Chrysanthemum, 1908 (rock crystal, gold, nephrite & enamel)

Queen Alexandra owned 22 of the 26 Fabergé flowers now in the Royal Collection but, according to the ledgers of the London branch, purchased only one herself – a raspberry plant in June 1909. This confirms that the majority, including this chrysanthemum, were presented to her as gifts. It was the most expensive flower study purchased at the London branch (for £117 in December 1908), and was bought by Stanislaw Poklewski-Koziell, a councillor at the Russian embassy in London and a good friend of King Edward VII. The large enamelled flower heads are held on gold stems, strengthened inside by steel in order to support the weight of the flowers. Mark of Henrik Wigström; gold mark of 72 zolotniks (1908-17); Fabergé in Cyrillic characters