The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 26, 2024

Imperial Barometer

Imperial Barometer

1900–1901
(Finnish, 1863–1934)
(Russian, 1842–1918)
Russia, St. Petersburg
palisander, silver gilt, ruby
Overall: 14 x 12.5 cm (5 1/2 x 4 15/16 in.)
The India Early Minshall Collection 1966.484
Location: 211 Fabergé

Did You Know?

This barometer was likely sold by the Soviet Union between 1934 and 1939 as part of a general selling off of former imperial possessions to raise money for the state treasury.

Description

After obtaining the official warrant to supply objects for the imperial household and the Russian state in 1885, the House of Fabergé became the shop of choice for members of the royal family when purchasing appropriate gifts for the tsar who had everything. Records of these purchases reveal that in 1901 the tsar's brother, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich (1878-1918), bought a barometer in the neoclassical style made from palisander wood just a few days before his brother's 33rd birthday. The description of that barometer matches the one now in this collection and is likely the same object.
  • -1966
    India Early Minshall [1885–1965], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1966-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art
  • Hawley, Henry H. Fabergé and His Contemporaries: The India Early Minshall Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967. Mentioned & reproduced: pp. 48-9, cat. 20 library.clevelandart.org
    Habsburg, Géza von and David Park Curry. Fabergé in America. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1996. Mentioned & reproduced: p. 102, cat. 74 ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    Harrison, Stephen, Emmanuel Ducamp, and Jeannine J. Falino. Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008. Mentioned: p. 202, cat. 25 ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    Hurtt, James and Christel Ludewig McCanless. "Fabergé Barometer Imperial Provenance Discovered." Faberge Research Newsletter (Summer 2018). Accessed May 7, 2021. fabergeresearch.com
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art (10/19/2008 - 1/18/2009) and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (2/7/2009 - 5/31/2009): "Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique"
    Fabergé in America. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (February 12-May 5, 1996); Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (organizer) (May 25-July 28, 1996); Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (August 24-November 2, 1996); New Orleans Museum of Art (December 7, 1996-February 8, 1997); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 12-May 11, 1997).
    The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2/12/96-4/28/96); The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (5/25/96-7/28/96); Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (8/24/96-11/2/96); New Orleans Museum of Art (12/7/96-2/8/97); The Cleveland Museum of Art (3/9/97-5/11/97). "Fabergé in America," exh. cat. no. 74, p. 102; color repr. p. 102.
    Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).
    The India Early Minshall Collection: Faberge and his Contemporaries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 15, 1967-January 21, 1968).
  • {{cite web|title=Imperial Barometer|url=false|author=Johan Viktor Aarne, House of Fabergé|year=1900–1901|access-date=26 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.484