Friday, June 15, 2012

Mastery of Design: The Fabergé Chick, 1907

Chick
Made for Queen Alexandra
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II




Henrik Emanuel Wigström (1862-1923) of Fabergé created this sweet little chalcedony chick in 1907. The eyes are set with cabochon rubies and she stands on chased red gold feet.

This was part of the famed Sandringham Commission wherein King Edward VII asked Fabergé to create a host of little, precious animals to add to Queen Alexandra’s growing menagerie of expensive barnyard friends. 


Though the chick is crafted of chalcedony, it still has a yellow chick-ish color to it. We’re accustomed to seeing chalcedony in its usual milky-blue-gray (almost moonstone-like) color. However, this silica-based mineral sometimes comes in a pale brownish color. This is an excellent example of that unusual hue.

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