Bell Push in the form of an Elephant
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Electricity was a new, expensive commodity in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Russia. Fabergé, ever alert to new fashions and technology, created numerous tabletop and desk-bell pushes used to summon servants; he was also fond of the elephant, which was popular among his lapidary productions. Symbol of purity and magnanimity, it has been suggested that this elephant may be a reference to Empress Maria Feodorovna, born the Danish princess Dagmar, as it recalls Denmark's ancient Order of the Elephant.
[Wolfram Koeppe, 2011]
[Wolfram Koeppe, 2011]
Artwork Details
- Title: Bell Push in the form of an Elephant
- Maker: House of Carl Fabergé
- Date: ca. 1908–17
- Culture: Russian, probably St. Petersburg
- Medium: Bowenite, gold, diamond, ruby, sapphire, champlevé and guilloché enamel
- Dimensions: Overall: 2 x 2 3/4 x 1/2 in. (5.1 x 7 x 1.3 cm)
- Classification: Lapidary Work
- Credit Line: Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation
- Object Number: L.2011.66.20
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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