Objects of Arts from the collections of the Yusupovs

[aleksandr pavlovich]

Addendum to above post:  No, the Latin "S" does not refer to Sumarakov-Elston.  They were apparently a "vanity" addition/replacement.

[Annie]

Oh man, it's been so long since I read this whole thread I forgot about that. It was replaced by the person who bought it. That was said at the beginning. I forgot. But I did know it was the Yussupov anniversary egg.

[aleksandr pavlovich]

Yes, Annie!   Very good!   To help a bit more,  while the egg is typically shown with the Latin "S" showing,  I have checked my references and apparently  the Latin "Y" which I saw in an older photograph is still there (though NOT for Youssoupov!).  The three Latin letters are  S, Y and M.  At least one published source says there were FOUR ovals, but that is incorrect; there are only 3, spaced evenly between the 3 supporting legs.  The original ovals depicted in bust-length: Feliz Snr in uniform, Nicolas in civilian attire and Felix jnr. in either a uniform of the Corps des Pages or the formal court uniform. though it is not so elaborate.  I have had the good fortune of seeing up close probably 70% of the Imperial eggs (of which this one is NOT).  Some people find them garish and "kitschy,"  but I find the detail  amazing.   I have stared at the (Imperial) "Rose Trellis" egg no more that 18 inches away for almost twenty minutes and if I did not know, I would NEVER determined how it opened to reveal its "suprise" ! The workmanship is that good!  Good luck on your research; this item is not that well-known, in my opinion.

[Belochka]

.. To help a bit more, ... The three Latin letters are  S, Y and M. 

Thus it can be concluded that the new owner could not have been an émigré of Russian descent and was associated by the letters "S", "Y" and "M" in some manner.

Since this egg came from the Yusupov Family, it is suggested that the letter "Y" acknowledges the original owner. That intention provides a form of provenance.

Therefore the letters "S" and "M" probably designated the inscription of the new owner.

I conclude that the new owner was identified by the letters "S. M." or "M. S."

Margarita

[Terence]

All this discussion got me intrigued as to who bought the egg and added the "S".  From http://www.mieks.com/Faberge2/Other-Eggs/1907-youssoupov-egg.htm :
The miniatures of Prince Felix and his two sons were removed in New York at the request of Maurice Sandoz, the new owner. The firm that did the work reportedly retains the original medallions to this day.
There are more photos and info there for those interested.
Terry

[ashanti01]

All this discussion got me intrigued as to who bought the egg and added the "S".  From http://www.mieks.com/Faberge2/Other-Eggs/1907-youssoupov-egg.htm :
The miniatures of Prince Felix and his two sons were removed in New York at the request of Maurice Sandoz, the new owner. The firm that did the work reportedly retains the original medallions to this day.
There are more photos and info there for those interested.
Terry

Thank you Terence.

I knew the 'S' was for the new owner of the egg which had replaced the portraits with their family intial, just couldn't log in fast enough to answer the question.

[aleksandr pavlovich]

Almost, Margarita!   Excellent conclusion, but off only "a little bit.  Confusingly, the new owner's name  had the middle initial (actually the last part of a hyphenated name)"Y",  thus the Latin "Y" did not stand for Yussoupov!   I'll post most of the details (as I understand them) later in the day or tonight.  Best wishes to all who have joined in this conversation.   (Thanks also, Terry!  Correct!)

[aleksandr pavlovich]

(Note:  I may have to post this in 2 sections, due to the length.)   Thanks to all who responded to this subject begun by Ashanti01 on the subject of the Faberge Youssoupv Egg.  I'm posting what I feel are revalent details and sources, though every single segment could turn into a full-fledged dissertation!        Peter Carl Faberge and Company often accepted commissions for works of art in addition to their usual stock of precious/functional items.  The immediate male members of the princely Youssoupov family (husband and two sons) commissioned a clock for the 25th wedding anniversary of the couple.  Please refer to Terrance's above posting for the details of the occassion, history and construction materials, etc.  Note that a serpent's  head serves as the pointer to the revolving band to indicate time.  This general motiv was used on another few examples made by Faberge & Company, though they never EXACTLY repeated the design twice for different customers.  As an aside, I continue to say "Faberge and Company,"  since nothing can apparently be shown to have been made by Peter Carl himself.  He designed (with assistants ), oversaw, inspected and approved the finished work of his excellent craftsmen, the two principal workshops being in St. Petersburg and Moscow.  I might add that for especially important customers, he at times personally delivered the commissioned item.     A multi-faceted wealthy Swiss collector and arts dillettante, Dr. Maurice-Yves Sandoz (doctorate in chemistry), purchased this egg from London dealers in the early '50's.  Perhaps as a case of vanity (MY supposition ONLY) the original miniatures (Felix snr., Felix jnr. and Nicolas) were removed and M(aurice  Y(ves)  S(andoz) replaced them.  At present only one of the miniatures's (Nicolas)

[aleksandr pavlovich]

(Continuing previous posting of the Youssoupov Egg)  location is known and has been referred to in an earlier posting by a member.  The overall height of this clock is only  9  5/8 inches.  It is really somewhat similiar in height to the Faberge "Duchess of Marlborough " clock/egg which is 9  1/4 inches in overall height.  The Marlborough Egg also uses the serpent pointer, but in a different fashion.  I have personally seen the Marlborough Egg and as in the case of most well-known objects, they appear smaller in "real life," thus appreciating even moreso, the meticulousness of the craftsmanship.     The Youssoupov Egg is presently in the possession of the Foundation Edouard et Maurice Sandoz, Lausanne, Switzerland, which also owns two additionally well-known Faberge eggs:  the Swan Egg and the Peacock Egg.    As to sources, there can be quite a few. On line, in addition to the Mieks site that Terrance has posted, the Wikipedia article "Faberge egg," is surprisingly up-to-date and a few others via "Googling."  A. Kennth Snowman is a expert on Faberge, though his "The Art of Carl Faberge," is outdated in attributions of some eggs that were once thought to be "Imperial "  (being commissioned by the Imperial Family).  As an aside, the A. Kenneth Snowman book, shows the miniatures of Felix jnr. and Nicolas , illustrations 391 and 392, as well as the full egg with the illustration of Felix snr. No. 393, on the facing page.  Geza von Hapsburg, who has handled a great number of Faberge pieces, also has a volume out.  I can list by title, etc. books on Faberge (not all dealing with the Youssoupov Egg), should anyone require such.    Please excuse any omissions or errors in typing, as I wished to follow-up right away to your kind responses.  If I may be of any further help, please advise.  Many thanks!

[historylover]

I would love the list of books on Faberge! I have only read a little bit about the firm so far, and I want to read much more.

Best,
Lisa

[Robert_Hall]

I would suggest you do a search, both here and as well as the web- Google perhaps.  I personally have a dozen or so volumes on Faberge, and there are more. They have all been mentioned here, so just look!

[aleksandr pavlovich]

For "Historylover-Faberge Eggs":   Lisa, here is a listing of several of the Faberge books that I have.  Please bear in mind that some are out of print and some can be expensive.  Mistakes occur in almost all of the books, since the eggs are constantly being re-assessed.  The main bone of contention is usually there are some eggs called "Imperial" (meaning that they were especially commissioned by and for the Imperial Family ie.  Emperor, Empress, Dowager Empress).  Some privately commissioned eggs (and the Faberge workshops did private commissions as well of course) have over the years been altered and "elevated" to Imperial status for obvious fiscal reasonsor through mis-attribution.  The vetting is on-going even today.  Even the best get fooled sometimes:  the collection of Malcolm Forbes which was privately sold to a Russian billionaire in 2004, is RUMORED to contain a fake "Faberge" Imperial egg that possibly was made by a French firm that was a competitor of the Faberge company.  (While I'm at it, let me say that I expressly say or imply  "Faberge" to mean the COMPANY, as it is thought that there does not exist any article made PERSONALLY by Carl Faberge.  He conceived designs, selected stones, etc., oversaw the production and ran the Firm with his sons).  Over the years, I have seen many, many of the extant Imperial (and other well-known) Faberge eggs/works in exhibitions, from Windsor Castle, the Moscow Kremlin, Forbes, etc. and they are truly impressive in their meticulous workmanship.  Here are the books, listed in no particular order and can PROBABLY be found on inter-library loan, except for possible older catalogues of some exhibitions:      ( I will probably have to go to another screen posting directly after this one.)   1.)  THE ART OF CARL FABERGE by the late Kenneth Snowman- a recognized expert, who also made some errors in atribution.  This book was published in several printings, beginning in the 1950's.  My copy is published by Boston Book and Art Shop, Boston, Massachusetts,but printed in Great Britain.  2.)   PETER CARL FABERGE / Goldsmith and Jeweller to the Russian Imperial Court by Henry Charles Bainbridge, another classic reference, by Faberge's London branch store manager. My copy is the 8th edition, published in 1979 of the original published in 1949.  This is by Cresent Books, NY.   3.)  MASTERPIECES FROM THE HOUSE OF FABERGE by Alexander von Solodkoff, another recognized expert on Faberge.  1984, publishers:  Harry N. Abrams, Inc.  New York.  4.)  THE ART OF CARL FABERGE by Alexander von Solodkoff, 1988, Crown Publishers, Inc., NY ,  5.)  FABERGE/ Imperial Eggs and other fantasies, by Hermione Waterfield and Christopher Forbes, 1978, published by Bramhall House, NY    (I will now go to the next screen in this response........)                    

[Robert_Hall]

Perhaps the FA can merge this thread with the already existing one- Faberge Books ?

[aleksandr pavlovich]

(Second screen for "Historylover"'s request for Faberge book titles)   6.)  FABERGE IN AMERICA by Geza von Habsburg, another recognized Faberge expert.  1996, Pub. Thames and Hudson, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. This is a large exhibition catalogue with numerous contributors.  7.)  FABERGE/Jeweler to Royalty by the late A. Kenneth Snowman, 1983, by the Smithsonian Museum, Printed by Eastern Press, Inc.  The items in this out-ofprint exhibition are "From the Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and other British Lenders."  I did not find this item to be terribly informative, however. 8.)  FABERGE/ Court Jeweler to the Tsars by Geza von Habsburg-Lothringen and Alexander von Solodkoff, pub. by Rizzoli, NY, 1979,  9.)  CARL FABERGE/ Goldsmith to the Imperial Court of Russia, by A. Kenneth Snowman, pub. by Greenwich House, distributed by Crown Publisher, NY 1983,  10.)  FABERGE/ Imperial Craftsman and His World Exhibition Album by Robert Steven Bianchi, pub. Booth-Clibborn Editions, London, 2000.  This is obviously an exhibition volume, but does have some up-to-date correction/s in it.  Lisa, I have other volumes, but they are not at hand at the moment and I am certain that newer publications can and will appear.  This should get you started, as well, as anyone else who desires such.   (I have just read Robert's posts between my two and he is quite correct:  there are googling opportunities aplenty on this subject.  Thanks, Robert, for the input. And yes, if the FA can merge  these posts to an existing one, excellent!))  One caveat:  After awhile of going through Faberge book after Faberge book, you will see that most/many of the varied objects are in every book and can lead to a sensory "overload"!  I once visited a large Faberge exhibition of 400+ items (the number of individual cigarette cases alone was staggering) and it was almost impossible to "take in" such a display in detail without becoming a bit jaded on the "whole thing."    BUT...there is ALWAYS something new to see/learn, even if it is the smallest thing.    I hope that this helps you.  Pardon any typing error/s, as I had told you that I would get this out right away.  You will note that I did not include the books' ISBN numbers, but these can be easily determined.

[ashanti01]

the original miniatures of Felix and Nicholas which were removed from the egg.



image from http://www.mieks.com/forum/indiv-eggs.html.

I must say I agree with those who believe the original miniatures should be restored to the egg.