Bulldog

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-)

Bulldog

House of Fabergé

c. 1895–1915

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

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

The India Early Minshall Collection