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Case 20. Fauxberge: The Real Thing?
Look for similarities and differences in this row of picture frame.s Four are attributed to the Faberge Workshops. No. 185 was made by the First Artel -- one of the bands of independent workers who, beginning around 1908, formed cooperatives to compete with large firms such as Faberge or Ovchinnikov. At least thirty artels are known. Genuine makers' marks clearly distinguish the work of Faberge's honest competitors, such as Karl Hahn. But fakes hallmarks are used shamelessly by the unscrupulous to fool the unweary.
Sometimes more is less. Little details, such as correctly chased gold trim and appropriate distribution of ornament, can distinguish the real from the spurious. Compare two "imperial" boxes. The fake hallmarks on the blue box might take you in. But what about the overall appearance of the box itself? Clumsy proportions, garish color, and a tendency to overembellish objects with imperial crowns and double-headed eagles are characteristics of some of the least successful pieces of "Fauxberge".
Antiques dealers call it a "marriage" when parts of objects -- say an old table top and new legs -- are joined to make a whole item. The golden heart is by the Faberge Workshops, but the nephrite and gold stand is not -- could this be a marriage of convenience? |