Faberge in London: Romance to Revolution at the V&A Museum, London

I’ve been a fan of Faberge’s work for a long time and I was delighted to get a ticket to see this exhibition at the V&A Museum in March. I’d bought the tickets in November of the previous year, not knowing then what COVID restrictions might be in place or even if I would feel up to travelling.

As it was everything went well. Masks were recommended and most people did wear them and the exhibition is never too crowded thanks to timed tickets though it was necessary to form mini queues inside in order to see all the pieces on display, particularly at the beginning. However everyone on my visit was very accommodating to make sure that all visitors had ample time and space to see the objects. No photography is allowed inside, as is to be expected and tickets are currently completely sold out though tickets may free up through cancellations, so worth sporadically checking the V&A’s website.

The exhibition focuses on Faberge’s expansion from Russia to his London offices, run by one of his sons, that opened in 1903. Items on display include a silver cigar cutter in the shape of a carp and the stunning Peacock Egg – you can find pictures of them in the highlights section of the museum’s website here. Some of my favourites included the delicate flowers that look utterly lifelike as well as some of the statues of Russian Cossacks. There are of course also some of the famous eggs on display, some of which have never been in the UK before – my favourites were the Winter Egg and the Moscow Kremlin Egg.

Very well thought out I’d recommend a visit if you can get hold of a ticket. Alternatively the accompanying coffee table book (although pricey – I got something of a discount for buying it before my visit) – is well worth the money and includes gorgeous photos of the items on display.