the single piece of smoky quartz named 'smokey topaz' by Fabergé,
carved in the form of a shell and supported on a coiled snake,
the gold mounts decorated with coloured opaque enamels in the renaissance taste
set with 8 old brilliant cut diamonds, on 4 chased gold shell feet.
Chief Workmaster: Michael Perchin, St. Petersburg, 1896-1903
Provenance:
Acquired from Fabergé's London branch on the 9-th July 1909 by Leopold de Rothschild for £75.
The cup is the 3-rd in the 'Rothschild series' of Fabergé pieces inspired by 17th and 18th century goldwork
and given by Leopold to his brother Alfred de Rothschild as birthday gifts between 1909 and the outbreak of World War I.
Alfred kept the cup in the vitrine of the telephone room of his London home at 1, Seamore Place.
72 zolotniks standard, inventory number: 11952.
See: The Rothschild Archive, Review of the year April 2004 to March 2005,
___________________________________________
http://www.wartski.com/Faberge%20cup.htm
Bonus: Fabergé and the Rothschilds:
http://www.rothschildarchive.org/ib/articles/AR2005Faberge.pdf
