300-BIS - ATTRIBUTED TO FABERGÉ

ATTRIBUTED TO FABERGÉ Small carved bowenite hippopotamus figurine, with eyes made of small rubies set in a silver mount. Russia, Saint Petersburg, attributed to Fabergé, circa 1900. Height: 3 cm - Length: 5.2 cm - Depth: 3.1 cm (Very good overall condition) Provenance: – Reportedly received as a gift from the entourage of Princess Salimah Aga Khan in the 1960s. – Private collection. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the House of Fabergé produced a remarkable collection of small animal sculptures in hardstone, true masterpieces of Russian stone carving. Inspired in particular by Japanese netsuke, these creations combine naturalistic observation with a subtle stylization of form, emphasizing compact silhouettes, expressive poses, and textural effects. Carved from agate, nephrite, bowenite, or jasper, they were often embellished with gemstones representing the animals’ eyes. Our hippopotamus is a quintessential example of this tradition. Far from being an isolated piece, it was produced by the Fabergé workshops in several variations, eight of which are cataloged in the British royal collections. Among these is an agate hippopotamus with diamond-set eyes, dated around 1900 and likely acquired by Queen Alexandra, held under inventory number RCIN 40337. A second particularly significant comparison is provided by the nephrite hippopotamus held at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore [Inv. No. 42.355]. Acquired directly from Fabergé in Saint Petersburg by Henry Walters in 1900, this object serves as a valuable contemporary testament to the production of these small animal sculptures. Its small size, its modeling, and the use of gemstones for the eyes reflect the characteristics of this category of objects. Attributing these animal sculptures remains, however, a delicate task, as most examples produced for the Fabergé house lack a signature. The success these creations enjoyed from the moment they appeared sparked numerous imitations, both in Russia and abroad, some of which were later presented as original works by the house. As the Cincinnati Art Museum points out in its study of the Fabergé menagerie, the distinction often lies in subtle nuances of execution: in addition to technical virtuosity, the authentic creations display a unique ability to breathe life and character into the material. The expressiveness of the poses, the accuracy of the proportions, and the finesse of the modeling are all part of this quality unique to Fabergé’s finest workshops, whereas imitations, despite their apparent formal similarity, often reveal a certain stiffness or a lack of sensitivity in the treatment of forms. These stylistic characteristics constitute important criteria for evaluation, which must nevertheless be weighed against a close examination of each individual work. The existence of these different versions—both in leading institutional collections and among works documented on the art market—provides a particularly significant body of comparative evidence for situating our hippopotamus within the Fabergé repertoire and supporting its attribution to the house.