Fabergé egg pendant in gold and enamel

Description

A rare Russian enameled pendant by Fabergé. Workmaster Erik August Kollin,St Petersburg. Hallmarked 56 = 14 kt, maker's mark EK.

Russia, circa 1885

Erik August Kollin (1836-1901) was born in Finland, where he completed his apprenticeship before traveling to St. Petersburg. Qualified as a workmaster in 1868, opened his own workshop in St. Petersburg in 1870. Kollin worked for August Holmström and for Carl Fabergé and was soon put in charge of all Fabergé workshops, a position he held until 1886 when he was replaced by Michael Perkhin. He was Fabergé's first most important jeweler. Specializing in gold and silver items, most in an archaic style of the period. The artefacts Kollin produced for Fabergé before his departure in 1886 usually bear his initials EK, along with Fabergé's hallmark and can often be found in a Fabergé box. It is clear that these predate the change of hallmarks in 1899. Items bearing only the EK mark and produced between 1885 and 1899 should be considered the work of an independent operator unless covered by Fabergé.