A Fabergé Gold-Mounted Gilded Silver and Translucent Enamel Gem-Set Double Bell Push, Moscow, circa 1900

of rectangular shape, with finely-chased varicolor gold mounts in the neoclassical taste, enameled in translucent mauve over a wavy guilloché ground, the top applied with flower heads, foliage, and intertwined laurel leaves set with three diamonds, the cabochon sapphire and ruby push pieces with gadrooned collars, set on four tapering feet

Mrs. John Hay (Betsy Cushing) Whitney
Sotheby's, New York, October 19, 1998, lot 22
A la Vieille Russie, New York

James Hurtt, "Fabergé Bell Pushes," The Magazine Antiques, October 2000, p. 561.

overall good condition
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.
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.

This lovely bell push was obviously made for a stylish and wealthy home. The great majority of extant bell pushes include a single bell; a double bell push was clearly for a home with numerous servants. The lilac color was particularly fashionable in this period, in both costume and interior decorating. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna decorated her personal sitting room, the famous Mauve Room at the Alexander Palace, in shades of mauve and lilac and in 1897 Emperor Nicholas II ordered the now-lost Mauve Egg as an Easter gift for his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.