Köchly Frédéric
Biography
Köchly Friedrich Christian (Friedrich Ivanovich) - Swiss citizen, goldsmith since 1849, merchant of the 2nd guild since 1882, a senior representative of the St. Petersburg Foreign Handicraft Authority. Jewelry workshop (existed since 1864) and shop of gold and diamond items owner. A qualified appraiser of His Imperial Majesty Cabinet since 1902, Her Majesty Empress Maria Fedorovna and Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich Courts supplier. Since 1903, the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia and the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha supplier.
F. Köchly workshop specialized in the production of gold jewelry, accessories, snuffboxes, cigarette cases, etc. Chiefly, it worked by orders of His Imperial Majesty Cabinet, supplying the Imperial Court with jewelry gifts for senior government officials and highest-ranked persons in the last quarter of the 19th century. The jewelry produced by the workshop was awarded with the bronze medal at the All-Russian Industrial Exhibition of 1870 in St. Petersburg. F. Köchly was a member of the award panel at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris, and like Carl Faberge, exhibited his products there on the non-competitive basis.
Christian Theodor Köchly (Fedor Fedorovich, ? – 1911), the son and the companion of F. Köchly, the graduate from the Imperial Academy of Arts (1890), inherited the family business. He was the sculptor, a qualified appraiser of His Imperial Majesty Cabinet, a member of the Russian Art and Industry Society that united a great number of Faberge firm artisans and artists. The father and the son established the KEKHLI F.I. AND F.F trading house in 1903. The audience honored the works of both artisans. For the production high quality and scrupulousness of the Court orders execution, the Köchly workshop was awarded with the Order of St. Stanislaus of the 3rd degree.
In the context of Christian Theodor Köchly death, the workshop company was liquidated in 1911.
Sources:
1. Skurlov V.V., Smorodinova G.N. Faberge and Russian court jewelers. M., 1992.
2. The brilliant era of Faberge. St. Petersburg-Paris-Moscow. SPb., 1992.
3. Carl Faberge and the Russian Renaissance era. M., 2019
