An Imperial dish by Carl Fabergé,

carved from a single piece of Nephrite jade in a rounded trefoil form,
the three indentions mounted with yellow gold handles enamelled
translucent apricot over dappled guillochages each set with a
pearl to one end and a rose diamond to the other

St. Petersburg, circa 1908,
Inventory number: 13276
5cm across

Fabergé used six different types of nephrite of different shades and appearance. All were taken from boulders
found in the majestic scenery beside the river Onot in Siberia. Birbaum when discussing the firm’s use of nephrite
recalls the finest dark green nephrite, as used in the tray, ‘when cut into thin sheets becomes translucent and
acquires a wonderful dense green colour’.

Provenance:

Purchased from Fabergé in St. Petersburg by the Dowager Tsarina Marie Feodorovna
for 165 roubles on the 17th January.1908

The collection of His Majesty King Farouk of Egypt,

Sold by order of the Egyptian republic by Sothebys in Cairo,
Wednesday 10th March 1954, lot 105k.

Sold Christies Geneva, May 1989 lot 77

Wartski,

A La Vieille Russie,