Description
In creating luxurious accessories for a desk or tabletop, the House of Fabergé often used native hardstones such as multicolored agate and jasper, green nephrite, pink rhodonite, quartz, and rock crystal found in the Ural Mountains of western Russia. By paying careful attention to the unique colors and textures of the stones, Fabergé and his craftsmen brought them to life, turning smoky quartz into this figure of a seated bulldog, for example. The use of native materials also promoted Russian nationalism, which appealed greatly to the tsar and his family.
Provenance
India Early Minshall [1885–1965], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?-1966); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1966-)
Accession Number
1966.450
Medium
amethystine quartz, diamonds
Dimensions
Overall: 4.4 x 5.1 x 3.5 cm (1 3/4 x 2 x 1 3/8 in.)
Classification
Miscellaneous
Credit Line
The India Early Minshall Collection