Parrot on a Perch

1896–1903

Parrot on a Perch , 1896–1903. House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918), Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (Russian, 1860–1903). Silver, enamel, jasper, agate, emeralds; overall: 15.3 x 7.4 cm (6 x 2 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The India Early Minshall Collection 1966.447 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. Tsar Nicholas and his cousins in the British royal family kept parrots and parakeets throughout their many palaces.