Fabergé took inspiration for his objets de fantasie both from contemporary decorative art and from works of centuries past. One such source of inspiration was 18th-century European miniature furniture.
This miniature Louis XV sedan chair was made in Mikhail Perkhin’s workshop in 1898-1903. The frame is made of incused gold, its surface covered in guilloche enamel in the form of stripes and engraved ornamentation, with a transparent yellow enamel finish. The mountain crystal windows are engraved with depictions of curtains. The cabin interior is decorated with mother-of-pearl panels that imitate a full-sized sedan chair’s silk upholstery. The poles are carved out of elephant ivory and can function as weaving hooks.
The House of Fabergé made several such sedan chairs. One of them was the lost surprise of the Catherine the Great (Grisaille) Easter Egg of 1914. The enamel port-chaise was carried by two dark-skinned men whose legs moved with the aid of a mechanism, while inside was a figurine of Catherine II.