Paper folder, case and note, Russia, 1900
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1900
Paper folder, case and note in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number M.2:1,2,3-2017), made in Russia, dated 1900. The museum's brief description reads: Rock cystal paper folder, Fabergé, St Petersburg, Russia, 1900, with wooden case and note.
Museum description: Rock crystal paper folder with red gold mount in the form of a bow-knot with pendant drop set with one brilliant-cut diamond and four rose-cut diamonds set in silver applied to a broad band of laurel chased in green gold. Rectangular case of holly wood. Base lined in cream velvet fitted to receive the letter opener. The silk inside the lid stamped in gold with the imperial Russian eagle, K. FABERGÉ in Cyrillic letters, and Moscow and St.
Petersburg in Cyrillic letters Rectangular note with pencil inscription mounted in a glazed frame The museum records it as polished rock crystal, chased gold, mounted diamonds Wood, silk and velvet, measuring Length 195 mm; Width 25 mm; Depth 8 mm; Height 28 mm; Width 215 mm; Depth 60 mm; Height 117 mm; Width 27 mm. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Given by the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna to her English governess with a note ‘For dear Miss Jackson with loving X-mas wishes from Alix 1900’. Margaret Hardcastle Jackson was admired for her advanced ideas on the education of women and a mainstay of the childhood of Alix of Hesse following the death of her mother, Alice, in 1879 when Alix was barely six. Margaret made monthly reports to Queen Victoria on her granddaughter’s progress. After she retired, Margaret and Alix, later the Tsarina Alexandra, correspondended by letter, making this Christmas gift particularly appropriate. Fabergé is famous for the enamelled and jewelled objects he made for Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. He took over his father’s business in St Petersburg in 1872 and later he also established a flourishing London branch. In 1900 he won a gold medal at the Paris Exhibition. Fabergé’s carved hardstone figures and the superb quality of his enamelling influenced even the great French jewellery houses.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- quartz crystal, diamond, gold, holly, silk (textile), velvet, paper
- Dimensions
- Length 195 mm; Width 25 mm; Depth 8 mm; Height 28 mm; Width 215 mm; Depth 60 mm; Height 117 mm; Width 27 mm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- polished rock crystal, chased gold, mounted diamonds Wood, silk and velvet
- Place recorded
- Russia
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- KF (Cyrillic); St Petersburg mark, 1899-1908; 'For dear Miss Jackson, with loving / Xmas wishes from / Alix /1900'
Identification
- Museum object name
- Paper folder, case and note
- Museum object number
- M.2:1,2,3-2017
- Museum system number
- O152832
Documentation checklist
- Denomination
- Research required
- Issue or mint date
- Recorded
- Material
- Recorded
- Weight
- Research required
- Mint or printer
- Research required
- Mint or printer mark
- Research required
- Catalogue reference
- Research required
- Attached photograph (check rights)
- Recorded
Recorded means a field is present, not independently verified. Read its wording, supporting source and the entry’s confidence level.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.