Bijoux - Maroquinerie - Objets d'art - Tableaux
Desk Clock in Gold, Silver Guilloché Blue Enamel by Fabergé, 1907, Master Goldsmith Henrik Wigström, scratched inventory number 15182
Gold rectangular case with a border decorated with a leaf-and-dart frieze, framing a guilloché blue enamel ground adorned with garlands of leaves on a ribbed ground, interspersed with eight vertical white enamel rods highlighted in gilt. White dial with black Arabic numerals and pierced rose gold hands featuring scrollwork design. The bezel is set with small seed pearls. The back is covered with an ivory plaque and features a 900 silver scrollwork strut.
Hallmarks: H.W. (Henrik Wigström), Fabergé, kokoshnik mark 56 (1899–1908), and silver mark 91. Dimensions: 13 x 7.8 cm
Provenance: Astrid of Sweden (1905–1935), Princess of Sweden and Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Leopold III. Thence by descent; remained in the same family to the present day.
This luxurious gold clock once belonged to Her Majesty Queen Astrid of the Belgians (1905–1935), who likely received it from her mother, Princess Ingeborg of Denmark (1878–1958), niece of Empress Maria Feodorovna (born Princess Dagmar of Denmark). It is believed to have been gifted in 1908 on the occasion of Princess Ingeborg’s 30th birthday, possibly by her aunt, Maria Feodorovna. The clock then remained within the family, passed down from generation to generation to the present day.
Exhibition: Fabergé – Jeweller to the Tsars’ Court, Kunsthalle Munich, December 5, 1986 – March 8, 1987, item no. 476 with illustration. On loan from H.R.H. Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg.
Bibliography: Fabergé, Dr. Géza von Habsburg, The Vendome Press, 1987, Habsburg Feldman Editions, Geneva. Page 240, illustration no. 476.
Description
Desk Clock in Gold, Silver Guilloché Blue Enamel by Fabergé, 1907, Master Goldsmith Henrik Wigström, scratched inventory number 15182
Gold rectangular case with a border decorated with a leaf-and-dart frieze, framing a guilloché blue enamel ground adorned with garlands of leaves on a ribbed ground, interspersed with eight vertical white enamel rods highlighted in gilt. White dial with black Arabic numerals and pierced rose gold hands featuring scrollwork design. The bezel is set with small seed pearls. The back is covered with an ivory plaque and features a 900 silver scrollwork strut.
Hallmarks: H.W. (Henrik Wigström), Fabergé, kokoshnik mark 56 (1899–1908), and silver mark 91.
Dimensions: 13 x 7.8 cm
Provenance: Astrid of Sweden (1905–1935), Princess of Sweden and Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Leopold III. Thence by descent; remained in the same family to the present day.
This luxurious gold clock once belonged to Her Majesty Queen Astrid of the Belgians (1905–1935), who likely received it from her mother, Princess Ingeborg of Denmark (1878–1958), niece of Empress Maria Feodorovna (born Princess Dagmar of Denmark). It is believed to have been gifted in 1908 on the occasion of Princess Ingeborg’s 30th birthday, possibly by her aunt, Maria Feodorovna. The clock then remained within the family, passed down from generation to generation to the present day.
Exhibition: Fabergé – Jeweller to the Tsars’ Court, Kunsthalle Munich, December 5, 1986 – March 8, 1987, item no. 476 with illustration. On loan from H.R.H. Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg.
Bibliography: Fabergé, Dr. Géza von Habsburg, The Vendome Press, 1987, Habsburg Feldman Editions, Geneva. Page 240, illustration no. 476.
Condition report
Enamel: excellent overall condition
The surface remains with a highly polished finish with no visible chips or scratches.
The colour and translucence of the enamel changes with the refraction of light as shown in the videos.
Seed pearls around the bezel in good condition.
Clock face: There is some dust and superficial speckling visible on the enamel face which could be cleaned. Oxidation spots visible around the number 3 and blow the minute dial between 5 and 6.
Presence of a hairline crack to the face between number 2 down the minute dial towards number 4 as illustrated.
Presence of a gold screw to the right of number 3 and to the left of number 9.
Clock frame in 583 gold marked with the Fabergé hallmark, HW for Henrik Wigström and the kokoshnik 56 mark. The Scratch number is visible to the right of these hallmarks. The scratch number corresponds to Wigström's workshop production of June 1907. This has been confirmed by the Igor Carl Fabergé Foundation.
Reverse: The ivory plate on the back of the clock is damaged at both left corners. Cleaning product is visible in the spaces left. 10 gold screws still present to retain the ivory plate.
Support stand in silver marked 91 ztns and HW for Henrik Wigström. It is intact but no longer straight and the scroll has been pushed inwards on the right side so is no longer symmetrical. The clock does, however, stand straight. The stand and case have not been fully polished therefore are still blackened in areas.
Case: The case has been removed to reveal the movement as shown in the photographs. The case carries the number 25550 on the inside and on the top as illustrated. There are also scratched numbers on the outside of the case as illustrated.
These are : 2751 ??
570 over 44
1474 over 23
444 over 35
Movement: The movement is numbered 318586. It is not in working order. The pendulum needs replacing and a full revision should be performed. It has been suggested that the movement is an unsigned Moser & Cie movement of Swiss origin. It may also be a movement that was recovered from another clock. We are not able to confirm this. They are merely suggestions as to why the the clock is in its current state.
The case has one permanent key, a cover that slide open to reveal part of the movement and a filled in hole on the other side. This can bee seen in the photographs.
Pendulette Fabergé
Cette superbe pendulette de bureau a appartenu à Sa Majesté la Reine Astrid des Belges (1905–1935) qui l’a vraisemblablement reçue de sa mère, la Princesse Ingeborg de Danemark (1878–1958), nièce de l’Impératrice Maria Feodorovna (née Princesse
Dagmar de Danemark). Elle aurait été offerte en 1908 à l’occasion du 30e anniversaire de la princesse Ingeborg possiblement par sa tante Maria Feodorovna. La pendulette est ensuite restée dans la famille, transmise de génération en génération jusqu’à ce jour.
En 1986, cette pendulette a été prêtée par S.A.R. la Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte de Luxembourg, fille de la reine Astrid, pour faire partie de la grande rétrospective organisée à la Kunsthalle de Munich intitulée Fabergé – Joaillier de la Cour des Tsars, réunissant plus de 650 pièces représentatives du prestige de l’orfèvre. À une époque où les dynasties royales et impériales européennes étaient étroitement liées, l’échange de présents revêtait à la fois une dimension familiale et une portée diplomatique subtile. Le prestige grandissant de la cour impériale russe, conjugué à un mécénat fastueux, offrit un terrain idéal pour le développement d’un artisanat décoratif russe original, alliant l’élégance occidentale à une identité impériale affirmée.
Fondée en 1842 par Gustav Fabergé, la maison connut un rayonnement international prestigieux sous la direction de son fils, Peter Carl Fabergé, qui devint joaillier officiel de la Cour impériale en 1885.
Sous son impulsion, l’atelier Fabergé devint un haut lieu de création, réunissant des maîtres artisans tels que Mikhail Perkhin et Henrik Wigström, auteurs des oeuvres les plus emblématiques de la maison, notamment les célèbres oeufs de Pâques.
Henrik Wigström, chef d’atelier de Fabergé, était réputé pour sa précision, son élégance et son génie technique. Travaillant principalement l’or, l’émail et les pierres précieuses, son atelier donna naissance à des objets alliant harmonie classique et richesse ornementale, incarnant l’esprit de la Russie impériale et très appréciés des familles royales européennes.
La pendulette de bureau Fabergé présentée ici, constitue un exemple remarquable du meilleur travail de l’atelier de Wigström. L’émaillage, signature de la maison Fabergé, se distingue non seulement par sa perfection technique, mais aussi par une impressionnante richesse chromatique puisée dans la maîtrise de plus de 140 nuances développées par Fabergé surpassant largement celle d’autres ateliers contemporains. Ici, les transitions subtiles de tons jouant avec le guillochage et la qualité irréprochable de la surface transforment un objet utilitaire en une oeuvre d’art. Le luxe raffiné de cette pièce combiné à sa provenance exceptionnelle en font un véritable joyau pour les amateurs éclairés et les collectionneurs.