'Fabergé in London: Romance and Revolution' celebrates the world-famous Russian jewellery house that has created luxury items for royals and aristocrats.
ADVERTISEMENTLondon's Victoria and Albert Museum is preparing to host a new exhibition celebrating the work of Carl Fabergé, the genius behind the world famous Russian jewellery house.
‘Fabergé in London: Romance and Revolution’ will showcase more than 200 objects across three main sections.
Most notably, it includes the largest display of Fabergé’s bejewelled 'easter eggs' in a generation, 15 in total, many of which are being shown in the UK for the first time.
Lavish Anglo-Russian craftsmanship
‘Fabergé in London’ focuses primarily on the Anglo-Russian nature of his enterprise, with his only branch outside of Russia opening in London in 1903.
Royalty, aristocrats, financiers with newly-made fortunes, and socialites flocked to the Fabergé boutique to buy gifts of unparalleled luxury for each other. Fabergé works were as popular in Britain as they were in Russia.
As well as his famous Easter eggs, the exhibition also showcases a wide variety of unusual artefacts from tiaras to animal figurines and cigarette boxes.
Art critic Tabish Khan's favourite artefact is a monochrome rhinoceros, made from obsidian, a volcanic glass.
‘When you look at a lot of Faberge items, you think of things that are very sparkly and shiny and beautiful. Well, this obsidian rhinoceros is a lot more subtle, so you can really see the musculature and the details. It allows you to admire the craftsmanship without being blinded by the beauty of the object,’ says Khan.
Khan thinks that this exhibition is the most visually pleasing of the year.
The exhibition is opening on November 20, and runs until 8 May 2022.
Check out the video above for a sneak peek of the spectacular exhibition.
