Kremlin Tower Clock (Cleveland Museum of Art 1966.477)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
c. 1913
The use of Russian hardstones in creating precious objects became a hallmark of design from the House of Fabergé. Easily carved, these minerals were sourced largely from the western region surrounding the Ural Mountains.
Fabergé's workmasters used colorful stones such as agate, nephrite (jade), lapis lazuli, rock crystal, and rhodonite, seen here in this elaborate table or mantel clock, to create all manner of luxurious accessories. Bright pink rhodonite was among the rarest, and consequently most expensive, specimens used by the House of Fabergé. This clock resembles the Taynitskaya Tower, the middle tower on the south side of the Kremlin.
The House of Fabergé created this work to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, representing Fabergé's ability to balance the functionality of objects with intricate decorative design. Cleveland Museum of Art object 1966.477: Kremlin Tower Clock, c. 1913. House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918). Rhodonite, silver, enamel, emeralds, sapphires; overall: 29 x 14.6 cm (11 7/16 x 5 3/4 in.). Inscribed: 84, Kokoshnik, delta [assay mark for Moscow, 1908-26]; 91, Kokoshnik; 91; Kokoshnik; C.
Fabergé (in Cyrillic); double-headed eagle [imperial warrant]; 16419 k? scratched.; Painted on clock face: Le Gruet (in script); strike, silence, set hand work (in English).. Details are those of this museum object; how far it represents a wider type has not been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 4
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The Kremlin tower, which this clock resembles, has a secret well and an underground tunnel that leads to the Moscow River.
Physical characteristics
- Materials
- rhodonite, silver, enamel, emeralds, sapphires
- Dimensions
- Overall: 29 x 14.6 cm (11 7/16 x 5 3/4 in.)
- Measurements
- Overall: 29 x 14.6 cm (11 7/16 x 5 3/4 in.)
- Material and technique
- rhodonite, silver, enamel, emeralds, sapphires
Design
- Inscriptions
- 84, Kokoshnik, delta [assay mark for Moscow, 1908-26]; 91, Kokoshnik; 91; Kokoshnik; C. Fabergé (in Cyrillic); double-headed eagle [imperial warrant]; 16419 k? scratched.; Painted on clock face: Le Gruet (in script); strike, silence, set hand work (in English).
Identification
- Date recorded
- c. 1913
- Culture period
- Russia, St. Petersburg
- Maker recorded
- House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918)
- Museum attribution
- House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918)
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Museum object number
- 1966.477
- Published references
- Hawley, Henry H. Fabergé and His Contemporaries: The India Early Minshall Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 120-1, cat. 57 Habsburg, Géza von, and David Park Curry . Fabergé in America. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1996. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 103, cat. 77 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: pp. 152, 213, cat. 68 Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art . Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 146 Harrison, Stephen. “A Tale of Two Rivals: Fresh Looks for the Tiffany and Fabergé galleries.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 58. no. 2 (March/April 2018): 29. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 29
- Museum classification
- Timepiece
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: this record describes a single museum object; confirm the wider type, maker attribution and specifications against horological references.