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 (; 1860-1903) was a Russian jeweler. Born in Prionezhsky District, Okulovskaya in Olonets Governorate (now Republic of Karelia), he moved to St. Petersburg, he joined the House of Fabergé. With Henrik Wigström, h ...

. 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 a Finnish jeweler who worked for Fabergé in St. Petersburg. Kollin was born in Pohja in southwest Finland. He studied as a journeyman with gold and silversmith Alexander Palmén in Ekenäs i ...

, 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, also known as Keriç or Kerich, is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of Crimea. It has a population of Founded 2,600 years ago as the Colonies in antiquity#Greek colonies, ancient Greek colony Pantik ...

in the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

August Wilhelm Holmström August Wilhelm Holmström (2 October 1829 – 1903) was a Finnish silversmith, silver- and goldsmith. Born in Helsinki, Finland, he became an apprentice at the workshop of jeweller Karl Herold in St. Petersburg 1845—1850, master in 1857 with ...

(who had been appointed head jeweller by Gustav Faberge in 1857) was born in Ekenäs,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Henrik Wigström was born in

Ekenäs, Finland Ekenäs (; ) is a town and former List of cities and towns in Finland, 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 ...

, 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 Zelenogorsk (), known as Terijoki prior to 1948 (a name still used in Finnish and Swedish), is a municipal town in Kurortny District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located in part of the Karelian Isthmus on the shore of t ...

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