Fabergé in the Royal Collection
An introduction to Fabergé in the Royal Collection
Field Marshal V
RCIN 40412
A portrait model of the Shire horse stallion Field Marshal V, Sandringham's champion, carved in aventurine quartz with gold set cabochon sapphire eyes.
Working horses were kept on the estate at Sandringham, and there were several champions among them at this date, shown locally and regionally. There is no record in the London ledgers of a horse sculpture entitled Field Marshal, which is the name of the horse this model has been traditionally thought to represent. However, a Shire stallion model named Hoe Forest King was purchased from Fabergé's London branch on 27 June 1909 by Queen Alexandra - described as the King's Shire stallion in the ledger and made of brown orletz, it may be this very model, particularly as its price (£73) would seem to indicate an expensive and therefore larger model. A further Shire horse, made of obsidian, had belonged to the Duke of Gloucester (1900-74) but was sold at Christie's in 1954, where it was described as having been modelled from life at Sandringham. Field Marshal V, a descendant of the original horse, was bred by King George V and was champion at the Shire Horse Society Show in 1920 and 1921.
Text adapted from Fabergé's Animals: A Royal Farm in Miniature
Working horses were kept on the estate at Sandringham, and there were several champions among them at this date, shown locally and regionally. There is no record in the London ledgers of a horse sculpture entitled Field Marshal, which is the name of the horse this model has been traditionally thought to represent. However, a Shire stallion model named Hoe Forest King was purchased from Fabergé's London branch on 27 June 1909 by Queen Alexandra - described as the King's Shire stallion in the ledger and made of brown orletz, it may be this very model, particularly as its price (£73) would seem to indicate an expensive and therefore larger model. A further Shire horse, made of obsidian, had belonged to the Duke of Gloucester (1900-74) but was sold at Christie's in 1954, where it was described as having been modelled from life at Sandringham. Field Marshal V, a descendant of the original horse, was bred by King George V and was champion at the Shire Horse Society Show in 1920 and 1921.
Text adapted from Fabergé's Animals: A Royal Farm in Miniature
