The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Bulldog

Bulldog

c. 1895–1915
(Russian, 1842–1918)
Russia, St. Petersburg
amethystine quartz, diamonds
Overall: 4.4 x 5.1 x 3.5 cm (1 3/4 x 2 x 1 3/8 in.)
The India Early Minshall Collection 1966.450
Location: 211 Fabergé

Did You Know?

Fabergé's lapidaries carefully chose the stones to resemble the color and texture of the figure they were sculpting. The smoky quartz used for this bulldog was polished to resemble his dark shiny coat.

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.
  • ?-1966
    India Early Minshall [1885–1965], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1966-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Hawley, Henry H. Fabergé and His Contemporaries: The India Early Minshall Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 68-9, cat 30. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    Fabergé, Peter Carl, and Deborah E. Horowitz. The Fabergé Menagerie. London: Philip Wilson Pub, 2003. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 121, cat. 55. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    Harrison, Stephen, Emmanuel Ducamp, and Jeannine J. Falino. Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 184, cat. 33. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
  • Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique . The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 19, 2008-January 18, 2009); Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (February 7-May 31, 2009).
    Fabergé's Menagerie: The Animal Creations of the Fabergé Workshop. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD (organizer) (February 14-July 27, 2003); Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH (October 12, 2003-January 4, 2004); Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR (February 8-May 2, 2004).
    Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).
    The India Early Minshall Collection: Faberge and his Contemporaries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 15, 1967-January 21, 1968).
  • {{cite web|title=Bulldog|url=false|author=House of Fabergé|year=c. 1895–1915|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.450