KING EDWARD VII: A FABERGÉ GOLD-MOUNTED GUILLOCHÉ ENAMEL AND CARVED AMBER CIGARETTE HOLDER, WORKMASTER HENRIK WIGSTRÖM, ST. PETERSBURG, 1908-1909 |

the carved amber mouthpiece set with gold band enameled with alternating royal blue and scarlet red translucent stripes over an engine-turned ground, set within bands chased with laurel and berry, the leaves enameled green, struck with workmaster's initials, 56 standard, the interior with scratched inventory number 19423, contained in fitted leather presentation case

Louis-René Alexandre, comte de Gramont, acquired from Fabergé, London, 23 July 1913 for £9.10s (90 rubles)
Sold Christie's Geneva, 13 November 1990, lot 378, illustrated

overall very good condition; excellent color; the enamel with some small area of loss and repair (at center of barrel and some of the green transparent enamel on the leaves)
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The distinctive decoration of wide stripes of royal blue alternating with thinner bands of red is similar to a cigarette case and a photograph frame by Fabergé workmaster Henrik Wigström, both presented to King Edward VII. The decoration imitates his racing colors and the frame, purchased by Queen Alexandra and now in the Royal Collection, holds an image of the king's prize-winning horse Persimmon (see RCIN 15168, C. de Guitaut, Fabergé in the Royal Collection, London, p. 179). It appears that the king’s and Rothschilds’ racing colors were the only ones to be represented in Faberge's work; items were probably intended for sale in London as potential gifts for the two men. The cigarette case (sold Christie's London, 5 November 2012, lot 614) is scratched with the inventory number 19351, suggesting that it and the offered lot were made around the same time. The king was an inveterate smoker, consuming numerous cigars and cigarettes each day. The offered lot seems not to have been purchased by or for him before his death in May 1910, and was probably entered into the London shop's regular stock after his death.

Louis-René Alexandre, comte de Gramont (1883-1963), was a member of one of the wealthiest and most influential families of Belle Époque France. His father, Agénor de Gramont, 11th duc de Gramont (1851-1925) had become fabulously wealthy through his second marriage in 1878 to Margeretha (Marguerite) de Rothschild (1855-1905). Each family member distinguished themselves in separate fields. The 11th Count was a great sportsman and an important member of the Jockey Club de Paris. His eldest daughter, Élisabeth de Gramont (1875-1954) and the only child of 11th duc and his first wife Princess Isabelle de Beauvau-Craon (1852-1875), was a writer and close friend and early critic of Marcel Proust. The duc’s first son, born to Marguerite de Rothschild, was Antoine Auguste Agénor Armand de Gramont (1879-1962, 12th duc de Gramont). The 12th duc was an unusually talented young man, who was a painter and art collector in addition to studying aerodynamics and becoming a member of the Academy of Sciences. Like his older half-sister, he was a close friend of Marcel Proust and various family members served as models for the ducs de Guermantes in Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu. Louis-René, the comte de Gramont and purchaser of the offered lot, distinguished himself on the battlefields of World War I and was awarded the title of Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur and the Croix de Guerre 1914-1918. It is likely that the cigarette holder could have been intended as a gift to his father, an avid follower of the “sport of kings.” However, the entire family was known for their patronage of Cartier, Fabergé and other jewelers of the era and all of them would have certainly appreciated the exquisite workmanship.