Cigar Box (c. 1896–1908): Art, History and Details

Cigar Box (c. 1896–1908) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Feodor Ivanovich Rückert (Russian, 1840–1917); House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

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.

Object facts

• Title: Cigar Box
• Date: c. 1896–1908
• Creator attribution: Feodor Ivanovich Rückert (Russian, 1840–1917); House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918)
• Culture: Russia
• Type: Silver
• Technique: Silver gilt, enamel, sapphire set in gold; [reproduction silk tinder cord, gold and moonstone catch]
• Dimensions: 20.2 x 13.5 x 4.2 cm (7 15/16 x 5 5/16 x 1 5/8 in.)
• Collection: Decorative Arts
• Department: Decorative Art and Design
• Accession number: 2018.28

A detail from the museum

Peacocks were considered a symbol of imperial royalty in Russia.

Collection credit

Gift from various donors by exchange

Further reading listed by the museum

• Harrison, Stephen. “Acquisitions 2018: Decorative Art and Design.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 59, no. 2 (March/April 2019): 10-12.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.