Feodor Ruckert

(1840-1917)

Friedrich Mauritz Ruckert was born in the south of Germany in 1840. At the age of fourteen he emigrated to Russia to work for the Yusupov family. There he was named Feodor Ivanovich Ruckert.

In 1886 he opened his own workshop in Moscow at 29 Vorontsovskaya Street and one year later he signed a contract with Fabergé. He never worked exclusively for the well known firm, but for thirty years he was the main supplier of cloisonné enamel for the Fabergé company.

Ruckert produced exceptional quality enamel on filigree artworks in the traditional Russian style, but mixing them with new Art Nouveau elements and motifs. He often combined miniatures based on Russian history themes with arabesque and foliate motifs, creating a new and unique style.

Although the 80% of his production was retailed by Fabergé, Ruckert produced silver for other important Russian retailers such as Ovchinnikov and Kurlyukov and also sold directly to buyers. His items always bear the mark F.R. in Cyrillic.

Feodor died in Moscow in 1917. Nowadays his artworks are displayed in international museums and part of royal collections.