Russia, St. Petersburg / 1886–96
Miniature Teapot
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Miniature Teapot as miscellaneous (Russia, St. Petersburg · 1886–96).
Sometimes called "new jade," bowenite is actually considered a semiprecious gemstone. Though Fabergé obtained his supply from the Ural Mountains of Russia, bowenite is also the state mineral of Rhode Island.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this miscellaneous as gold, bowenite and credits Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (Russian, 1860–1903).
The museum's collection notes: The House of Fabergé specialized in the creation of little treasures intended as opulent personal gifts. In creating luxurious accessories for a desk or tabletop, Fabergé often used native hardstones such as multicolored agate and quartz, green nephrite, pink rhodonite, rock crystal, and pale green bowenite found in the Ural Mountains of western Russia. Fabergé's designers often paired hardstones with gold mounts, particularly in the St. Petersburg workshop where the goldsmiths were concentrated.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtMiniature TeapotOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.