Russian Works of Art, Fabergé and Icons
Russian Works of Art, Fabergé and Icons
Property from the Collection of Caroline P. Ireland
A FABERGÉ JEWELLED TWO-COLOUR GOLD, GUILLOCHÉ ENAMEL AND AMETHYST CAPE CLASP, WORKMASTER HENRIK WIGSTRÖM, ST PETERSBURG, 1904-1908
Auction Closed
November 26, 06:32 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Collection of Caroline P. Ireland
A FABERGÉ JEWELLED TWO-COLOUR GOLD, GUILLOCHÉ ENAMEL AND AMETHYST CAPE CLASP, WORKMASTER HENRIK WIGSTRÖM, ST PETERSBURG, 1904-1908
each ovoid clasp featuring two round amethysts framed by rose-cut diamonds, within sunburst and sepia enamel surrounds, gold wire hook and loop closure, struck on the mounts with workmaster's initials, 56 standard, an engraved double-headed eagle, scratched inventory number 12529
length of each without loop 4.3cm, 1 7/8in.
Purchased from the London branch of Fabergé by Lady Wernher on 18 June 1908 for £35, returned on 11 December 1908 by the Honourable Mrs Ino Ward for £30.
A La Vieille Russie, New York
Exhibition Catalogue, Fabergé: A Loan Exhibition for the benefit of The Cooper-Hewitt Museum, The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Design, New York, A La Vieille Russie, 1983, p. 110 illustrated, no. 384 listed
For similar cape clasps designed by Fabergé, please see exhibition catalogue, Fabergé and the Russian Jewellers, London, Wartski, 2006, p.55, nos. 162-163.
We are grateful for the assistance of Svetlana Chestnykh in researching the present lot.
Caroline P. Ireland
This important group of Fabergé forms part of Caroline P. Ireland’s magnificent collection of jewels. While globally minded, she always made the United States her home, starting her adult life in New York where she modelled for Christian Dior, followed by Chicago, New Orleans, California and Florida. She was an avid traveller, and her adventures abroad informed the creation of the present collection of Fabergé jewels. Upon her marriage to Charles Ireland, CEO of Vulcan Materials, she enjoyed visiting the Ireland family homes in Paris and St. Tropez, as well as a chateau in the Dordogne.
She was an avid collector, and acquired paintings by Sargent, Bellows, O’Keefe, Cassatt, and Homer, to name a few, as well as Asian works of art, silver and jewellery. In 1979, Andy Warhol was commissioned to paint four portraits of Caroline and her husband Charles, which he made using a series of Polaroids. Caroline’s philanthropic efforts focused on museums and educational institutions; she sat on the boards of numerous museums and libraries, including the Birmingham Museum of Art, New Orleans Museum of Art and Lynn Haven Library. The first part of her jewellery collection was included in Sotheby’s New York, Important Jewels, 6 June 2019, lots 121-128. Further jewels from the collection will be offered by Sotheby's New York on the 9th and 10th of December.