Gustav Fabergé

Gustav Fabergé (1814–1893) was a Baltic German jeweller and father of the famous Peter Carl Fabergé, maker of Fabergé eggs. He established his own business in Saint Petersburg, which his son inherited.

Life and career

Fabergé, a Baltic German, was born in the city of Pernau (now Pärnu) in Livonia (present-day Estonia). His father, the artisan Pierre Favry (later Fabrier) moved to the Baltic province of Livonia, then part of the Russian Empire. Pierre had moved there by 1800 from the German city of Schwedt am Oder. His family were Huguenots from Picardy living in Germany, having fled religious persecution in France at the end of the 17th century after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.

In 1842 Gustav opened the jewellery firm House of Fabergé in Saint Petersburg and got married to Charlotte Jungstedt, the daughter of a Danish artist. Peter Carl Fabergé was initially educated in St Petersburg. In 1860, Gustav Fabergé, together with his wife and son retired to Dresden, leaving the business in the hands of capable and trusted managers. Peter Carl continued his education in Dresden. A second son, Agathon, was born to the couple two years later.

In 1864 Peter Carl Fabergé embarked upon a Grand Tour of Europe. He received tuition from respected goldsmiths in Germany, France and England, attended a course at Schloss’s Commercial College in Paris and viewed the objects in the galleries of Europe’s leading museums. He returned to St Petersburg and married Augusta Julia Jacobs. For the following 10 years, his father’s trusted workmaster Hiskias Pendin acted as his mentor and tutor. Upon Pendin's death in 1882 Peter Carl took over the business and was joined by his brother Agathon.

Statue in Pärnu

Gustav Fabergé monument was opened in Pärnu on January 3, 2015 in the year of the bicentenary of his birth. The bronze statue is a gift to the city from Alexander Tenzo, the founder of TENZO jewellery house. Composition authors Alexander Tenzo and Vladislav Yakovsky. Sculptor Eugeny Burkov.

The statue was mounted with support of the City Government of Pärnu and Pärnu Fabergé Society represented by Tiina Ojaste and Toomas Kuter.

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