Russia, St. Petersburg / 1896–1903
Parrot on a Perch
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Parrot on a Perch as miscellaneous (Russia, St. Petersburg · 1896–1903).
Tsar Nicholas and his cousins in the British royal family kept parrots and parakeets throughout their many palaces.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this miscellaneous as silver, enamel, jasper, agate, emeralds and credits House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918).
The museum's collection notes: In creating luxurious accessories for a desk or tabletop, Fabergé often used native hardstones such as multicolored agate and jasper, green nephrite, pink rhodonite, 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 milky agate into a begging poodle or green and black jasper into this parrot sitting on a perch. The use of native materials also promoted Russian nationalism, which appealed greatly to the tsar and his family.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtParrot on a PerchOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.