TABLE PHOTOGRAPH FRAME IN THE STYLE OF FABERGÉ. CIRCA 1900–1910

A jewelled table photograph frame, executed circa 1900–1910 in a style characteristic of the works produced by the House of Fabergé at the turn of the 20th century. The shaped, profiled frame combines silver, gilding, translucent pale blue enamel over a guilloché ground and diamond accents.

The front is applied with translucent pale blue guilloché enamel revealing a finely worked undulating pattern beneath, overlaid with a silver lattice forming a regular arrangement of lozenge-shaped compartments. The intersections of the lattice are punctuated by small spherical elements, creating a rhythmic decorative pattern and enhancing the play of light across the enamelled surface.

At the centre is an oval aperture for a photograph, protected by convex glass and enclosed within a finely decorated metal border. The corners and sides are embellished with stylised foliate motifs, scrolls and jewelled accents set with old-cut diamonds. The combination of translucent blue enamel, silver latticework, gilding and precious stones creates a richly articulated decorative composition characteristic of luxurious objets de vertu of the Belle Époque.

The reverse is finished in polished wood and fitted with a hinged wooden strut for upright display. The construction and decorative treatment follow the tradition of jewelled photograph frames and objets de vertu of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Hallmarks: French import assay mark depicting a Swan (cygne) facing left within an oval punch, introduced in 1893 for silver objects of foreign manufacture.

Dimensions: Height 13 cm. Width 8.8 cm.

Material: Silver, gilding, translucent pale blue enamel over a guilloché ground, old-cut diamonds, glass, wood.

Condition: Good condition. Natural signs of age and use consistent with the period of manufacture, materials and history of the object.