Over the last two centuries, Britain's royal family has amassed a handsome collection of works by the legendary Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé. His name may be most closely associated with the Romanovs' famously ostentatious eggs, but Royal Fabergé demonstrates the full range of his creativity. Some of the works featured were purchased from Fabergé's London showroom; others were acquired from antiquities dealers after the Russian Revolution's dust had settled.
Caroline de Guitaut, curator of decorative arts in the Royal Collection, describes this impressive hoard in loving detail, from floppy-eared pigs intricately carved from agate to diamond-studded, enameled cigarette cases (and, of course, the eggs). The book itself is no less lovely, its photos elegantly set in a Laura Ashley-like color palette. The paper is heavy and satiny, the kind you can't help but touch even after the page has been turned. It's a suitably luxurious tribute to an opulent subject. --Kelly Faircloth, freelance writer