A pair of carved rose quartz cockatoos, Cartier, circa 1905

The birds realistically carved from rose quartz, their eyes set with small round cabochon sapphires, standing on an ivory perch with turned terminals, the foot accented with blue guilloché enamel and white enamel bands, on a rectangular jade base, height 4 inches. 

There are some small areas of restoration including glue under the birds feet and the top of the ivory shaft. There is a crack with soiling on the reverse of the shaft. The white enamel band at the base appears to have been restored. One of the four pins anchoring the birds to their perch is no longer extant.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion. Illustrations in the catalogue may not be actual size. Prospective purchasers are reminded that, unless the catalogue description specifically states that a stone is natural, we have assumed that some form of treatment may have been used and that such treatment may not be permanent. Our presale estimates reflect this assumption.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

For similar figures of birds by Cartier carved around the same period and on perches of similar design, see Fabergé-Cartier, Rivalen am Zarenhof, Géza von Habsburg, p. 345, nos. 665 and 667. Other examples may be found in Cartier, 1900-1939, Judy Rudoe, p. 113, nos. 48-50 and in Made by Cartier, Franco Cologni and Ettore Mocchetti, p. 64.

Both Cartier and Fabergé produced whimsical birds and animal figures carved from hardstone. The cross-influence of design between the two firms, and more broadly between the countries France and Russia, is not surprising given that the Russian court had, since the time of Peter the Great, been under the influence of Western, and especially Parisian, culture. Fabergé himself was of French lineage, his ancestors having left France in the late 17th century. By around 1900, many Russian nobles, among them the Grand Duke Alexis and the Grand Duchess Vladimir, made their way from St. Petersburg to Cartier's in Paris for purchases to bring home.  At the same time, Peter Carl Fabergé triumphed in Paris at the World Fair, displaying fifteen imperial Easter eggs in their fairy-tale splendor to an appreciative audience that included Louis and Pierre Cartier. In 1908, representatives of the Cartier firm, no longer able to exclude St. Petersburg, made their first three-day journey to that imperial city by train from Paris. See Cartier: Jewelers Extraordinary, Hans Nadelhoffer, pp. 113-114.