Fedor Ruckert - painter on enamel
"Not gold, not silver glorified man.
His talent, skill glorified man".
Abdurrahman Jami
Fyodor Ivanovich Ruckert who collaborated with Imperial jeweler Carl Faberge, is rightly called "the painter on enamel".
He became famous for the silver works in the original Russian style" of the turn of the nineteenth and last century, decorated with polychrome enamels on filigree and tiny picturesque compositions on the theme of Russian history and ancient life.
Legacy of the wizard, in the state museums of Russia is small and has a small two dozen items. In Russia we have not published a single work about the famous enameller, but the memories of the descendants of Fyodor Ivanovich, who lives in Moscow and treasuring family memory, in General terms, to reconstruct the history of his Studio.
Fedor rückert, keen sense of the beauty and poetry of Russian art, was a German by birth and a Prussian citizen. According to family legend, Friedrich Moritz Ruckert, was born in Alsace-Lorraine in 1840.
Came to Russia the age of 11-13 years. Subsequently never received the Russian citizenship, and his children from his first marriage. His oneselve he held under the patronage of the Prince of Galitsina who brought to Russia as engraver, together with Emil.
In 1850 Fedor Ruckert marries Emil with the blessings of the Prince. His first wife, a German, was one of the best seamstresses and they lived comfortably. Their first child - Adele (1860 - 1938), born in 1860, then 13 years later IDA (1873-1958), Paul (1880 - 1922), Alexander (1882 -?) and Peter (1888-?)
Fedor Ruckert all his children were taught to work in the Studio, they rubbed and otmuchivanie enamel, helped the masters, learned the basics of the craft. Special attention he paid to his son Paul, whom everyone in the family believed the receiver of the father.
On the works of F. Rückert, created for Faberge, his names is combined with the stigma of the well-known firm, which is sometimes scored the top mark.
Quite often the names of Rückert “FR” coexists with the inventory room of the Moscow branch of Faberge.
In addition to the famous Royal enterprises Fedor rückert collaborated with Moscow company O. Kurlyukova, trading company M. Lombardo, as well as with the famed firm of P. Ovchinnikov and Kiev enterprise I. Marshak.
The creativity of the craftsmen of the firm of F. Ruckert at the turn of XIX-XX centuries added greatly to the plasticity, language, self-expression Russian jewelry art. Showing a completely unique style inherent to a greater degree Ruckert, which can be called an innovator, both in technology and in image-plastic filing of their works.