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Source Description
The use of Russian hardstones in creating precious objects became a hallmark of design from the House of Fabergé. Easily carved, these minerals were sourced largely from the western region surrounding the Ural Mountains. Fabergé's workmasters used colorful stones such as agate, nephrite (jade), lapis lazuli, rock crystal, and rhodonite, seen here in this small desk clock, to create and embellish flower studies, animal figures, and all manner of luxurious accessories. Bright pink rhodonite was among the rarest, and consequently most expensive, specimens used by the House of Fabergé.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
142772
label
Clock
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
142772
contentType
object
title
Clock
description
The use of Russian hardstones in creating precious objects became a hallmark of design from the House of Fabergé. Easily carved, these minerals were sourced largely from the western region surrounding the Ural Mountains. Fabergé's workmasters used colorful stones such as agate, nephrite (jade), lapis lazuli, rock crystal, and rhodonite, seen here in this small desk clock, to create and embellish flower studies, animal figures, and all manner of luxurious accessories. Bright pink rhodonite was among the rarest, and consequently most expensive, specimens used by the House of Fabergé.
date
c. 1905–15
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
creators
8891
55332
genreSpecific
Timepiece
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 5.3 x 5 x 2.9 cm (2 1/16 x 1 15/16 x 1 1/8 in.)
cul
Russia, St. Petersburg
accession
1966.476
Source extras
tec
rhodonite, silver, enamel, diamonds
tombstone
Clock, c. 1905–15. Henrik Wigström (Russian, 1862–1923), House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918). Rhodonite, silver, enamel, diamonds; overall: 5.3 x 5 x 2.9 cm (2 1/16 x 1 15/16 x 1 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The India Early Minshall Collection, 1966.476
collection
Decorative Arts
inscriptions
inscription
88, Kokoshnik, lower-case alpha in script [assay mark for St. Petersburg, 1882-99]; H.W. [initials for workmaster Henrik Wigström]; Fabergé (in Cyrillic); 26217 scratched; swan. Fabergé in script on dial of clock; an abbreviation of "weekly wind" engraved in Cyrillic script on back.
didYouKnow
The bright pink color of this small desk clock is a result of manganese, the principle mineral found in rhodonite.
citations
citation
Hawley, Henry H. <em>Fabergé and His Contemporaries: The India Early Minshall Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 38, cat. 15; reproduced: p. 39
citation
Harrison, Stephen, Emmanuel Ducamp, and Jeannine J. Falino. <em>Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique.</em> Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 39, cat. 49
creditline
The India Early Minshall Collection
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:20:20.175000
sourceId
142772
dept
Decorative Art and Design
coll
Decorative Arts
med
rhodonite, silver, enamel, diamonds
creatorTags
male
gender unknown
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
7b81db9a71d8cbb2