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The Balletta Bulldog

The Balletta Bulldog

(Russian, 1846–1920)
about 1905
Object PlaceSt. Petersburg, Russia
Medium/TechniqueGold, silver, agate, diamond and ruby
Dimensions8.9 x 2.7 x 11.6 cm (3 1/2 x 1 1/16 x 4 9/16 in.)
Credit LineGift of Sidney A. Levine
Accession number1980.649
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment
Collections
Description

Lapidary artists in the Fabergé workshops created exquisitely carved animal sculptures from a wide range of semiprecious stones, matching the natural color and inclusions of particular gems with their designs.1 Some of the sculptures were portraits of prized pets. This highly naturalistic carved agate bulldog has his name and address—"Cody, Av. Bosquet 9"—engraved on a plaque soldered to his jeweled collar. The neck ornament also features a diamond-studded buckle, a polished gold bell, and a ring at the back for a leash. The dog’s arresting eyes are cabochon rubies set in gold.2

Yvonne J. Markowitz, “The Balletta Bulldog” in Artful Adornments: Jewelry from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston by Yvonne J. Markowitz (Boston: MFA Publications, 2011), 93.

InscriptionsCollar inscribed: "Cody, Av. Bosquet 9."
ProvenanceAbout 1905, commissioned by Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich (b. 1850 - d. 1908) for Elizabeth Balletta, Paris [see note 1]. 1949, with Wartski, London. Sold by Robert Smith, Washington, DC, to Sidney A. Levine, Melrose, MA; June 28, 1979, consigned by Dr. Levine for sale, Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, lot 405, unsold; 1980, year-end gift of Sidney A. Levine to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 14, 1981)

NOTES:
[1] Modelled after her bulldog, Cody.