,
Traipsing along the cobble-stone rues on the look-out for a
patio with a view, my pink-sneaker clad feet were on a mission to explore,
discover and document the ordinary as well as the extra-ordinary, when, lo and
behold, I happened to stumble upon an exhibition quite beyond
extraordinaire!! Luckily for me, I was
fortunate enough to be in town at the most opportune of times, as le Museé des
Beaux Arts de Montréal was playing host to a dazzling collection of bejewelled
eggs. Yes, eggs. The Fabergé ones, of course. Did you, perchance, think otherwise?
Showcasing over 240 treasured objects and silverware that
once belonged to the Tsars of imperial Russia, including 4 of the remaining 43
Fabergé eggs, the exhibit offers us a rare glimpse into the world of grandiosity
and opulence. “Fabulous Fabergé: Jeweller to
the Czars” runs from June 14th
until October 5th, 2014 and is an absolute “must see” when visiting Montréal.
This exclusive Canadian exposition is the first of its kind, with all of
the pieces on temporary loan from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is the
largest collection of Fabergé artefacts outside of Russia.
Not only is the exhibit a stunning and visually arresting
representation of the privileged lives of the Romanovs, it is also a sombre walk
through the annals of history, documenting the tragic end of an era with the
ushering in of a revolution that brutally transformed the face of an
empire. On display are gilded picture
frames, ornamental vases and ostentatious fragments of wealth, objects that
symbolized power and over the top
decadence, a peek into the luxurious lifestyle of a select aristocratic few.
The artistic genius behind the scenes was none other than Carl
Fabergé, jeweller not only to the Tsars, but also to the moneyed upper echelons
of European society. It was upon the commission
of a gold jewel encrusted Easter egg from Tsar Alexander 111 in 1885 to his
wife, Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, that propelled the House of Fabergé into an
exclusive stratosphere, that of proprietors of sumptuous luxury and
extravagance to the blue-blooded elite.
Bestowed with countless orders and commissions, such as “Supplier by Special Appointment to the Imperial Court”, as
well as garnering a Gold Medal at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1900,
the House of Fabergé had firmly established its position as one of the most
prestigious creators of priceless objets
d’art, its name synonymous with master craftsmanship of the finest
kind.
And, just how much were those eggs??
Come tag along with me as I ooh and aaahh
at jewels and silverware extraordinaire – treasured objects of the last Tsars of
imperial Russia, remnants and reminders of an era that was both grandiose yet
tragic.
Next week - Actually, the week after
next, as I’m still adhering to my summertime posting schedule of every other
week.
Next post – Wed, October 8th. Where to next?? Stay tuned!!
Coming soon – The Kid’s escapades in
Portugal, where luggage is lost, the weather is cold and Auntie Nora is nowhere
in sight? Or, is she??
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