collection

Generally very good-to-excellent condition. The blue enamel surfaces with very light scratches consistent with age and some use. There is an abrasion to the enamel along the edge of the back/side panel under the hinge, measuring approximately 1mm in width. There are minor losses to the vulnerable leaves and beads, mostly at the base, perhaps less than one would expect with this sort of enamel decoration. Please contact the Russian Department for photographs. Also, please note that the actual colour of the enamel is more slate/grey blue than sky blue as it appears in the catalogue illustrations.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Translucent enamel, for which Fabergé masters remain justly famous nearly a century after the closure of the workshops, was almost always applied to silver surfaces.  As gold melts at a lower temperature, special care had to be taken when firing the enamel.  Also, Carl Fabergé was famously parsimonious, never one to use a more expensive material unless it was deemed essential to do so.  This cigarette case is lavishly enamelled onto gold, without any silver being employed in its construction.  The effect is a richer, warmer tone to the blue colour and the creation of an object of special luxuriousness.  The idea may have been a paean to the work of 18th century French goldsmiths which Fabergé so admired, given the use of motifs typical of Paris boxes of the 1770s.