The charm of Fabergé’s objets de fantaisie is fully present in this miniature watering can, part of the Museum’s collection. It belonged to Eliza Baletta, the famous Russian actress and mistress of the Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich. The hapless Grand Duke, who commanded the Russian fleet during the catastrophic Russo-Japanese War, was said to have “loved fast women and slow ships.”
The body and spout were carved out of a single piece of nephrite, while the handle and nozzle were made from perforated yellow gold. The handle and nozzle are covered in bright red guilloche enamel and decorated with “rose” diamonds. The watering can is an exquisitely crafted object that could have served only one purpose: to please the gaze of the Grand Duke’s mistress, though perhaps also to water the precious flowers that grew in the enchanted world of Faberge’s imagination.