Flower Study of a Miniature Lily of the Valley

c. 1885–1915

Flower Study of a Miniature Lily of the Valley, c. 1885–1915. House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918). Pearls, jade, rock crystal, gold, diamonds; overall: 5.1 x 2.3 cm (2 x 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The India Early Minshall Collection 1966.445 A small, carved rock crystal vase holds this lily of the valley study. The pearls, forming the flower’s buds, are drilled and attached to the remarkably slim gold stem. The hand-cut nephrite (jade) leaves enhance the naturalistic aura of the flower. Fabergé’s inspiration for his flower studies is said to have come from the floral brooches of precious stones that were made in the 1700s for Catherine the Great as well as from the Japanese art of flower arranging, known as ikebana. Small and delicate, Fabergé’s flower studies were given as intimate gifts to friends by Tsarina Alexandra and others in the court. She kept them in all the palaces as a reminder of spring during the harsh Russian winters.