A Fabergé jewelled gold and silver-gilt mounted enamel and hardstone barometer, workmaster Hjalmar Armfelt, St Petersburg, 1904-1908

in neoclassical taste, of carriage clock form, the surfaces enamelled in translucent greyish blue over wavy engine-turning within beaded borders, the bezel enamelled with an opaque white divided reed, the instrument inscribed in Russian 'storm/ rain/ changing/ clear/ very dry', the needle dial set with a moonstone, the front corners applied with laurel and berry sprays, the sides with a laurel-entwined arrow and rosette corners, the top with incurved panels set with rose-cut diamond-set bows suspending two-colour gold festoons, cast bound leaf swing handle, the white agate base on four gadrooned bun feet below a chased acanthus tip plinth, struck with workmaster's initials, 88 standard, scratched inventory number 15313, in original Fabergé wood case

The blue enamel surfaces in perfect order. The opaque white enamel bezel with two areas of old restoration. The top with one segment of ribbon lacking. The underside of the base with glue residue around the feet. The mechanism with an area of black oxidation, visible in the catalogue photo. Please note that Sotheby's does not guarantee the mechanism. Lacking key.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Carl Fabergé, though he often borrowed from the past in his designs, was very much an innovator, embracing new technologies, materials and techniques, methods of doing business, advertising and so on; evident in his production is a keen interest in the mechanical and scientific.  Scientific instruments were becoming more readily available for home use by the early 20th century, and Fabergé was keen to transform them into objects of luxury.  In the words of Kenneth Snowman, ‘it was no doubt an appreciation of their peculiar charm that inspired Fabergé to design a whole series of his own’ (The Art of Carl Fabergé, London, 1955, p. 58).  A crude version of the aneroid barometer, a type which measures pressure without the use of any liquid, was invented in 1844.  It developed over the course of the latter half of the 19th century into the relatively sophisticated instrument which Armfelt set in a richly decorated and elegant enamel case.  Fabergé barometers are far rarer than clocks, and the present lot rarer still for not being encased in hardstone, the usual material used.