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Bringing together the most significant papers on the interpretation of objects and collections, this volume examines how people relate to material culture and why they collect things.

Take a journey through a remarkable array of Fabergé objects and glimpse the grandeur of 19th and early 20th century Imperial Russia. From a Snowflake to an Iceberg features approximately 325 pieces from The McFerrin Collection, on extended loan to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, accompanied by in-depth essays highlighting the collection and revealing the captivating history behind the objects. Tatiana Fabergé, the great-granddaughter of Peter Carl Fabergé, pens the foreward; and Dorothy McFerrin shares her insights on compiling one of the world?s most significant private collections of Fabergé in less than a decade. The essays in the book include comments and research by internationally recognized Fabergé experts: Peter L. Schaffer, Dr. Géza von Habsburg, Alice Milica Ilich, Dr. Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm, Matthew Stuart-Lyon, Christel Ludewig McCanless, Daniel Brière, Annemiek Wintraecken, Dr. Mark Schaffer, and John Atzbach. The court jeweler for the Romanov family, Fabergé is renowned for his breathtaking Imperial Easter Eggs, royal jewels, and objets d?art. Yet perhaps just as fascinating are the wonderful everyday objects he created for the wealthy patrons of Europe?cigarette cases, scent bottles, frames, clocks, small desk items, fans, cufflinks, handbags, and more. The McFerrin Collection comprises breathtaking and rare examples of a wide variety of Fabergé?s creations, including important cigarette cases once owned by Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Imperial presentation snuffboxes from Tsar Nicholas II, the dazzling Empress Josephine Tiara, ornate Fire Screen Frame, and legendary Easter eggs including the Imperial Diamond Trellis Egg, Kelch Rocaille Egg, and Nobel Ice Egg. This stunning selection of Fabergé objects invites the reader to experience the extravagance, luxury, splendor, and opulence of Imperial Russia.