These miniature hardstone sculptures, so-called “traditional Russian types” series, form a particularly valuable group of the House of Fabergé’s famous objets de fantaisie. The Dancing Man is one of less than 50 sculptural depictions of people made by the firm. The figurines are only surpassed in significance by the Imperial Easter Eggs. They were intended for Fabergé’s most important clients. Most of these figurines, among them the Dancing Man, were acquired by Emperor Nicholas II; on 22 October 1910 he purchased it for 850 rubles.
The extremely difficult technique for preparing these many-stoned figurines, made under the influence of the Florentine commesso of the 17th century, is known as “blocked sculpture” or “three-dimensional Florentine mosaic.” All the details were cut out of individual stones and connected with internal supports and organic glues. Fabergé counted with a wide selection of Russian hardstone and, in a way, the figurines allowed him to demonstrate the country’s mineral wealth.
The “traditional Russian types” series was inspired by the popular porcelain figurines of people of various ethnicities and professions made in the late 18th and early 19th centuries at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St. Petersburg and in the Gardner Porcelain Factory near Moscow. One of the best stone sculptures made by the House of Fabergé is the Dancing Man, whose vigor is expressed by his rollicking movements and sapphire eyes that seem to glow from the inside. Every stone was meticulously and deliberately chosen in order to convey each feature of the subject’s physical appearance and attire. The face and hands were carved out of whitish-pink quartz from Beloretsk, while the shirt was made out of a unique artificial material: purpurin, synthesized at the Imperial Glass Factory by the engineer S. P. Petukhov. The only detail from a precious metal is the twisted belt with gold wire tassels.