Exhibitions
Fabergé: Imperial Craftsman and His World, Riverfront Arts Center, Wilmington, Delaware, 9 Sept 2000 – 18 Feb 2001
Large silver trompe l’oeil bread basket with twisted handles chased to simulate wickerwork and a cloth napkin embroidered in peasant fashion. Such folklore objects gained popularity after the Reform of 1861 that proclaimed the emancipation of the Russian serfs. Great attention was focused on the peasants’ lives, their music, arts and crafts. Especially popular were objects decorated to simulate wood, embroidered fabric, woven birch bark, etc.
Khlebnikov, an Imperial Russian jewellery firm, was founded circa 1865 by Ivan Khlebnikov (1819-1881) in St.Petersburg but transferred to Moscow in 1871. The firm was famous for producing silver items of originality and highest quality decorated in the traditional Russian style. The firm produced silverware for Imperial palaces in Gatchina and St.Petersburg (1870’s). The firm gained international acclaim receiving numerous awards at Russian and world art fairs. In 1879, Khlebnikov became the official purveyor to the Imperial court of Russia.
