Antique Sterling silver, Russian Imperial Cloisonne Egg Pendant by Fabergé master Ivan Khlebnikov

Antique Sterling silver, Russian Imperial Cloisonne Egg Pendant by Fabergé master Ivan Khlebnikov

Signed: 2.2 cm L x 1 cm diameter

Marked: 84

Size:

Weight: 5 gr.

This antique Imperial Russian gilt silver egg-shaped pendant features colorful polychrome cloisonné enamels, the work of the prominent jeweler Ivan Khlebnikov. The following markings are visible on the pendant's hanging ring: an image of the number 84 indicating a silver pattern. The Cyrillic letters "И.Х" are the name of the master jeweler "I. Kh." According to official reference books, the Cyrillic initials "И.Х" belong to the great jeweler Ivan Khlebnikov. Ivan Petrovich Khlebnikov was born in 1819. His father, Pyotr Khlebnikov, had his own jewelry production. Young Ivan worked in his father's organization from a young age and later managed his business. Ivan Petrovich was 52 years old when he opened the Moscow Jewelry Factory in 1871. Having been engaged in the trade of precious works for about 40 years, Ivan Petrovich acquired extraordinary technical knowledge in many areas of jewelry art. Khlebnikov's fame and success grew incredibly rapidly. A year after its inauguration, the organization officially began presenting jewelry to the court of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, brother of Emperor Alexander II. A year later, Khlebnikov's products were highly prized in Europe. By his death in 1881, Ivan Khlebnikov was the official purveyor to the Russian imperial family, the grand dukes, and the sovereigns of Denmark, the Netherlands, Serbia, and Montenegro. Khlebnikov's international fame arose from the numerous exhibitions in which he participated, especially those in Vienna (1873) and Moscow (1872), at each of which he won two gold medals. His company was known for producing decorative silver and enamel works that reinvented traditional Russian style and folk art through originality and a color palette. In particular, Khlebnikov was known for his immaculate plique-à-jour and cloisonné enamel, and for works executed in the Russian and modern styles.