Russia, St. Petersburg / 1896–1906
Miniature Chair
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Miniature Chair as miscellaneous (Russia, St. Petersburg · 1896–1906).
This miniature chair has a clever mechanism that allows the seat cushion to slide forward and upward slightly so that it can be opened to reveal a compartment, probably used to hold stamps on a desk.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this miscellaneous as gold, silver gilt, enamel, rubies, diamonds and credits House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918).
The museum's collection notes: The giving of small precious objects as intimate gifts between family members within the imperial court was spurred by the House of Fabergé's seemingly endless supply of bejeweled utilitarian objects decorated as expensively as possible, such as this stamp holder disguised as an exquisite miniature chair in the Louis XVI taste of the late 1700s.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtMiniature ChairOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.