Hallmarks: 'A*H' , mark '88' and image of a female head in a kokoshnik, leads to the time of Imperial Russia and Finish silversmith August Frederik Hollming (1854 – 1913), who worked at Faberge. Unusual and incredibly beautiful empire style miniature vase. The elegant jewelry work and design of the vase vaguely resembles a beautiful pearl drop. The color palette and tone of the vase changes surprisingly depending on the lighting. By level of jewelry craftsmanship and fantasi with which this vase is made, we assume that the vase was made by a very high class Finnish jeweler by A. F. Hollming, comparable to famous Russian jewelers such as Carl Fabergé. The design of his jewelry was surprisingly modern and ahead of its time. Full handmade: hand-drawn, embossing, hand chased, engraved and casting of finest quality. Besides the bottom there are few hallmarks on applied garlands. Comes from Swedish estate.
Size app.: 13 x 9 cm (roughly 5.11 x 3.54 in). Weight app. is 195 gram (app. 0.42 lb). Very good condition, minimal wear. Silver, enamel, gilding. Please study good resolution images for cosmetic condition. In person actual colors may appear darker or brighter than in our pictures, strictly depending on sufficient light in your environment. Volume weight measures some 1 kg packed for shipment.
August Frederik Hollming was born in Loppi, Finland. Hollming was apprenticed to the goldsmith Carl Friedrich Ekholm in Helsinki at the beginning of the 1870s. In 1876, he settled in St. Petersburg and registered as a goldworker. In 1880, he qualified as a master and opened his workshop at 35 Kazanskaya Street, St. Petersburg, he was soon thereafter hired by Fabergé. In 1900, the Hollming workshop moved to 24 Bolshaya Morskaya, St. Petersburg, under the same roof as Fabergé. The eldest son August Väinö Hollming inherited the workshop after his father's death in 1913. He ran the workshop with Otto Hanhinen, his father's assistant until 1915.