Fabergé style gold, nephrite, rock crystal, and coral holly sprig

This Russian model of a sprig of holly is crafted in the manner Fabergé. The sprig sits in a tapering trompe l’oeil rock-crystal vase, which is rendered to resemble a glass vessel holding water. The gold stem of the sprig is realistically cast and chased to imitate the texture of an organic spray. From the gold stem spring three beautifully carved and marbled nephrite leaves. Around the centre of the sprig, just below the springing of the leaves, eight holly berries cluster, each one formed from carved coral.

Famed jeweller Karl Fabergé is best-known today for the Imperial Easter Eggs he produced for the Russian court, but he and his company also designed and manufactured several other types of exquisite pieces. Chief among these was the series of hardstone flower models, like the present piece, which he began producing from the 1880s for several important clients across Europe and America.

Comparable models are held in many important collections. In particular, this model in the Royal Collection is similar to the present model in several key respects.