Fabergé in the Royal Collection

ISBN 978 1 90216 366 6

Please note, due to the publication date this catalogue may contain outdated terminology. Updated object records can be viewed on Collection Online.

The Royal Collection of Fabergé is one of the largest and most important in existence. It includes examples of the famous Imperial Easter Eggs, flowers, boxes, frames, bibliots and personal jewellery, and the largest collection of Fabergé’s animal carvings in the world. It also bears witness to the close ties between the British, Danish and Russian royal families, and the provenance of many items in the collection - exchanged as personal gifts between the families in the period before the Russian Revolution - gives it a unique historical interest.

This book explains in detail the formation of the collection, including the establishment of Fabergé’s London branch. It contains essays on the principal royal collectors and their tastes; on the history of the Sandringham commission of animal carvings; and on Fabergé's influence amongst other jewellers and goldsmiths such as Cartier, Boucheron amd Hahn. It also contains new research stemming from Russian archival information which has only recently become accessible to scholars in the west.

Caroline de Guitaut is Deputy Surveyor of The King's Works of Art, Royal Collection Trust. Her other titles include Russia: Art, Royalty and the Romanovs, Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration and Fabergé's Animals.