Property from a Princely Collection
A Fabergé silver-mounted clay brick match holder, probably Moscow, circa 1895
Lot Closed
May 15, 11:37 AM GMT
Estimate
18,000 - 25,000 CHF
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Read more.Lot Details
Description
rectangular, the exterior of the clay brick with reeding for striking, the interior divided into two square match compartments, mounted at each side with a silver figure of a baby satyr, one crawling across the surface of the brick, the other tumbling down the side, the base inscribed in Cyrillic, 'Factory / [of] A. Gusarev / in Moscow', apparently unmarked, in fitted case,
length 11.9 cm; 4 5/8 in.
With A La Vieille Russie, New York, 1982;
The Forbes Collection;
Christie's New York, Important Works of Art by Carl Fabergé from the Forbes Collection, 19 April 2002, lot 91
Christie's London, The Winter Egg and Important Works by Fabergé from a Princely Collection, 1 December 2025, lot 32
Virginia/ Minneapolis/ Chicago, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Fabergé, Selections from The Forbes Magazine Collection, 1983, no. 6
Fort Worth, The Kimbell Art Museum, Fabergé, The Forbes Magazine Collection, 1983, no. 67
Detroit, The Detroit Institute of Arts, Fabergé, The Forbes Magazine Collection, 1984, no. 36
Edinburgh/ Aberdeen, The Fine Art Society, Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum, Fabergé and the Edwardians, 1987, no. 5
New York/ Kansas City/ Atlanta, Place des Antiquaires, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, The High Museum Antiques Show, Fabergé Silver from The Forbes Magazine Collection, 1987-1988
A. von Solodkoff, Masterpieces from the House of Fabergé, New York, 1984, p.173 (illustrated).
C. Forbes, R. Tromeur-Brenner, Fabergé, The Forbes Collection, New York, 1999, pp. 238-239 (illustrated).
Brick table match holders exemplify the Fabergé workshops’ ethos in championing design over material value. Fashioned from Russian clay supplied by the Gusarev brick factory, Moscow, these items harnessed local, raw materials to blend the functional with the aesthetic.
The British Royal Collection includes three examples of brick table lighters, all acquired by King Edward VII. One is mounted with a silver-gilt kneeling putto by Juilius Rappaport (RCIN 8338), another with jewelled gold snakes by Erik Kollin (RCIN 8337), and a third mounted in silver-gilt with cloisonné enamel and turquoises (RCIN 50723).