A Fabergé jewelled agate model of a cat, St Petersburg, circa 1900

This delicate work is distinctive for its character and poise, typical among the corpus of Fabergé’s stylised figurines. These small pieces were crafted in order to capture a creature’s physical likeness and signature personality traits, resulting in the works possessing a playful and almost life-like quality. 

There are a small number of cats which appear among Fabergé’s objets de fantasie in various forms. A comparable example - depicting a cat in the same pose, executed from citrine - was sold at Replica Shoes ’s Geneva, 18 and 19 May 1998, lot 295. Both models have carefully recreated the sleek and defined coats in minute detail. 

In these instances, the cats appear to be roused, with their ears perked up and eyes wide, squinting at the observer. Further examples of Fabergé cat models, however, choose to play on the skittish and mischievous nature of cats, such as the coyly arched, Kaglan jasper model commissioned by King Edward VII, 1907, and currently held in the Royal Collection Trust. It is interesting to note that the eyes of Faberge’s cat models appear to be set in a different manner from the other animal figures. This suggests that the artisans took care to recreate the expressive, luminous and changing nature of a cat’s eyes.

In the present model, the eyes are almost reminiscent of renditions of sacred cats in ancient Egyptian art, offering a subtle nod to historic depictions of cats in art and a parallel to the neoclassical ornament and antiquated jewellery styles promoted by Fabergé’s workshops during this period.