Parasol Handle (c. 1886–1903): Art, History and Details

Parasol Handle (c. 1886–1903) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Michael Evlampievich Perchin (Russian, 1860–1903); House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918).

The work and its context

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

Women devised many methods to protect themselves from the sun when strolling outside at the end of the nineteenth century. One constant barrier from the harsh rays was the daytime parasol which looked like an umbrella but was used strictly for shade. The House of Fabergé specialized in providing fashionable wealthy ladies with bejeweled handles such as this example, which could be screwed directly into the end of the parasol shaft when a more formal look was desired.

Object facts

• Title: Parasol Handle
• Date: c. 1886–1903
• Creator attribution: Michael Evlampievich Perchin (Russian, 1860–1903); House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918)
• Culture: Russia, St. Petersburg
• Type: Metalwork
• Technique: Gold, enamel, diamonds, and platinum filigree
• Dimensions: 8.5 cm (3 3/8 in.); Diameter: 3.2 cm (1 1/4 in.)
• Collection: Decorative Arts
• Department: Decorative Art and Design
• Accession number: 2018.226

A detail from the museum

A wealthy lady around 1900 could unscrew her jeweled parasol handle and take it with her for safekeeping or swap it for another color.

Collection credit

Bequest of John B. Black

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.