Bird-shaped Kovsh
(18th and 19th Centuries )
The Danish-born, Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III, presented this kovsh to a Danish medical doctor, Jens Schou.
This vessel resembles a duck with its stylized, angular tail serving as the handle. The decoration is composed of tendrils and fruit in pastel colors over a cream ground. Cabochon amethysts serve both for the bird's eyes and as additional decoration on the handle.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Empress Maria Feodorovna [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Dr. Jens Schou, February 2, 1910, by gift; Jean M. Riddell, Washington, D.C. [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2010, by bequest.
Exhibitions
2017-2018 | Fabergé and the Russian Crafts Tradition: An Empire's Legacy . The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Russia, Moscow (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Overall H: 4 9/16 × W: 6 3/8 × D: 2 15/16 in. (11.6 × 16.2 × 7.4 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mrs. Jean M. Riddell, 2010
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
44.781