Rockefeller, Astor and the Russian Imperial Family: The Extraordinary Pedigree of a Rare Fabergé Flower

The present Fabergé flower is one of the most significant known examples of a flower study outside of the Royal Collection. In terms of scale and fullness of blossom, it can most closely be compared to the Fabergé study of a pear blossom gifted to The Queen’s Own Worcestershire Hussars in 1904 by Georgina, Countess of Dudley, the wife of Lord Dudley, the Second in Command of the Regiment.

The impressive scale of the rock crystal pot, which is significantly larger than most examples, and overall size of the flower study place it in a small group of impressive flower studies; it can be most closely compared to the studies of Rowan Tree (RCIN 40508), acquired from Fabergé by Queen Alexandra,and Bleeding Heart (RCIN 40502), acquired by Queen Mary in the Royal Collection.

The significance of this flower is reflected in its high purchase price from Fabergé’s St Petersburg branch in 1913. The scratched inventory number on the rock crystal vase corresponds to a Fabergé flower purchased for 800 rubles on 1 May 1913. This purchase was divided four ways between members of the Imperial family: Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, 200 rubles; Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich 200 rubles; Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna 200 rubles; and Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich 200 rubles. The flower is recorded in the ledgers as a narcissus, which is either a clerical error, which are not uncommon in the ledgers, or has been historically reassociated with the rock crystal vase.

The sum of 800 rubles for a Fabergé flower study is amongst the highest known. The account books of Empress Maria Feodorovna, Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorvna, as well as the ledgers of the London branch of Fabergé show that the average price for a Fabergé flower was 250 to 350 rubles, less than half the price of the present example.

Given the extraordinary cost, the recorded flower was possibly a gift for Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna from her children, or another member of the Imperial family. Fabergé Flowers were the preferred gift when a large jewel was unsuitable and, alongside Alexandra Feodorovna and Queen Mary, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna had the most significant collection of Fabergé flowers during the period. In 30 October 1917, closely following the revolution, an inventory of thirty-four Fabergé flower studies was made from her palace alone (see V. Skurlov,’In Search of Fabergé Flowers in Russia’, M. Pfeifer Swezey et. al., Fabergé Flowers, New York, 2004, pp. 113- 115).

Fabergé flower studies are amongst the most delicate and technically masterful of Fabergé creations and it is interesting to note that the lists of flowers purchased by the Imperial family list a number of historical repairs to leaves. The necessary removal of the stems from their rock crystal pots required by such examination and the large number of studies owned by Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna suggest that if the present pot was truly for a narcissus, the apple blossom came to be historically placed in it, during the lifetime of its original owner. Such contemporary reassociations are not uncommon and the line of provenance of the present flower speaks for itself.

Employing a range of artists across Fabergé’s workshop, from stonecutters to gem-setters, flowers such as the present apple blossom are a lasting testimony to the diversity and ingenuity of Fabergé and its thoughtful use of precious materials. The present model is apparently the only known extant study of apple blossom, the closest corollary being that in the collection of the Queen’s Own Worcestershire Hussars.

The process of making these flowers, from the cutting of the vase in rock crystal to the setting of the rose-cut diamonds at the centre of each blossom, was a lengthy and thoughtful one. The way in which the blossoms relate to one another in scale and position is perfectly balanced by the movement in the carving of its nephrite leaves. The polish and the finely engraved details of these leaves was characteristic of Fabergé’s workshops. Nephrite, with its natural variations in colour was sourced and chosen from massive boulders near Lake Baikal in Siberia and the Sayan Highlands in the Altai Mountains.

The present example is a virtuoso expression of Fabergé’s most complex enamelling techniques. When the colours of a blossom, such as the complex gradient of pink and white hues in the present flower study were not readily available in gemstone specimens, enamel was employed to attain the correct colour. The gold-crafted blossom would have been sent to the workshop of the master enameller Nikolai Alexandrovich Petrov and his brother Dmitri. During Henrik Wigstrom’s tenure as head workmaster, the enamelling workshops were under unprecedented pressure and it is extraordinary to think of the time and patience that the complex shade of the present study would have required (U. Tillander-Godenhielm ‘An Astonishing Discovery’, M. Pfeifer Swezey et. al., Fabergé Flowers, New York, 2004, pp. 71-72). Each blossom would have been fired repeatedly over a delicately worked gold surface to build up the gradated shade of pink. The result is a bloom which seems to emanate its own light, with the enamelled surface of each blossom catching the light from different angles.

Once all the intricate elements of flower studies had been carved, they were assembled in the workshop of Fabergé’s head workmaster Henrik Wigström. The leaves and berries were attached to a naturalistic gold stem using the most delicate pins or by setting them in discrete pockets with a special glue. The stem itself was made to resemble its natural inspiration by using an alloy of gold and copper or silver to give it a reddish or greenish hue, respectively. The gold of the stem was then textured using engraving and embossing tools by the most accurate of craftsmen in the workshop (M. Pfeifer Swezey et. al., Fabergé Flowers, New York, 2004, pp. 71-72).

Martha Baird Rockefeller
(1895 –1971)

Martha Baird Rockefeller was a pianist, philanthropist and very significant patron of the arts. Her third marriage to John D. Rockefeller Jr allowed her philanthropic activities to reach their apogee. Among her beneficiaries, according to The New York Times, were the: ‘Boston Symphony Orchestra, the City Center of Music and Drama, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Manhattan School of Music, the Metropolitan Opera Association, the Symphony of the New World, and the New England Conservatory of Music. In the 1969‐1970 season she made gifts for the City Center's new production of ‘Rigoletto’ and for the Metropolitan's new mountings of ‘Norma’ and ‘Der Freischütz.’

A governor of the American Red Cross, she also ‘supported organizations of special interest to her late husband,’ including ‘Colonial Williamsburg, Harvard Divinity School, the Riverside Church, Brown University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Council of Churches and the Sealantic Fund.’

In addition to her philanthropic pursuits, Martha was an avid collector and her estate was offered by in a three part sale by Parke-Bernet in 1971. The present study was not included in public sale, and was acquired by Wartski before 1973 when Chiquita Astor purchased it from them.

Ana-Ines Carcano y Morra 'Chiquita' Astor (1918-1992)

Born in Buenos Aires in 1918, Ana Inez ‘Chiquita’ Carano y Morra was the daughter of the Argentinian ambassador to Paris and was raised in France. During World War II, however, the embassy moved to Londo, where Chiquita entered society, fully embracing the wartime social scene. In 1944 she married Sir John Jacob ‘Jakie’ Astor, the youngest son of Waldorf, 2nd Viscount Astor and Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor. Ana ‘Chiquita’’s sister, Stella Carcano y Morra also successfully entered high society and married William Ward, 4th Earl of Dudley in 1946. Ana was a devout Catholic and her faith eventually damaged Jakie’s relationship with his mother, who had left the church for Christian Science. They decided to divorce in 1972 and Ana acquired the present study the following year. Chiquita was a vibrant and creative woman, working as a theatrical costume and set designer. Possessing great style, she also contributed to Vogue magazine. Ana died in London in 1992, leaving the present study of apple blossom to her family, from whom it is currently offered .