The Life and Work of Peter Carl Faberge – The World’s Greatest Goldsmith

by Guest Speaker, John Benjamin

This talk analyses the mercurial rise of Carl Fabergé in pre-revolution Russia who, by his late 30’s, was producing incomparable jewels and objets d’art for the Imperial Court and bourgeois Moscow and St Petersburg. The presentation discusses Fabergé’s early life and influences and is illustrated with objets d’art including the famous Imperial Easter Eggs.

John Benjamin is well known from his regular appearances on BBC Television’s ever-popular Antiques Roadshow. Recently he was appointed The National Trust’s Honorary Jewellery Adviser and is currently in the process of cataloguing the Trust’s entire collection of Faberge and other jewellery.

He joined Phillips Fine Art Auctioneers where he stayed for the next 23 years, ultimately becoming their International Director of Jewellery. He set up his own independent jewellery consultancy in 1999 and is an established lecturer on a wide range of topics including Antique Jewellery, Diamonds and Faberge.