Beschreibung:

A grey agate figure of a mouse set with silver-mounted diamonds Fabergé, circa 1900, scratched inventory number 4192 The finely carved body simulating fur, with diamond-set ears, eyes and curling tail length: 6cm (2 3/8in). Fußnoten Provenance Sir Bernard Eckstein, Sotheby's, 8 February 1949, lot 138 Caroline, Lady Oppenheimer (1899-1971) Then by direct descent The Royal Collection boasts eight mice and rats, many of which are set with diamond encrusted features. It is certain that Fabergé's sculptors would have seen such creatures during their time at Sandringham and been familiar with netsuke prototypes. They were highly appreciated as symbols of perseverance and prosperity due to their ability to survive adverse circumstances. For similar examples see de Guitaut Fabergé's Animals: A Royal Farm in Miniature, Royal Collection, London, 2010, pp. 111-112, or visit the Royal Collection website www.rct.uk for RCIN 40013 and RCIN 40045. For another variant, see von Habsburg, Fabergé, Munich, 1987, cat. 367, p. 205.