Henrik Immanuel Wigström (2 October 1862 – 14 March 1923) a Finnish silver & goldsmith, was one of the most important
Fabergé workmasters along with
Michael Perchin
Michael Evlampievich Perkhin (russian: Михаи́л Евла́мпиевич Пе́рхин) (1860-1903) was an Imperial Russian jeweler. Born in Prionezhsky District, Okulovskaya in Olonets Governorate (now Republic of Karelia), he moved to ...
. Perchin was the head workmaster from 1886 until his death in 1903, when he was succeeded by his chief assistant Henrik Wigström. These two workmasters were responsible for almost all the
imperial Easter eggs.
Erik August Kollin
Erik August Kollin (28 December 1836 – 1901) was born in Pohja in SW Finland. He studied as a journeyman with gold and silversmith Alexander Palmén in Ekenäs in 1858 before travelling to St. Petersburg. He qualified as workmaster in 18 ...
, a Finn, was head work master from 1870 to 1886 and produced gold jewellery, including pieces in the Scythian style (the Scythian treasure had just been discovered at
Kerch
Kerch ( uk, Керч; russian: Керчь, ; Old East Slavic: Кърчевъ; Ancient Greek: , ''Pantikápaion''; Medieval Greek: ''Bosporos''; crh, , ; tr, Kerç) is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of t ...
in the
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
).
August Wilhelm Holmström (who had been appointed head jeweller by Gustav Faberge in 1857) was born in
Ekenäs,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
.
Henrik Wigström was born in
Ekenäs, Finland
Ekenäs (; fi, Tammisaari ) is a town and former municipality in Finland that comprised the former municipalities of Snappertuna and Tenala together with the town of Ekenäs. It was merged with Pohja and Karis to form the new municipality of Raseb ...
, and was apprenticed to a local Danish born goldsmith named Petter Madsén, a successful manufacturer of silverware who was familiar with the jewellery trade in St. Petersburg, as at one time he had had a workshop there. Once in Madsén's employment, his master's trade with Russia, as well as his numerous business contacts here, brought him to work in St. Petersburg. Goldsmith Werner Elfström employed Wigström as a apprentice on his arrival in the capital in 1875.
Wigström became assistant in 1884, at the age of 22, to Perchin, whose shop at that time was already working exclusively for Fabergé.
Wigström became head workmaster at Fabergé after Perchin's death in 1903. The number of craftsmen in Wigström's workshop diminished drastically with the outbreak of World War I. By 1918, the Revolution forced the complete closing of the House of Fabergé. Aged 56, Wigström retreated almost empty-handed to his summer house, on Finnish territory, and died at
Terijoki in 1923.
His art is similar to Perchin's but tends to be in the Louis XVI, Empire, or neo-classical style. Nearly all the Fabergé
hardstone
Hardstone is a non-scientific term, mostly encountered in the decorative arts or archaeology, that has a similar meaning to semi-precious stones, or gemstones. Very hard building stones, such as granite, are not included in the term in this sense ...
animals, figures and flowers from that time period were produced under his supervision.
References
External links
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Fabergé's Finnish masters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wigstrom, Henrik
1862 births
1923 deaths
Fabergé workmasters
Finnish silversmiths
People from the Grand Duchy of Finland