Details

Piece of extreme rarity in best museum’s quality, a real masterpiece of jeweller’s art of this most famous Russian jeweller of the beginning 20th century, manufactured in white gold (and not as usually in combined gold and silver) and with stones of very high quality.
According to Levin (in LVK p. 95 and p. 96), Fabergé manufactured only two 1st-grade sets for the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty, the first in 1909 for 3,700 roubles, which on January 18, 1911, was conferred upon the Grand Duchess Hilda of Baden (1864-1952), and a second one, an edition for non-Christians in 1912 again for 3,700 roubles, which was conferred on June 12, 1916, being the last bestowal until the end of monarchy, upon the Japanese Empress Teimei-kōgō [’å–¾c@], whose birth name was Kujō Sadako [‹ãð ßŽq] (1884–1951), as mentioned in the registry.
The very special highest quality of manufacturing of this piece, as well as the high quality of the stones and the minimal, nearly invisible wearing traces, may permit the conclusion that this breast star originally belonged to the set conferred upon the Grand Duchess Hilda of Baden, born Princess of Nassau and wife of Grand Duke Friedrich II of Baden (1857–1928, Grand Duke from 1907 until 1918), in January 1911.
Alfred Rudolf Thieleman, son of the goldsmith Karl-Rudolf Thieleman (of German origin) in Sankt Petersburg, worked as a master like his father and his brother Otto Rudolf for Karl Fabergé's company in Sankt Petersburg and died according to various sources in 1909 or 1913.
Peter Karl Fabergé (1846–1920), originating from a Huguenot family from Picardy, took over his father Gustav’s (1814–1860) business in 1870, and enlarged the firm considerably. Many of the pieces produced by Fabergé's had marks only of his workmasters who, also being very famous, could 'sign in their own name'. Fabergé produced several jeweller’s fabrications of Russian orders' insignias of highest quality.
The Order of the Saint Great Martyr Catherine was instituted by Tsar Peter I 'The Great' (1672–1725) in 1713 as a one-grade order for ladies, when the statutes were approved. The order was dedicated to the martyr St. Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of his second wife Catherine (1684–1727) who as Empress Catherine I succeded him to the throne.
In 1797 Emperor Paul I Petrovich (1754–1801) approved new statutes, thus creating a lower 2nd grade. The new statutes also stipulated that every new born Grand Duchess of the imperial family should receive the 1st grade of the order.
After the October Revolution the new Bolshewiki Government abolished the order by decree in November 1917. The head of the imperial family after 1918 continued to confer it as a dynastical order in exile. Today the order is awarded by 'Grand Duchess' Maria Vladimirovna Romanov, 'pretender' to the Russian Throne, as a dynastic order of knighthood, which is heavily disputed by some historians and members of Romanov family.
The Russian President Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev reinstalled the now one-grade order with Ucas № 573 of May 3, 2012.
Предмет величайшей редкости, раритет высочайшего музейного уровня, шедевр ювелирного искусства самого знаменитого российского ювелира начала 20-го века из белого золота (а не, как обычно, из комбинации золота и серебра) с камнями очень высокого качества.
Согласно Левину (LVK стр. 95-96) в 1909 г Фаберже изготовил комплект знаков ордена Святой Екатерины 1 степени (стоимостью 3 700 рублей), которым 18 января 1911 г была награждена Великая Герцогиня Баденская Хильда (1864-1952) и в 1912 другой комплект (тоже стоимостью 3 700 рублей), которым в конце монархии 12 июня 1916 г наградили японскую принцессу Теймей-кого, урождённую под именем Куйо Садако (1884–1951.
Особенно высокий качественный уровень изготовления, высокое качество камней и минимальные, практически невидимые следы ношения, позволяют заключить, что эта звезда первоначально входила в комплект, которым в январе 1911 г была награждена Великая Герцогиня Баденская Хильда, урождённая Принцесса Нассау и жена Великого Герцога Баденского Фридриха II (1857-1928, Великого Герцога с 1907 по 1918 г).
Альфред Рудольф Тилеманн, сын Карла-Рудольфа Тилеманна (немца по происхождению), как его отец и брат Отто Рудольф, работал ювелиром фирмы Карла Фаберже в СПбурге и умер по разным данным между 1909 и 1913 г.
Пётр Карл Фаберже (1846–1920), из семьи гугенотов из Пикардии, унаследовал фирму в 1870 году от отца, Густава Фаберже (1814–1860) и значительно её расширил. Многие вещи Фаберже несли клеймо только его мастеров, настолько лично знаменитых, что они «подписывались своими собственными именами». Фирме Фаберже принадлежало авторство многих ювелирных украшений российских орденов высшего качества.