A Fabergé World War I copper bowl stamped K....

A Fabergé World War I copper bowl

stamped K. Fabergé to front, St. Petersburg, circa 1914

Circular, the interior stamped with the lesser State Arms of the Russian Empire in old Russian style repoussé , and reading in cyrillic: "War 1914/ K. Fabergé."

Dia: 4 1/4 in.

Fabergé reacted to the wartime austerity measures by making certain items out of lesser materials such as gunmetal, copper, and brass in commemoration of the war. This bowl, which commemorated the beginning of the war in 1914, was executed in silver, brass, and copper. Fabergé executed similar cigarette cases in brass and copper, and is known to have made pewter-lined copper cooking pots for the war effort. The Moscow workshops even produced shell-casings during the war.

This type of object, stripped of all ornament, enamel, and precious stones marked the end of the era of Faberge's luxury production, which was almost brought to a halt during the war.