Cigar Box

c. 1896–1908

Cigar Box, c. 1896–1908. Attributed to Feodor Ivanovich Rückert (Russian, 1840–1917), House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918). Silver gilt, enamel, sapphire set in gold; [reproduction silk tinder cord, gold and moonstone catch]; 20.2 x 13.5 x 4.2 cm (7 15/16 x 5 5/16 x 1 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift from various donors by exchange 2018.28 Fabergé’s craftsmen in Moscow became known for their work in the pan-Slavic or neo-Russian taste, hearkening back to 17th-century styles of Russian folk decoration. In this whimsically oversized box for cigars or loose tobacco, Fabergé used the technique to highlight a symbol of imperial royalty, the preening peacock, here rendered in brilliant hues of blue and green enamels. Peacocks were considered a symbol of imperial royalty in Russia.