The Romanov family's 304-year reign was accompanied by some of the world's finest treasures, including the Imperial Eggs and countless objets d'art created by Peter Carl Fabergé and his workshop. The Russian Imperial collection is David Oscarson's tribute to that tradition, and to the goldsmiths and enamellers whose craft his own work continues.
A centenary
The Russian Imperial is the twenty-eighth in the David Oscarson series. It marks the 100th anniversary of the Romanov family's abdication from the throne, which ended a dynasty that had ruled Russia since 1613. The collection is produced in four primary colour variations, limited to an aggregate production of 304 pieces, one for each year of Romanov rule.
Fabergé and the Imperial Eggs
Fabergé's workshop made its famous Easter eggs for the Russian imperial family, and they remain among the best-known examples of guilloché and translucent enamel ever produced. Engraved patterns cut into gold or silver were covered with layers of coloured glass, so that the engraving glowed beneath the colour. It is exactly the combination that defines every David Oscarson pen.
Fabergé in guilloché
Cap and barrel feature repeating guilloché sunbursts overlaid with interlocking double-leaf accoutrements reminiscent of the 1896 Coronation Egg, which commemorated the coronation of Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor. Under translucent enamel the sunbursts radiate light, while the leaf ornament stands out in bright silver.
Guilloché and translucent enamel were the language of Fabergé. Here they are written in sterling silver.
The details
Two double-headed eagles, the emblem of the Russian empire, adorn the gripping section, so that they sit directly under the writer's fingers. The clip is ornamented with three pairs of floral rosettes. As always with the house, each symbol is placed deliberately: the coronation on the cap and barrel, the imperial emblem at the point of writing, and a jeweller's ornament on the clip.
The number
Most David Oscarson collections are limited per colour. The Russian Imperial is limited in aggregate: 304 pieces across all four primary colour variations, fountain pens and roller balls together. That makes it one of the clearest examples of the house's habit of choosing an edition size that tells part of the story.
Why it suits a collection
Few objects connect so directly to the craft history behind David Oscarson's own work. For collectors who already own one of the house's Scandinavian or American subjects, the Russian Imperial is the clearest statement of where guilloché and hard enamel come from. For someone beginning a collection, it is a fine first piece for the same reason: it explains the techniques by honouring their most famous practitioners.
It also rewards close looking. Compare the sunbursts on the cap with those on the barrel, follow the double-leaf ornament around the pen, and notice how the eagles on the section are placed exactly where the hand rests.
Choosing a Russian Imperial
Each of the four colour variations is available as a fountain pen, with an 18-karat gold nib made in Heidelberg in Fine, Medium or Broad, or as a roller ball. Because the edition is counted across all colours, availability can change quickly. El Laguito Cigars is an authorized David Oscarson retailer in Canada; contact us to confirm the colour and style you want, and we will ship it insured from Mississauga, Ontario.