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[Bart]

Most would agree that the Faberge Imperial Eggs are the apex of a craft elevated to the top art form in it's genre. Beyond impressive, opulent, breathtaking, and fascinating.

- Bart

1903 Peter the Great Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

red, green, and yellow gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies, sapphire, enamel, ivory, bronze, rock crystal

11,1 x 8,3 cm diameter (4" 3/8 high x 3" 1/4) - statue: 4 cm (1"9/16)

Serving a dual role, this egg also marked the bicentennial of the founding of St. Petersburg in 1703. Executed in gold in the extravagant rococo style, the curves are set with diamonds and rubies. The bulrushes are chased green gold. The spikyheads are set with square rubies. The surprise is that when the egg is opened, a mechanism within raises a miniature model in gold of Peter the Great's monument on the Neva, resting on a base of sapphire.



   As if to bolster the Czar's self-image during his most trying times, Faberg? presented Nicholas with a series of eggs commemorating achievements of the Romanovs. In lavish Rococo style, this Peter the Great Egg celebrated the two-hundredth anniversary of the founding St. Petersburg in 1703.

   Executed in gold, the curves are set with diamonds and rubies. The bulrushes are chased in 14-karat green gold. The spikyheads are set with square rubies. The Egg design features a representation of the Winter Palace; the side miniature of Peter the Great is signed B. Byalz and has the initials of assay master Iakov Liapunov. The dates 1703 and 1903 in rose-cut diamonds appear on either side of the lid. Four miniatures by B. Baal, show Peter the Great, the wooden hut that is traditionally said to have been built by himself, Nicholas II and the 1.000-room Winter Palace as it was in 1903. Each of the miniatures is covered by rock crystal.



   White enamel ribbons inscribed with historical details encircle the Egg. The inscriptions read, "The Emperor Peter the Great, born in 1672, founded St. Petersburg in 1703" and "The first little house of the Emperor Peter the Great in 1703". The other inscriptions read, "The Emperor Nicholas II, born in 1868, ascended the Throne in 1894" and "The Winter Palace of His Imperial Majesty in 1903".



   The surprise is that when the egg is opened, a mechanism within raises into position from the lower half of the shell a miniature model in gold of Peter the Great's monument on the Neva, made by Gerogii Malychevin, resting on a base of sapphire. The clasp of the Egg is the Romanov Double Eagle. The equestrian statue of Peter the Great, created by the famous French sculptor Etienne Maurice Falconet, depicts the most prominent reformer of Russia as a Roman hero, and stands on Senatskaia Ploschad (Square), facing the Neva River and surrounded by the Admiralty, St Isaac's Cathedral and the buildings of the former Senate and Synod, the civil and religious governing bodies of pre-revolutionary Russia.

[Bart]

1891 Memory of Azov Egg (or Azova Egg)

Presented by Alexander III to Czarina Maria Fyodorovna

gold, platinum, diamond, rubies, heliotrope, aquamarine, velvet

Length 9.3 cm (3"7/8)



The egg is carved from a solid piece of heliotrope jasper, also known as bloodstone, flecked with red and blue. It is decorated in the Louis XV style with a superimposed gold pattern of rococo scrolls ornated with brilliant diamonds and chased gold flowers. The clasp consists of a ruby and two diamonds. The interior of the egg is lined with green velvet.



   This Egg commemorates the voyage by the Tsarevich Nicholas and Grand Duke George to the Far East in 1890, made at the suggestion of their parents to broaden the outlook of the future Tsar and his younger brother. The voyage was a disaster because suffering from Tuberculoses George's condition worsened and Nicholas was attacked by a would-be assassin in a Japanese town and sustained a serious head wound. The Egg was presented to the Tsarina before these events occurred, and it never was one of her favorite Eggs.



   The Memory of Azov Egg never left Russia and is one of the ten Imperial Eggs in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

   The egg contains an exact replica of the cruiser Memory of Azov (Pamiat Azova), executed in gold and platinum, with windows set with small diamonds, and rests on a piece of aquamarine, representing water.

   The name "Azov" appears on the stern of the ship. The plate has a golden frame with a loop enabling the model to be removed from the egg.

[Bart]

1897 Coronation Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

gold, enamel, diamonds, rock cristal, platinum

12,7 cm (5") Length of coach: 9,4 cm (3"11/16)



   This is the most popular of all the Faberge eggs. This superb gold egg enamelled translucent lime yellow on a guilloch? field of starbursts (reminiscent of the gold robe worn by the empress at her Coronation), is trellised by with bands of greenish gold laurel leaves mounted at each intersection by a gold Imperial double-headed eagle enamelled opaque black, and set with a rose diamond on its chests. This pattern was drawn from the cloth-of-gold Coronation Robe worn by the Empress.



   A large portrait diamond is set in the top of the egg within a cluster of ten brilliant diamonds; through the table of this stone, the monogram of the Empress is seen. A smaller portrait diamond is set within a cluster of rose diamonds at the end of the egg, beneath which the date is inscribed on a similar plaque. The name Wigstr?m is roughly scratched on the inner surface of the shell. The egg was delivered, together with a glass-enclosed jadeite stand for the display of the Carriage, at a cost of 5650 rubles.



   Nicholas loved the pomp and ritual of military life and Imperial ceremony, which required him only to look good and say little. On May 9, 1896, Nicholas and Alexandra were crowned in the Uspenski Cathedral in Moscow in one of the most magnificent pageants in Russian history. Attended by over seven thousand guests from around the world, including most of Europe's royalty, the celebrations lasted for two weeks. To commemorate the event, Faberge's Coronation egg (1897) was larger and more lavish than any before.

   This egg seems to be one of which Alexandra was also not too fond. It is interesting to speculate that memories of the coronation were spoiled for Alexandra by memories of the massacre on the Khodinka field, when hundreds of peasants hoping for free food and souvenirs were crushed to death in a riot.



  The egg, kept at the Winter Palace, wound its way to Moscow and Antikvariat, where it was purchased by Snowman of Wartski. In 1934 it was sold to Charles Parsons, but was bought back after the war in 1945 by Wartski. In March of 1979 it was sold to Forbes for $2,160,000.00 along with the another egg.

  After eighty years of exile this egg has been returned home thanks to Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, Chairman of board of directors of Open Society "Sual-holding" who has purchased it from successors to Malcolm Forbes and has made it accessible to the Russian citizens. Sale of the Forbes' collection from Sotheby's auction in the beginning of 2004 could make objects channel off in separate collections and countries. Purchasing of the whole collection by V. Vekselberg before the advertised bidding is unprecedented in auction practice.



   To make this egg even more magnificent, Faberg? enclosed an extraordinary detailed jeweled "surprise" fitted inside a velvet-lined compartment: a precise replica - under four inches long - of the eighteenth-century Imperial coach that carried Alexandra to her coronation in Moscow at the Uspensky Cathedral.

   Red lacquer and upholstery of the original coach was recreated using strawberry colored translucent enamel and the blues of the interior were also fauthfully reproduced in enamels. The coach is surmounted by the Imperial Crown in rose diamonds and six double-headed eagles on the roof; it is fitted with engraved rock crystal windows and platinum tires, and is decorated with a diamond-set trellis in gold and an Imperial eagle in diamonds at either door. Complete with moving wheels, opening doors, actual C-spring shocks, and a tiny folding step-stair, inside the coach originally hung a briolette-cut yellow diamond pendant (it may have been an emerald, reports vary).

   The original carriage was designed for Nicholas' great-great-great-grandmother, Catherine the Great in 1793. During the time it took to complete the replica, master craftsman George Stein made numerous clandestine visits to the imperial stables in order to perfectly match his work to the original. The model mimics every moving part of its prototype, right down to a working suspension.

   According to author Lynette Proler, "It was all done by hand and crafted by hand in such minute detail - every detail from the state carriage was included - from the little crown on the top of it in diamonds to the windows in rock crystal. And the little steps... when the Empress would alight from the carriage onto the steps, they would fall out of the carriage, and in the little miniature they do the same. It took approximately fifteen months to craft this carriage by hand working all day and well into the night, seven days a week, and it was barely finished just in time to be presented to the Empress."

   Ironically, when the Hermitage recently undertook to refurbish the original, Margaret Kelly, Director of the Forbes Magazine Collection, provided them with detailed photos of the Coronation egg from which to work!

[Bart]

1898 Lilies of the Valley Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

gold, enamel, diamonds, pearls, ruby

height: 15,1 cm (opened: 19,9 cm.) (5"5/16, 7"7/8)



   Faberge made a point of learning something of the private lives of his most important clients. He knew that pink was the favorite color of the Empress, and lilies of the valley her favorite flower. Every spring, Alexandra had the rooms of the palaces filled with beautiful floral bouquets. As well pearls were her favorite jewels so the combination in this Egg would have delighted her.



   This egg is one of only three eggs executed in the Art Nouveau style, of which the Empress was very fond. Gold egg enameled translucent rose on a guilloche (1) field covered with gold-stemmed flowers made of pearls, diamonds and rubies on a guilloche field, segmented by narrow bands of small diamonds. It is supported on four dull green gold cabriole (2) legs composed of overlapping leaves veined with rose diamonds. The egg is surmounted by a rose diamond and cabochon ruby Imperial Crown set with two bows and quartered by four lines of rose diamonds and decorated with lilies-of-the-valley in pearls and rose diamonds. The background for the flowers - rose colored enamel - is complemented by the spring green leaves, which are also enamel.



   This egg, which originally cost 6700 rubles, was also housed in Alexandra Feodorovna's Study in the winter palace, but some views of her Study at the Alexander palace clearly show this egg in the Mauve Boudoir. It is possible that on her departure from the Alexander Palace, the egg was sent to the Winter Palace to join the others, and from there sent to Moscow. This egg was acquired by Forbes in 1979 along with the Coronation Egg for $2.16 million.

   After eighty years of exile this egg has been returned home thanks to Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, Chairman of board of directors of Open Society "Sual-holding" who has purchased it from successors to Malcolm Forbes and has made it accessible to the Russian citizens. Sale of the Forbes' collection from Sotheby's auction in the beginning of 2004 could make objects channel off in separate collections and countries. Purchasing of the whole collection by V. Vekselberg before the advertised bidding is unprecedented in auction practice.



   On top of the egg, a tiny replica of the imperial crown sits. When lightly depressed, reveals the surprise of this egg. It releases a geared mechanism inside to raise from the top the fan of three tiny oval miniatures by Johannes Zehngraf. The portraits of the Czar Nicholas II in military uniform, and his first two daughters, Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana are framed by rose diamond borders and backed with gold panels engraved with the presentation date: April 5, 1898.

[Solomon]

The Peter the Great Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Faberg? in 1903, for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the egg to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, USA

Made in the Rococo style, this egg celebrated the two-hundredth anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg in 1703.

Executed in gold, the curves are set with diamonds and rubies. The body of the egg is covered in laurel leaves and bulrushes that are chased in 14-carat green gold. These symbolize the source of the "living waters". The spikyheads are set with square rubies. The egg shell features four miniatures by B. Baal that show Peter the Great, the wooden hut that is traditionally said to have been built by himself, Nicholas II and the 1000 room Winter Palace. Each of the miniatures is covered by rock crystal. White enamel ribbons inscribed with historical details encircle the egg. The inscriptions read "The Emperor Peter the Great, born in 1672, founding St. Petersburg in 1703" and "The first little house of the Emperor Peter the Great in 1703". "The Emperor Nicholas II born in the 1868 ascended the throne in 1894" and "The Winter Palace of His Imperial Majesty in 1903."

The dates 1703 and 1903 appear on either side of the lid.


Surprise
The surprise is that when the egg is opened, a mechanism within raises a miniature gold model of Peter the Great's monument on the Neva, resting on a base of sapphire. The model was made by Gerogii Malychevin. The reason for this choice of surprise is the story of a legend from the 19th century that says enemy forces will never take St. Petersburg while the "Bronze Horseman" stands in the middle of the city.

Bart:

May I assume that those featured here are originals? If so, I would appreciate learning more about them. Also, the story of Faberg? may be of interest to our readers.

Cheers!
Solomon

[Bart]

Yes Solomon, those are photos of the Faberge originals. And since we have many ancient beautiful works of art of whom we know nothing about the craftsman, that is a great suggestion regarding this one. To me, little comes close in comparison, and nothing that comes to mind at the moment surpasses them. I shall add that shortly.

- Bart

[Bart]

Peter Carl Faberge: The Man

   The Faberge family originated in France, but the Protestant family fled after the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685. Eventually, some family members settled in Russia. Peter Carl Faberge was born in 1846. His education and goldsmith apprenticeship were in Germany. After establishing himself independently in 1866, Carl continued to refine his skills. By age 24, Faberge had inherited his father's jewelry workshop in St. Petersburg, Russia. For ten years as head of the business, Carl continued to produce goods similar to other jewelry makers.

   He also volunteered his time to the Hermitage, a treasury which stored all of the precious objects of the Russian czars, including gold artifacts and ancient treasures. All of these pieces Carl helped catalog, appraise and repair. He reorganized the business with the help of his able brother Agathon and forever changed the face of jewelry and art.In 1882 Carl's younger brother Agathon, a trained jeweler full of ideas, appeared on the scene. The two made copies ancient Russian treasures and sold them.

    Eric Kollin, a Finnish craftsman, helped the Faberge brothers make a number of pieces which they decided to feature at a fair in Moscow. Czar, Alexander III, and his wife, Czarina Maria were in attendance and made a purchase at the Faberge exhibit. There, Carl Faberge was presented with a gold medal honoring him as "...having opened a new era in jewelry art."Until that time, many felt the value of jewelry was intrinsic, based upon the precious metals and stones. Faberge felt that the artistic creativity and fine craftsmanship of jewelry made it art that transcended bullion value.

   Goldsmithing became Carl Faberge's primary interest, and he hired Michael Perchin, a Russian goldsmith to assist him in his experiments with gold and enamel. Through careful examination of works of art, the two learned and attempted to replicate techniques of earlier artisans. Their efforts were so successfulthat even the czar could not distinguish between the original piece and Faberge's copy of a snuff box in his own collection. Soon after, Faberge became the Supplier to the Imperial Court.



   The House of Faberge was staffed with some of the finest goldsmiths and jewelers available. Interestingly enough, Peter Carl Faberge did not actually create any of the famous eggs that bear his name. The business was divided into several small workshops, each with its own specialty. In addition to the fabulous easter eggs, the workshop also produced table silver, jewelry, European-style trinkets, and Russian-style carvings. The two master jewlers most responsible for the Faberge eggs were Michael Evlampievich Perchin and Henrik Wigstr?m.

   Born in 1860, Perchin became the leading workmaster in the House of Faberge in 1886 and supervised production of the eggs until 1903. Those eggs he was responsbile for have his MP (MP- Michael Perchin) markings. All signed eggs made after 1903 bear Henrik Wigstrom's HW mark. Of course, not all eggs were stamped, so other goldsmiths may have supervised production of some of the eggs.

The Eggs: An Overview

A Brief History

   The most important feast of the Russian Orthodox church calendar is Easter. It is celebrated with the exchanging of eggs and three kisses. The Faberge eggs began in 1884 with an Easter egg made for the czar that became a gift for his wife, Czarina Maria. The egg reminded the empress of her homeland, and so from then on it was agreed that Faberge would make an Easter egg each year for Maria. Faberge designed Easter eggs for another eleven years until Alexander III died. Then Nicholas II, Alexander's son, continued the tradition. It was agreed that the Easter gift would always have an egg shape and would hold a surprise. These projects became top priority of the company and were planned and worked on far in advance--a year or longer. The surprise was always kept secret.



   Master jeweler Peter Karl Faberg? (1846-1920) , the grandson of a French Huguenot who settled in Estonia, was born in St. Petersburg, where his father was a jeweler.

   In 1870, after an apprenticeship in Frankfurt, Karl Faberg? takes control over the jewelry workshop of his father in St. Petersburg. With a craftsman's skill and the lucky touch of a dextrous hand he designs jewelry and objects of art combining style elements belonging to many different periods - from Gothic to art nouveau. This symbiosis of styles coupled with the high technical precision of his goldsmith work-masters advances him to the top position among the world's most renowned jewelers.

   He won a Gold Medal at the Pan-Russian exhibition in 1882. Alexander III was among those who attended the event and were intrigued by Faberg? 's objects of fantasy. He becomes then Purveyor to the Royal Household of the Russian Czar and this opens the doors for him to a clientele among the higher nobility of Europe.

   Faberg?, named goldsmith and jeweler to the Russian Court, in the mid-1880s proposed to Alexander III the creation of an elaborate Easter egg to be presented to the Czarina. Alexander was so taken by this first imperial egg that the special Easter creations became a tradition throughout his reign and that of his son and successor, Nicholas II.



   Trained as a jeweler, Peter Karl Faberg? was a successful entrepreneur who ran a complex family business, employing as many as 500 designers, gem-cutters, metalworkers, enamelers, and miniature painters. No single piece from the Faberg? workshop is known to have been by his hand. Rather, Faberg? served as the aesthetic leader of the firm, developing initial design concepts and approving important pieces, whose creation was supervised by work-masters such as Mikhail Perkhin.

   All the pieces of jewelery and "objects d?art" bear the Faberg? hallmark as well as the mark of the particular work-master who created them. After the Russian revolution in 1918, Faberg? was forced to close his workshop and leave Russia forever. Karl escaped to France. He died in 1920 in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the age of 74. His name remains that of a master who belongs to the greatest jewelers of the late 19th century and his creations are sold as antiques at top prices.

[Bart]

   Renaissance Egg

1894 Presented by Alexander III to Czarina Maria Fyodorovna

chalcedony , gold, enamel, diamonds, rubies , emerald, white agate

length 13,3 cm (5"1/4)



   Inspired by a jeweled casket in Dresden, Germany (in the Grunes Gewolbe Museum), this piece is richly decorated with colorful stones. The name for the egg comes from the source of its inspiration, as well as the Renaissance-style enamelled foliate motifs. The egg is made of milky chalcedony and trellised with opaque white enamel gold bands. At each trellis intersection there is a quatrefoil of diamonds with a ruby center. The egg is bisected by a red enamelled gold band. Under the bisecting band and around the red enamelled top, the Renaissance-style motifs, set with diamonds and cabochon rubies, are placed. The top has the date, 1894, set in rose diamonds. The egg, last of the eggs for Czar Alexander III, rests on a golden base with enamelled red and green flowers and palmettes against a white background. The had two chased gold lion masks, with loop handles in their mouths. The surprise that came in this egg has been lost and is unknown.



   Faberge's primary source of inspiration came from works of previous centuries. Translucent enameling was a valued technique in the nineteenth century that required several coats of applied enamel and the "firing" of the object in an oven after each coat. However, only a small number of colors were used in the nineteenth century, and so Faberge took it upon himself to experiment and soon came up with over 140 shades. The most prized of these was oyster enamel which varied in color depending on the light.

   This egg was the last to be presented to Maria by Alexander before his untimely death. Carved from a block of milky chalcedony, this egg, mounted on a gold enameled base, was closely modeled after an eighteenth century casket by Le Roy, now located in Dresden at the Gr?ne Gew?lbe Museum. In a striking and original departure from the design of the original casket, Faberg? canted the case so that it was in the shape of an egg supported on its side. This is one of the few Imperial Eggs, designed to sit sideways. Another is the 1907 Tsar Imperial Love Trophies Egg.



   Fancy and lineal pattern in Renaissance style are combined in the gold trelliswork with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. At each trellis intersection there is a quatrefoil of diamonds with a ruby center. Scallops of diamonds on the cover enclose a ruby enameled medallion ornamented with repeated foliate motifs in colorful enamels and the date, 1894, set in rose diamonds. Gold heraldic lions' heads at either end terminate slender loop handles. The opening is secured by a tiny gold and diamond latch, while inner rims are developed in opaque white enameling and gold floral patterns.

   Manufactured at a cost of 4750 rubles, the egg was sent to the Anitchkov Palace. In September of 1917, the egg was sent to the Kremlin, and in 1922 was probably transferred to SovNarKom, the Commissar's Treasury of Valuables. In 1927, it was returned to the Jeweler's Union and given the inventory number of 17552. On April 30, of 1930, it was selected for sale to the west, transferred to Antikvariat, the State Sales organ, and subsequently sold with nine other eggs to Dr. Armand Hammer. The Renaissance Egg cost Dr. Hammer 1000 rubles. It was advertised by Hammer in 1937, and subsequently sold to Henry Talbot DeVere Clifton. By November of 1949, it had fallen into the collection of Jack and Belle Linsky (of the Swingline Staple fortune).



   The Linskys attempted to give their collection to the Metropolitan Museum, which refused the gift, stating that the museum was not interested in "Edwardian decorative Trivia." The Linskys sold the egg to A La Vieille Russie, who held it until it was purchased by the Forbes Collection on May 15, 1965.

   After eighty years of exile this egg has been returned home thanks to Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, Chairman of board of directors of Open Society "Sual-holding" who has purchased it from successors to Malcolm Forbes and has made it accessible to the Russian citizens. Sale of the Forbes' collection from Sotheby's auction in the beginning of 2004 could make objects channel off in separate collections and countries. Purchasing of the whole collection by V. Vekselberg before the advertised bidding is unprecedented in auction practice.

   One of the few Imperial eggs that Faberg? dated, the last of the eggs for Czar Alexander III, rests on a golden base with enamelled palmettes, flowers and leaves in brilliant, translucent reds, greens, blues, opaque white and gold.

   The surprise that originally came with the egg was lost, it was probably a grand jewel. Made of gold, silver, enamel and polished agate, the egg has no documentation concerning the surprise. However, since the invoice mentions pearls, and there are none on the egg, it is conceivable that the surprise itself was a strand of Pearls. (? 2004 Mr. Victor Vekselberg's Foundation)



   A highly intriguing hypothesis has recently been advanced by Christopher Forbes, namely that the Resurrection Egg is in fact the surprise originally contained in the Renaissance Egg. This would account for its being shown in the same showcase at the 1902 exhibition, where surprises have been separated from their eggs. Moreover, style and coloring of both objects are virtually identical and the size of the Resurrection Egg perfectly fits the curvature of the egg. The invoice of the Renaissance Egg mentions a pearl, which is not accounted for unless it was part of the surprise. This work of art does not bear an inventory number, which speaks in favor of an Imperial presentation, a hypothesis which would explain why the Resurrection Egg is not included in the generally accepted list of Imperial eggs.

[Bart]

    1885 First Imperial (Hen) Egg

Presented by Alexander III to Czarina Maria Fyodorovna

gold, enamel, rubies

hight 6,4 cm



   Eggs as symbols of creation and new life have been exchanged for hundreds of years. Easter is the most joyful celebration of the Orthodox faith in Russia... After the devout church services, families gather to exchange gifts of decorated eggs, symbols of renewed life and hope. The Easter of 1885 also marks the twentieth anniversary of Czar Alexander III and Czarina Maria Fedorovna, and the Czar needs an exceptional gift for his wife, born Princess Dagmar of Denmark. So he places an order with a young jeweler, Peter Karl Faberg?, whose beautiful creations have recently caught Maria's eye.



  In fact, as is often the case, the truth is far more interesting. According to documents published in 1997, it appears quite clear that the Emperor had little to do with the original commission. Letters exist which prove that the egg was received from Faberg? by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovitch, and that he sent the egg on to the Emperor with detailed instructions on how to open it on presentation. The Empress was, by all accounts delighted, but this mystery is left: did Faberg? approach the Emperor, having created the egg on speculation, as was asserted by Faberg?'s first biographer H.C. Bainbridge, or perhaps, did the Empress request that it be made?

   This is possible, as there exists in the Danish Royal collection, a very similar egg of eighteenth century manufacture, with which the Empress might have been familiar. Common thought among scholars is that the Emperor was seeking an anniversary present for his wife, and that Vladimir Alexandrovitch was the go-between for the Imperial couple and Faberg?. It is known from documentation that the egg was received by Vladimir Alexandrovitch from Faberg?, and sent by him to the Emperor for presentation to the Empress.



   The egg consists of an opaque white enamel shell, with a hidden release mechanism. When pressed, the shell opens to reveal a polished gold yolk. Upon opening the yolk, a four-color gold hen is revealed as the surprise. The egg, when manufactured, cost 4,151 rubles, 75 kopecks, and was moved to the Empress' residence in the Anitchkov Palace. This was the first egg presented to the Empress Marie by Alexander III.

   Inside the egg there is the gold yolk, and inside it a golden hen with ruby eyes. Inside the hen there was a ruby crown and inside the crown a pendant. The last two surprises, the diamonds crown and a ruby pendant, were "lost" when the egg was sold by the Bolsheviks in the 1920s.

   In September of 1917, the egg was moved along with others to the Kremlin for safekeeping by the Provisional Government. In the 1920's, the egg was purchased by one Mr. Berry in London, probably from Soviet officials, for an undisclosed sum. On March 15, 1934, the egg was sold at auction by Christie's London for the sum of 85 GBP ($430). The piece was purchased by Mr. R. Suenson-Taylor. Mr. Suenson Taylor was made the first Baron Grantchester in 1953, and in June of 1976, the Estate of Lord and Lady Grantchester made the egg available to A La Vieille Russie in New York. In January of 1978, ALVR negotiated a private sale of The First Imperial Egg to the Forbes Collection.

   After eighty years of exile this egg has been returned home thanks to Russian businessman Viktor Vekselbergu, Chairman of board of directors of Open Society "Sual-holding" who has purchased it from successors to Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990) and has made it accessible to the Russian citizens. Sale of the Forbes' collection from auction "Sotheby's" in the beginning of 2004 (though some tens of items from the Forbes' collection have been already sold two or three years earlier) could make objects channel off in separate collections and countries. Purchasing of the whole collection by V.Vekselberg before advertised bidding has become unprecedented in auction practice.

[Bart]

   1887 Blue Serpent Clock Egg
Presented by Alexander III to Czarina Maria Fyodorovna

   The Serpent Clock Egg costed 2,160 rubles to the Czar. The serpent winds around the pedestal of the egg and serves as tha clock's hand. The time can be read on the upper eggshell, which hs a rotating clock face.

[Bart]

   All the elements of the Romanov story come together most elegantly in the Fifteenth Anniversary egg (1911), a family album just over five-inches-tall. Exquisitely detailed paintings depict the most notable events of the reign of Nicholas II and each of the family members.

   "Not only is it a staggering tour-de-force of the jeweler's art," says Forbes, "but probably more than any other egg, it is the one most intimately associated with the whole tragedy of Nicholas and Alexandra and that incredibly beautiful family. There are these five children ? all these sort of glamorous events surrounding their lives ? and there they are looking out at us happily unknowing what was going to happen to them just a few years later."

http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/faberge_nav/main_fabfrm.html

[Bart]

   1892 Diamond Trellis Egg

Presented by Alexander III to Czarina Maria Fyodorovna



   The thinly carved translucent bowenite (also called jadeite) body of the egg set at the top and bottom with a diamond from which emanate sixteen undulating trellis of silver and platinum set with rose-cut diamonds; with gold hinge and inner gold rim, marked inside. The lapidary work for the diamond trellis egg was executed in the Faberg? workshop of Karl Woerffel and not Peter Kremlev.

   According to the original Faberg? invoice dated April 7th 1892, (which is now in the Russian State Archives), the price of the Diamond Trellis Egg was 4750 roubles.

   The base, now lost, was composed of a silver group on a round pale-green stone slab representing three little silver cherubs holding the egg; the three boys were said to represent the three young sons of the Imperial couple, Grand Duke Nicholas (later Tsar Nicholas II, 1868-1918), George (1871-1899) and Michael (1878-1918). The Diamond Trellis Egg and its base with the three cherubs can be seen on an old photograph.

[Bart]

   1895 Rosebud Egg

Presented by Nicolas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna







   Alexander III died on 20 October 1894. Tsar Nicholas II came to the throne and an Easter egg had to be made urgently for the new Empress, Alexandra Fedorovna, whom he had married on 14 November, just a few weeks after the death of his father. In Germany, Alexandra Fedorovna's native country, yellow was regarded as the noblest and worthiest color for a rose (the golden rose), and Peter Carl Faberg? therefore considered this to be an appropriate surprise within this egg for her.

   It's whereabouts unknown for decades, the Imperial Rosebud Egg is the first egg to be presented by Czar Nicholas II to his wife Czarina Alexandra Feodrovna on Easter 1895, and one of the smallest of the Imperial Easter Eggs from the House of Faberg?. For the new Czarina, Faberg? trimmed the strawberry red Rosebud egg with rows of diamonds. Gold laurel swags that are pendants from rosecut diamonds and wreaths, Cupid's arrows and ribbons embellish the egg. A miniature of Czar Nicholas II surmounts the egg, and the year is set in the base beneath a diamond.

   This egg, which cost 3,250 rubles, was kept in the Study of Empress Alexandra at the Winter Palace. It is interesting to note that of all of the Eggs of the Empress Alexandra, only a few were kept with her at the Alexander Palace, where she actually lived. It appears that eggs with references to family members, or with "Russian" themes were kept with her, while more arcane subjects were relegated to the Winter Palace, which she rarely visited.

   The egg was transferred to Moscow in 1917 along with the other eggs at the Winter Palace, and by 1925 had been slated for sale through Antikvariat. The egg was sold to Emanuel Snowman of Wartski, and by 1935 was owned by Charles Parsons who exhibited it with its surprises. The egg was then sold to Henry Talbot DeVere Clifton. During this period, it is rumored that the egg was hurled by Mr. Clifton at his wife, and so for years, it was rumored destroyed. But in 1985, repaired and missing its surprises, the egg appeared with the Fine Art Society in London, and was sold to the Forbes collection.

   After eighty years of exile this egg has been returned home thanks to Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, Chairman of board of directors of Open Society "Sual-holding" who has purchased it from successors to Malcolm Forbes and has made it accessible to the Russian citizens. Sale of the Forbes' collection from Sotheby's auction in the beginning of 2004 could make objects channel off in separate collections and countries. Purchasing of the whole collection by V. Vekselberg before the advertised bidding is unprecedented in auction practice.

   The egg opens to reveal a hinged yellow rosebud. The bud in turn originally contained two tiny surprises, a miniature replica of the Imperial crown, representing Alexandra's new life as the Empress of Russia, and a ruby egg pendant hanging within it. The rosebus is another symbol of the couple's love for one another. For the homesick young girl, the egg was also a reminder of her native country of Germany, where the golden yellow rose is the most prized color.

   Like the almost identical crown and pendant of the first imperial egg, these two surprises were separated from the egg before it was sold by the Soviet government in the 1920s; their present whereabouts are unknown. An old photograph from the Faberg? archives shows the Egg with the three surprises.

[Bart]

Mauve Enamel Egg (egg lost)
 
Date 1898 - Provenance: Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna

The 1897 Mauve Egg, also known as Mauve Egg with 3 miniatures, was probably made of gold and mauve enamel.

Research in the Russian State Historical Archives in Moscow shows that the surprise in the Mauve Egg was heart-shaped and there is a strong suggestion that it may be the heart-shaped frame included in the Forbes Magazine Collection, (now Vekselberg Foundation). The frame is set with the date 1897 in rose-cut diamonds and opens as a three-leaf clover with each leave holding a photograph, Nicholas II, Alexandra Fyodorovna and their baby daughter Grand Duchess Olga.

There is no mention of the Mauve Egg in either the 1917 or 1922 inventories of confiscated Imperial treasure. This suggests the Egg had been removed before 1917, perhaps by Maria Fyodorovna herself.

A Faberg? "ornament" was lent by Grand Duchess Xenia, daughter of Maria Fyodorovna, in the 1935 Exhibition of "Russian Art" at Belgrave Square in London. The exhibition catalog mentions an "Easter Egg; miniature of Empress Alexandra and Grand Duchess Olga". Nicholas II was not mentioned.

   If this miniature frame is indeed the surprise from the 1897 Mauve Egg, the fact that the date is marked on the surprise and not on the Egg itself, could be an explanation why the "early Eggs" were not dated. It is possible that the surprises in those Eggs were dated.

   In 1978 the heart surprise was sold by Christie's (Geneva) to the Forbes Magazine Collection, New York.        2004 - Sold by the Forbes' family to the Vekselberg.

[Bart]

1899 Pansy Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna


   The 1899 Pansy Egg, formerly known as "Spinach Jade Egg", is made of nephrite, silver-gilt, diamonds, white, red, green and opaque violet enamel.

   This egg stands on an bunch of golden twisted leaves from which stem five flowers and five buds of pansy enameled in violet in various nuances. The top part of the egg can be opened to reveal the surprise.

   In 1930 one of the ten Eggs sold by the Antikvariat to the Hammer Galleries, New York. 1947 First Egg bought from the Hammer Galleries by Matilda Geddings Gray, oil heiress, New Orleans, Louisiana. Given to her niece, Mrs. Matilda Gray Stream of New Orleans, Louisiana as a wedding anniversary present. The Pansy Egg is one of the few significant Imperial Eggs to remain in a private collection.

   The heart surprise is made of varicolored gold, diamonds, rose-cut diamonds, pearls, strawberry enamel, white enamel and mother of pearl.

   It is a gold tripod on which is located an heart lined in diamonds and surmonted by the imperial crown with eleven scarlet medallions decorated with monograms. By pressing a button the tiny medallions are all opened, and portraits of each member of imperial family become visible.

   Reading vertically, those in the front row are: Tsarevich George Alexandrovich, younger brother of the Tsar, and Grand Duke Alexander Michailovich, husband of the Grand duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, the Tsar's sister. In the second row are: Tsar Nicholas II and Princess Irina, daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Michailovich and Grand Duchess Xenia. In the third row are: Grand Duchess Olga Nicolaievna, the first daughter of the Tsar and Tsarina, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nicolaievna, their second daughter, and Grand duke Michael Alexandrovich, the youngest brother of the Tsar. In the fourth row are: The Tsarina and Prince Andrew Alexandrovich, brother of Princess Irina. And in the fifth row are the Grand Duchesses Olga and Xenia Alexandrovna, sisters of the Tsar. The heart miniature is backed with mother of pearl.

[Bart]

1901 Basket of Wildflowers Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

   The 1901 Flower Basket Egg, also known as Basket of Wild Flowers Egg, is made of silver, parcel-gilt, opalescent oyster and (later) dark blue enamel, rose-cut diamonds, green gold, and opaque multicolored enamels for the flowers.

   In the form of a flower basket, this silver Egg's body is covered with opalescent oyster enamel and applied with a trellis-work in rose-cut diamonds. The date, 1901, is also in rose-cut diamonds. The foot of this egg is now dark blue enamel. A beautiful composition of wildflowers sits in green gold thread moss. The flowers are made of gold and are covered with a variety of colors of enamel, including pink, white, dark-blue, orange and mauve. The basket is finished with a diamond-set handle.



An old photograph (1902) exists on which the entire body of this Egg was white enamel. It is assumed that the foot was restored after the Russian Revolution and changed from white to dark-blue.

   In 1933 the Basket of Flowers Egg was sold by the Antikvariat to an unrecorded buyer, probably Emanuel Snowman of Wartski, or Michel Norman of the Australian Pearl Company. In 1933 acquired by Queen Mary, UK. 1953 inherited by Queen Elizabeth II, UK.


   It is not known if there was a surprise with this Egg. The original Faberg? invoice mentions "pearls" and since there are no pearls on the Egg, they probably were connected to the surprise. A broche or a string of pearls perhaps in some way attached to the Egg?

[Bart]

1901 Gatchina Palace Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna

   Continuing a practice initiated by his father, Alexander III, Czar Nicholas II (1868-1918) presented this egg to his mother, Maria Feodorovna, on Easter Day in 1901. Faberg?'s revival of eighteenth-century techniques, including the application of multiple layers of translucent enamel over guilloche (1) or mechanically engraved gold, is demonstrated in the shell of the egg. The Faberge workmaster was Mikhail Perkhin and the cost was 5,000 rubles.

   The Egg is divided into twelve panels by lines of pearls. Portrait diamonds are set at either end, but the monogram and the year of presentation, which were probably set beneath them, have been removed. The gold Egg is enameled opalescent white over a guilloche ground, under painted in a delicate design of green and gold leaves, pink roses and red ribbons tied into a variety of bows.

   The Dowager Empress Alexandra Fedorovna lent it to a charity exhibition that was held in the Don Vervis mansion in 1902. It can be seen in photographs of this exhibition published in Niva. It was later kept in the Anichkov Palace. The egg was bought by Henry Walters from the emigree dealer Alexandre Polovtsoff in 1930. Polovtsoff had been the curator of the Stieglitz Museum of Industrial At before the Revolution and had remained in St Petersburg trying to protect the Pavlosk and Gatchina Palaces during the upheavals. How Polovtsoff had been able to get the egg to Paris remains unknown. It was first described in the Walters superintendent's log as " One egg in white enamel with a ring of little pearls, one missing, Modern."



   When opened, the egg reveals a miniature replica of the Gatchina Palace, the Dowager Empress's principal residence outside St. Petersburg. So meticulously did Faberg?'s work-master, Mikhail Perkhin, execute the palace that one can discern such details as cannons, a flag, a statue of Czar Paul I (1754-1801), and elements of the landscape, including parterres and trees.

   The miniature palace is fixed inside the Egg and cannot be removed from it, unlike the 1908 Alexander Palace Egg, which Faberg? would create seven years later for Alexandra Fyodorovna.

   The village Gatchina was a small sleeping village when Catherine II (Catherine the Great) decided to build a palace there for her lover, Grigori Orlov, who helped her to the thrown after a coup in which Catherine's husband (Peter III) was killed. Work started in 1766 and Catherine was constantly overseeing the works.

   After Orlov died, Catherine bought the palace from his heirs and gave it to her son Paul Petrovich. Paul hated the idea that Gatchina was build for the murderer of his father, but nevertheless he become fond of the Palace. The Gatchina Palace was abandoned by Paul's son, Alexander I but was used again by Nicholas I, who build two new quarters. The Tsars Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II used the palace from time to time but did not change much on the exterior.

[Bart]

1902 Clover Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

   This simple pattern of stems and leaves of clover makes the shape of an egg. It seems to be woven of very tiny golden threads which span a very expressive picture. The gaps between the metal outline of leaves are covered with transparent bright green enamel. A very thin golden ribbon paved with rubies curls here or there through the rich foliage. The transparent enamel was a new method in art. It was very difficult to create it. Usually the artist used a very steady alloy of enamel because having no support the enamel could crack while being fired or while cooling. You see how the work with enamel in this masterpiece is perfect. There are no bubbles or cracks in the enamel. This egg is considered one of the finest examples of the jeweler's art anywhere in the world.



   The "surprise" of the egg had been lost but according to the archives four leaves with 23 diamonds and 4 portrait miniatures of the emperor's daughters were fixed inside the egg. These leaves are the symbol of the happy marriage of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna. Little clips inside the Egg probably held the surprise in place, much like the 1914 Mosaic Egg.

[Bart]

1903 Danish Jubilee Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna - Whereabouts Unknown



   The 1903 Royal Danish Egg, also known as Danish Silver Jubilee Egg, is made of gold, light-blue and opalescent white enamel and probably watercolor on ivory. The Egg is, together with the 1909 Alexander III commemorative Egg, only known from an early photograph.



   This gold Egg is surmounted by a Danish Royal Elephant and supported by three Danish heraldic lions. The Egg contains a double-sided miniature screen on a stand, showing portraits of King Christian IX on one side and Queen Louise on the other. Each miniature is surmounted by a diamond crown and initial.

   This Egg is one of the 8 that disappeared but it is known by a description and drawings and other information in the collection of Faberg? expert Tatiana Faberg?. Amongst this information is a description of the Egg written by H.C. Bainbridge, the manager of the Faberg?-owned shop in London. His description was published by "The Connoisseur" magazine in June 1934:

   "Miniatures of the late King of Denmark and his Queen are framed as the surprise feature in the Imperial egg. The outer surface is in light blue and white enamel with ornaments in gold and precious stones. On the top are the armorial bearings of the Danish Royal Family, and it is supported by Danish heraldic lions."



   The Egg on its pedestal stand is over 9 inches in height, one of the largest that Faberg? made. It is crowned by the symbol of Denmark's ancient Order of the Elephant. Thought to have been founded by King Knut IV in the 12th century, the order was re-established by King Christian I in 1464.

   When Britain 's Prince of Wales - the future King Edward IIV - married Denmark's Princess Alexandra - daughter of King Christian IX - the Order of the Elephant was awarded to several members of the British royal family. In Denmark it was the symbol of absolute rule. The icon was a castle on the back of an elephant. Astride the elephant is his mahout. It is interesting to note that this symbol was so successful for Faberg? that it was incorporated into many other objects d'art made by the workshops as well as in some other Eggs.

   In 1903 the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna, born the Danish Princess Dagmar - the daughter of king Christian IX - returned to Denmark for the 40th Anniversary of her father's accession to the throne. The Egg that Tsar Nicholas presented to his Mother as her Easter gift in 1903 was a commemoration of that event and at he same time to commemorate the death of Queen Louise at Bernsdorff Castle, five years earlier. Her son Tsar Nicholas II wrote in a letter to her in Copenhagen: "I am sending you a Faberg? Easter present. I hope it will arrive safely; it simply opens from the top".

   Maria's parents were very popular throughout Europe in those days. One of their daughters was Queen of England and the other Tsarina of Russia. Their son was the King of Greece and a grandson King of Norway!

   The Royal Danish Egg presumably returned to Russia with Maria Fyodorovna. However, if the Dowager Empress decided to leave it in Copenhagen, interesting possibilities as to its fate are opened up.

[Bart]

1903 Chanticleer Egg

Presented by Alexander III to Czarina Maria Fyodorovna

   The second largest Faberg? egg known, this egg recalls "singing bird" snuffboxes popular in Switzerland in the early 19th century.

   A rooster emerges from under the grille at the top, bobbing its head, flapping its wings, and crowing the hour. A similar Faberg? creation in pink enamel is also recorded. It is not certain which of the two was actually made for the imperial family and which for another wealthy client.

[Solomon]

Absolute perfection is perhaps the most rare of all commodities in this world and the Faberg? eggs are, to my mind, in that exclusive category.

The cultural affinity between France and Imperial Russia is also interesting. Many French craftsmen moved to Russia in order to exploit this.

I had a number of close connections with Imperial Russia. One was a French lady who, in her youth, worked as a nanny to a Russian aristocratic family in Saint Petersburg. She married an English doctor and her son became a RAF pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain and was killed later in the war. She had a marvellous collection of jewellery from Russia, including a bejewelled silver scimitar which she bequeathed to me.


I also knew Count Felix Felix Sumarokov-Elston, Prince Yussupov, who took part in the assassination of Grigori Rasputin, as an agent of British Intelligence. After the Russian Revolution, he escaped to live in Paris.

Solomon

[Bart]

1906 Swan Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria

   In Russia, the swan is considered a symbol of family life and the permanence of the bond of marriage. Czar Nicholas II presented this egg to his mother, for Easter 1906, the year of her 40th wedding anniversary.



   This golden egg, enamelled in sky translucent-mauve, is decorated with a trellis of ribbons encrusted in brilliants and with a diamond set at each end. The top, designed to conceal the division when closed, is surmounted by a large portrait diamond covering the year, "1906". Another large portrait diamond is set at the base where a monogram probably once appeared. It bears the unabridged signature of Faberg? and the assay mark of Jakov Ljaounov, Saint Petersburg.



   It conceals a surprise: in a basket dressed with garlands of flowers in three colours of gold (white, yellow and pink), an aquamarine supports a miniature swan in finely dressed platinum, with enamelled eyes and beak. When the mechanism is activated, the swan advances and starts to spread its wings, moving its feet and rump; the head and neck rise up proudly and then come down again. In 1940 the "mechanical swan on an aquamarine lake" was so highly regarded that it was quoted as being worth more than $ 100.000.

   In 1927 the Swan Egg was one of the nine eggs sold by the Antikvariat in Moscow to Wartski in London. In 1933 sold to Charles Parsons, London. 1939 sold by the Hammer Galleries in New York on behalf of Charles Parsons, to King Farouk of Egypt. In 1954 sold by Sotheby's Cairo by the new Egyptian government ordered "King Farouk sale" to A La Veille Russie, New York. Sold by them to Dr. Maurice Sandoz, chemicals magnate in Switzerland. 1958 Collection of the late Dr. Maurice Sandoz, 1977, Collection Edouard and Maurice Sandoz, Switzerland. 1995 Fondation Eduourd et Mourice Sandoz, Lausanne, Switzerland.

[Bart]

1907 Rose Trellis Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna



   Its name refers to the "Trellises" of diamonds that criss-cross its surface. After the death of Alexander III, his son Czar Nicholas II carried on the tradition of giving a jewelled egg to the Czarina, Alexandra Fyodorovna. The background has a machine-turned, all-over textured pattern in transparent light green enamel. The trellis, set with rose-cut diamonds, contours the egg and is topped by a large diamond. In between the trellis are roses enameled in shades of pink, with vinelike branches in gold and leaves of dark green enamel.

   This beautiful gold Easter egg is enameled in translucent pale green and latticed with rose-cut diamonds and decorated with opaque light and dark pink enamel roses and emerald green leaves. A portrait diamond is set at either end of this Egg, the one at the base covering the date "1907". Unfortunately the monogram, that probably was under the portrait diamond at the other end, has now disappeared.

   Originally the Egg contained an oval jeweled locket in which the surprise was hidden. Only the impression on the satin lining now remains. Research indicates the surprise was a diamond chain with a watercolor miniature of the little Tsarevich Alexei, painted on ivory.

[Bart]

1907 Cradle with Garlands Egg (or Love Trophy Egg)

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna

   This gold Egg in the Louis XVI style, is enameled translucent pale blue and decorated with a band composed of painted enamel roses and translucent emerald green enameled leaves, panels of oyster enamel and bands of scrolls and acanthus in colored gold. The Egg is supported in a gold cradle by four columns modeled as love trophies with Cupid's sets of arrows set with diamonds. The whole is supported on a carved oval white onyx base and stands on four bun feet in chased colored gold.


   The now missing surprise was made of white enamel, ruby, pearls, rose-cut diamonds, watercolor (possibly on ivory), probably gold. According to the original invoice the surprise was a miniature of all the imperial children.

Private Collection, Robert M. Lee, USA - Value $3,100,000

[Bart]

   It seems somewhat natural that one would tire of viewing the same sort of art objects after a while. Not so with Faberge, each one out-does the preceding by virtue of originality, subject, and beauty. The mystique of their history, indeed, every aspect of them combine to inspire the awe. - Bart

1908 Alexander Palace Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

  This egg is carved from Siberian nephrite (1), and celebrates Czar Nicholas II's five children. It is adorned with five miniature watercolour portraits of the children of emperor Nicholas II (the portrait shown on the picture is their daughter Anastasia) and contains a replica of Alexander Palace at Tzarskoye Selo. The upper and lower sections of the egg are set with triangular diamonds bearing the initial A.F. (Alexandra Fyodorovna) and golden leaves and flowers composed of rubies and diamonds.



   The remainder of the egg's surface is divided by five vertical lines, studded with diamonds and connected with one another by gold garlands inlaid with rose and ruby flowers. In the spaces between the vertical lines are the five miniature oval portraits of emperor Nicholas II's children, framed in rose-cut diamonds, with a diamond monogram above each of them. Two gold branches tied into a bow rest beneath each child's portrait. Inside the egg, on the reverse side of each portrait, is engraved the birth date of the person represented, framed by two branches tied into a bow: "Olga" - November 3, 1895; "Tatiana" - May 29, 1897; "Maria" - June 14, 1899; "Anastasia" - June 5, 1901; "Alexei" - July 30, 1904.



   The stand for the egg was made in 1989 at the Moscow experimental jewellery factory by S. Bugrov from a sketch by T.D. Zharkova. The original stand had been lost.

 When opened, the egg reveals a tiny detailed replica of Alexander Palace, the Imperial family's favourite residence at Tsarskoye Selo, and its adjoining gardens. Built in 1769 by Catherine the Great, the palace later became the principal residence of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. It is executed in tinted gold and enamel, with windows of rock crystal; the roof is enamelled in light green. The model is secured on a round pedestal with five high narrow legs, connected at the bottom. The inscription "The Palace at Tsarskoye Selo", enclosed in a laurel wreath, is engraved on the base.

History:

   The Invoice reads: "Nephrite egg with gold incrustations, 54 rubies and 1805 rose-cut diamonds, design with 2 diamonds and 5 miniatures of the Imperial children, containing a representation of the Alexander Palace in gold. St. Petersburg, 2 May 1908. 12,300 roubles."

   1908-1917 - Kept in the Mauve Room of the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo.

   1917 - Confiscated by Kerensky's provisional government, along with other treasures, and taken from the Anichkov Palace to the Moscow Kremlin Armoury.

   1922 - One of the items on the list of confiscated treasures transferred from the Anichkov Palace to the Sovnarkom: "1 nephrite egg with gold ornamentation, 2 diamonds and rose-cut diamonds, containing a model of the Tsarskoselskii [Alexander] Palace."

   The Alexander Palace egg was never sold by Antikvariat to the West and remained in Russia.

[Bart]

1908 Peacock Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna

   The Two Egg halves are each with a heavily chase silver-gilt rococo mount. Both engraved, one with the crowned monogram of Maria Fyodorovna and the other with the date, 1908.

   The Peacock Egg is not often seen publicly. Only 5 times it was exhibited, the last time in 1992.



   Within the Egg, a mechanical gold enameled peacock sits in the branches of an engraved gold tree with flowers in enamel and precious stones. the peacock can be lifted from the tree and wound up. Placed on a flat surface, she struts proudly around, moving her head and spreads en closes her varicolored enamel tail from time to time.

   The maker of the peacock, Dorofeiev, worked, including on the prototypes, three years to make it!

   The concept for the Peacock Egg is derived from the famous 18th century Peacock Clock by James Cox, originally housed in the Winter Palace, now the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

[Bart]

1909 The Standart Yacht Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

   Sailing on the clear rock crystal oval base representing the sea, inside this egg, is a replica of the royal yacht, the Standart - reproduced to the last detail - where many happy days were spent together. The crystal egg is horizontally mounted in gold and bears the inscription "Standart 1909" on the edge of the mount.



   A gold band, with inlaid leaves of green enamel and small diamonds, lines the perimeter of the egg. The bottom half of the egg is decorated with a vertical gold band with inlaid designs. A crowned eagle of lapis lazuli is perched on either side of the egg; a pear-shaped pearl hangs from each of them. The shaft consists of two lapislazuli dolphins with intertwined tails. The oval base is of quartz crystal with a wide base of white enamel inlaid with laurel garlands and bands of small diamonds with laurel branches in green enamel.

   The ca. 5,500 ton yacht Standart was commissioned by Alexander III in Copenhagen. It was first launched in 1895 and was 116 meters long, making it the largest yacht in the world at that time. It had thirty rooms, and a stable for a cow to ensure the imperial children of fresh milk! The yacht took the imperial family on frequent sorties along the Baltic and the Finnish coasts.

   Faberg? differed wery much from all the other jewelers of the period. Where they were only interested in large gemstones, Karl Faberg? was interested in the ultimate effect that a piece would have, a lasting effect so that every time you looked at a particular object, you would have this great sense of sheer enjoyment and pleasure from it.

[Bart]

Solomon;

" a bejewelled silver scimitar which she bequeathed to me ". If it is not an inconvenience, a photo of the scimitar would be most appreciated.

Thank you!

- Bart

[Bart]

1910 Alexander III Equestrian Monument Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna



gold, platinum, diamonds, lapis lazuli, rock crystal

height 15,5 cm (6"1/8)



   This egg egg is carved out of rock-quartz crystal, engraved with two tied laurel leaf sprays, the upper half cloaked with platinum trelliswork and a tasseled fringe, two consoles shaped as double-headed eagles set with rose-cut diamonds. A large diamond surmounts the egg and is engraved with the year "1910". The diamond is set in band of small roses, with a rosette border of platinum acanthus leaves. The two platinum double-headed eagles on the sides of the egg have diamond crowns. The surface of the egg between the eagles is engraved with branching patterns which are adjoined at the bottom.

   The abundant use of platinum in this Egg may be misleading; platinum was in Russia at that time not regarded with the esteem reserved for gold. The Egg has no official state mark because platinum had no hallmark in Russia at that time.

   The lower hemisphere of the egg serves as a platform for the gold model of a statue of Tsar Alexander III, after Peter Troubetzkoi (1866-1938), standing on a nephrite base embellished with two rose-cut diamond bands - engraved signature Faberg?, and is supported by cast platinum cherubs coiled into position on a base of crystal.

   The enormous original statue of Alexander III, ordered by the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna, on which the miniature is based, was made by Trubetskoi and unveiled in 1909.

[Bart]

1911 Orange Tree Egg (or Bay Tree Egg)

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna



gold, enamel, nephrite (1), diamonds, citrines, amethysts, rubies, pearls, agate, feathers

height 29,8 cm (11"3/4)



   This egg brings us back to one of Faberg?'s greatest works. Presented to Dowager Empress Marie by Nicholas II, this egg brings together the best of the automaton skill learned in the Lily of the valley egg and the Cockerel Egg, but combines it with the ability to reference eighteenth century objects without copying them. Based on a mechanical tubbed Bay Tree of Eighteenth century origin by the French jeweler and clockmaker, Richard, the egg also references a similar piece which was in the collection of Dowager Empress Marie, and her sister Queen Alexandra of Great Britain at the home they shared, "Hvid?re" in their native Denmark.



   The design of the Orange Tree Imperial Easter Egg differs from the other examples. The Romanov court avidly imitated French fashions of every type. This elegant object was inspired by Eighteenth Century French music boxes in the shape of orange trees. The egg, composed of a Louis XVI style planter from which grows a bay tree with finely engraved nephrite (1) leaves, citrine, amethyst, ruby and champagne diamond 'berries' and white enamel flowers with diamond-set pistils.

   In the case of this magnificent work, the foliage of the tree forms the egg shape, in fact quite round rather than ovate, which rests on a trunk that stands in a nephrite base with four nephrite posts at the corners connected by swags of green enamel leaves and pearl. The quartz tub is applied with gold trellis and green laurel swags suspended from rubies filled with hammered gold soil.



   Created at a cost of 12,800 rubles, it was the most expensive egg to date. Removed from the Anitchkov palace, this egg was sent to SovNarKom in 1922, and sold to Wartski in 1927. Sold by Wartski in 1934 to Allan Hughes for 950 pounds, it was bought back by Wartski in 1939. It appears in public for the first time when it was sold by Sotheby's London on July 10, 1947 for 1,650 GBP, and passed through several owners until being acquired by Forbes in 1965 for $35,000.

   Like the other Faberg? Eggs, the Orange Tree Egg also has a secret. The surprise concealed within this tree is a little mechanical bird, covered in real feathers. If the correct "orange" is turned, a portion of the foliage at the top of the tree rises and a feathered nightingale emerges singing while moving its head, wings, and beak. A small bellows inside produce the sweet song of the feathered bird as the entire tree revolves on its trunk. When the melody ends, the bird disappears automatically.

   This charming and graceful work, must have pleased the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna when she received it on Easter morning in 1911 - she turned the correct gemstone "orange" and the little bird emerged singing.

   The Egg was confiscated by the Provisional Government in 1917 and transferred from the Anchikov Palace to the Kremlin. It was one of nine eggs sold by Antikvariat to Emanuel Snowman of Wartski around 1927. It has since passed through the hands of five different owners and was sold by Mrs .Mildred Kaplan to Malcolm Forbes in 1965. 2004 sold by the Forbes' family to the Vekselberg Foundation/The Link of Times-Collection, Russia.

[Bart]

1912 Czarevich Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

lapis lazuli, gold, platinum, diamonds, ivory

height 12,5 x 8,9 cm (4"15/16 x 3"1/2) - frame 9,5 x 5,7 cm (3"3/4 x 2"1/4)



   This Louis XV cagework style egg was fashioned in lapis-lazuli and ornamented with with gold tracery of shells, scrolls, baskets of flowers, and putti. It was topped with a tabletop diamond showing the initials of the Czarina, the Imperial crown, and the year (1912). The bottom is set with a large diamond.



   The surprise inside is the Russian double-headed Imperial eagle, covered front and back with diamonds, with a miniature enamelled protrait of the Czarevich Alexei Nicholaevich on the eagle's chest. The reverse side of the miniature shows the back of the seven year old Alexei. The miniature is not signed and comparing the beauty of the Egg and the poor quality of the picture, it is assumed that the original painting got lost and was replaced by the present one.

   It wasn't very well known, of course - the Imperial family kept it very quiet - that the Czarevich had hemophilia. He was dying; he was very close to death, so close that the Imperial Court had already written out his death notice. But Alexei survived, and Faberg? designed a special tribute. The Czarevich egg was Alexandra's most cherished.

[Bart]

1912 Napoleonic Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna

gold, enamel, diamonds, platinum, ivory, velvet, silk

height: 11,7 cm (4"5/8)



New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana, USA (Gray Collection)



   This egg commemorates the centenary of Russia's victory over the armies of Napoleon, and in particular the victory at Borodino, in 1812. Double-headed eagles and battle trophies embellish the green shell. Like enormous history-painting cycles from earlier centuries, the Napoleonic Egg celebrates past royal glories while appealing to Russian patriotism at a time when the Romanov dynasty once again faced the uncertainties of war.

   The Napoleonic Egg is one of only two Imperial Easter Eggs for which design drawings have so far been found, the other being the 1909 Standart Egg.

   Maria served as honorary colonel for the six regiments depicted in watercolor, and her monogram decorates the back of each panel. These panels, signed Vasilii Zuiev and dated 1912, form a screen whose hinges are ax-topped fasces, a warlike emblem in use since Roman times.



   In 1930 the Napoleonic Egg was one of the ten Eggs sold to the Hammer Galleries, New York. 1937 was in a private collection. 1951 owned by Matilda Geddings Gray, oil-heiress. 1971 Collection of the late Matilda Geddings Gray, 1972 Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation, New Orleans Museum of Art, USA.

[Bart]

  1913 Tercentenary of Romanoff's House Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

gold, silver, steel, diamonds, turquoise, rock crystal, purpurine, ivory

height 7"1/2 (19 dia 7,8 cm)



   During the reign of Nicholas II, the 300th anniversary of the rule of the Romanov Dynasty was celebrated in 1913 with great ceremony and opulence. This Easter Egg commemorates this event.



   The decoration shows a rich use of elements of state symbolism. The gold egg, faced with white transparent enamel on a guilloche (1) ground, is decorated with applied stamped two-headed eagles, royal crowns and wreaths and eighteen miniature portraits (see) of the czars of the House of Romanov, from Michael Fyodorovich, to Catherine the Great, to Nicholas II. These are in round diamond frames, painted in watercolor on ivory by the artist Vassily I. Zuev. The white enameled shell of this egg is nearly obscured by over eleven hundred diamonds and golden symbols of royal order.

   A large diamond bearing the dates "1613" and "1913" is secured at the top of the egg, while a large triangular diamond fixed to the bottom end covers the monogram "A.F." The egg rests upon a threefold heraldic eagle, symbolizing the power and glory of Russia and Romanoff's Dynasty, which in turn stands on a circular base of purple, imitating a state shield. The base is constructed of purpurine, decorated with small enamel patterns, and secured on three supports cast in the shape of flattened pellets.

   Traditionally, the egg held a surprise, which would become visible when the hinged lid was opened. Here, the interior of the lid is decorated with a delightful illustration in white opalescent enamel on a ground carved with guilloche ornament. A rotating globe is attached to the inside of the egg; it is made of burnished blue steel, imitating the sea. The land on the globe is executed in gold of several colors. The globe consists of two northern hemispheres. One half shows the territory of Russia at the end of 1613, the date of accession to the throne of the first Romanov Czar, Mikhail Feodorovich. The other shows the territory of the Russian Empire in 1913, under Nicholas II.

   The creative fantasy of the artists of the Faberg? firm was unparalleled. In this example, a significant historical theme has been given splendid artistic expression. One of the most important events in the history of the royal family and in Russian life at the beginning of the 20th century has been preserved in the form of a jeweled souvenir, yet the work's historical significance has not diminished its artistic expressiveness.

[Bart]

1913 Winter Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna

white topaz (=rock-crystal), 2,676 rose-diamonds, 360 brilliants, topaz, platinum, nephrite

overall height 14,2 cm (5"5/8) - height of the egg 10,2cm (4") - height of the surprise 8,2cm (3")

   On a rock-crystal base formed as a block of melting ice, applied with platinum-mounted rose-diamond rivulets, the hinged rock-crystal detachable egg held vertically above by a pin and with rose-diamond set platinum borders, graduated around the hinge and enclosing in the top a cabochon moonstone painted on the reverse with the date 1913, the thinly carved transparent body of the egg finely engraved on the interior to simulate ice crystals, the outside further engraved and applied in carved channels with similar rose-diamond set platinum motifs, opening vertically.



   The surprise is a platinum double-handled trelliswork basket, set with rose-diamonds and full of wood anemones, suspended from a platinum hook, each flower realistically carved from a single piece of white quartz with gold wire stem and stamens, the centre set with a demantoid garnet, some carved half open or in a bud, the leaves delicately carved in nephrite, emerging from a bed of gold moss, thebase of the basket engraved in Roman letters "Faberg? 1913".



   The Winter Egg was the most expensive egg - it costed just under 25,000 rubles, or about $12,500 (of 1913). The Winter Egg was in 1927 one of the nine Imperial Eggs sold by the Antikvariat to Emanuel snowman of Wartski, London. 1934 sold to lord Alington, London. 1935 Owner anonym. 1848 owned by the late Sir Bernard Eckstein, UK. 1949 sold by Sotheby's London to a. bryan Ledbrook, UK. Disappeared around 1975 after Mr. Ledbrook died. 1994 located in a London safe. November 1994 sold by Christie's Geneva on behalf of a trust to a telephone bidder, acting for a US buyer. 2002 sold by Christie's New York to a bidder acting for the Emir of Qatar.

[Bart]

1914 Mosaic Egg



gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, topazes, sapphires, garnets, pearls, enamel

Height: 9,5 cm (height miniature: 7,9 cm)

   This beautiful Easter Egg consists of a system of yellow gold belts, to which ia applied a platinum network partially pav?-set with diamonds and colored gems, including sapphires, rubies, emeralds, topaz quartz and green garnets in flower patterns. This technique gives the look of petit point tapestry work, partly completed. It is divided into five oval panels set with half-pearls within lines of opaque white enamel. Five brilliant diamonds are set at each intersection. The Egg is further decorated by grilles of rose-cut diamond scrolls and the rounder end is set with a moonstone through which may be seen the gold initials of the tsarina in russian characters, inlaid in an opaque, pale pink enameled plaque serving as a foil.



   The design books of Albert Holstrom record the central motif of the panels in a brooch dated 24 July 1913. The design is by Alma Theresia Pihl, daughter of Faberge's workmaster Oskar Pihl.



   The surprise is a jewelled and enamelled miniature frame painted with the profiles in camaieu brun of the five Imperial children on an opalescent pink enamel ground surrounded by green enamel husk and pearls, surmounted by an Imperial crown set with rose diamonds.



   The reverse is enamelled with the names of the imperial children, a vase of flowers, and the date "1914". The oval base with vase-shaped white enamel stem is set with rose diamonds, emeralds, and two suspended pearls. The surprise is concealed inside and held in place by two gold clips

[Bart]

1914 Catherine the Great Egg (or Grisaille Egg,
or Cameo Egg)

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna

   This Egg may best represent the height of Faberg?'s career, expressions in miniature of the life of Imperial privilege. Henrik Wigstr?m, Faberg?'s last head workmaster, created this egg for Nicholas II to present to his mother, Maria Fyodorovna, on Easter morning in 1914. Vasilii Zuev, a designer employed by the firm, painted the monochrome in cameo style (en cama?eu) pink enamel panels with miniature allegorical scenes of the arts and sciences after French artist Fran?ois Boucher. It was kept at Maria's favorite Anichkov Palace and it was inspired by the opulent embellishments of the palace interior, where many of the ceilings are painted en grisaille.



   The Faberg? skill with mechanics is revealed in the automatons - wind-up figures, such as Catherine the Great's sedan chair, that strut their way out of the eggs. To feature Catherine the Great, who prided herself on being a patron of the arts and sciences, as part of the surprise is certainly in keeping with this elaborate egg's style and imagery.
According to a letter from Maria Fyodorovna to her sister, Queen Alexandra of England, the surprise was incredibly beautiful:

   "Mr. Faberg? himself has brought me this most beautiful egg. Inside is a sedan chair carried by two Africans with Catherine the Great in it. And she has a little crown on her head. You wind it up and the two Africans walk. Can you imagine?"

   By the time Armand Hammer acquired the egg in 1930 from the Antikvariat (the Soviet agency that supervised Russian art sales), the surprise had been lost. Marjorie Merriweather Post received the egg from her daughter Eleanor in 1931.



   (N.B. the "sedan chairs" here represented are not the one constituing the surprise of Catherine Egg, but it can give you an idea of what it could be like. This one was also made by Faberg?, and belongs to Forbes' Collection). For a long time it was thought that the picture at right, a mechanical chair from the Forbes' Magazine Collection (now The Link of Times-Collection), was the surprise from the Catherine the Great Egg. However when the Manager of the Hillwood Museum came to the New York auction with the Egg, it was a big disappointment to everyone that the surprise did not fit into the Egg en therefore was n?t the long lost surprise.

[Bart]

1915  Red Cross Egg with Triptych 

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

gold, silver, enamel, glass

Height: 8,6 cm (3"3/8)

   When India Early Minshall purchased this egg in 1944, she had already written "The Story of My Russian Cabinet", noting, "Faberg? was called the Cellini of the North, but I do not think any jeweler can ever be compared to him." Wartime economy prevailed in the making of this austere jewel in 1915. Its severe red crosses are embellished with portraits of Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana. Like their mother, Czarina Alexandra (for whom the egg was made), the two girls were active in the Red Cross during the First World War.

   The two miniature portraits of the two Grand Duchesses are probably by the court painter Vasilii Zuiev, who painted the miniatures for the companion Red Cross Portraits Egg. This is one of the few Tsar Imperial Easter Eggs that opens vertically. The 1913 Winter Egg is another.

   Inside the egg, the central scene is the Harrowing of Hell, the Orthodox representation of the Resurrection, i.e. thr Christ awakening the dead after the Resurrection. Saint Olga, the founder of Christianity in Russia is represented on the left wing of the triptych. The martyr Saint Tatiana is on the right. The interior miniatures are executed by Adrian Prachow, who specialized in icons. The remaining two panels of the doors are inscribed with the crown monogram of the tsarina, and the other one with the year "1915". Czar Nicholas, engaged in the war effort at the front, was unable to present the egg personally to the czarina.

[Bart]

1915 Red Cross Egg with Imperial Portraits

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna

gold, silver, enamel, mother of pearl, ivory, diamonds, rock cristal, pearl

height 3" x 2"3/8 (7,7 x 6 cm)

When World War I broke out in 1914, the trouble that had loomed at the edge of the Romanov's awareness began to penetrate the protective shell of imperial privilege. In response to the suffering of their people, and in an attempt to present an image of patriotism and concerned involvement, Alexandra enrolled herself and her older daughters in nurses' training and had the palaces converted into provisional hospitals to care for the increasing number of wounded.

Meanwhile, the Czar spent more and more time at the front with his armies. Alexandra wrote daily to her husband:

20 November 1914. "This morning we were present (I help as always giving the instruments and Olga threaded the needles) at our first big amputation. Whole leg was cut off. I washed and cleaned and bandaged all up."
25 November 1915. "During an operation a soldier died. Olga and Tatiana behaved well; none lost their heads and the girls were brave. They had never seen death. But he died in a minute. How near death always is."

At that time, there was great hope that Russia would yet prevail in the war, and Faberg? was asked to continue the tradition of Imperial Easter eggs. But to match the solemn mood of the nation and reflect the noble efforts of the family, Faberg? wisely altered the tone of the Easter gifts that year.
Inside the Red Cross egg given to the Dowager Empress Maria, are portraits of the Romanov women dressed as Sisters of Mercy. Inscribed inside are the words, "Greater Love hath no man than this, to lay down his life for his friends."



Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, the Tsar's sister, Grand Duchess Olga Nicholaievna, his eldest daughter, Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nicholaievna, the Tsar's second daughter, and Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna, the Tsar's first cousin.


A photograph taken during the First World War, of Tsarina Alexandra and the Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana in their nurses' uniforms.

[Bart]

1916 Steel Military Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

gold, steel, nephrite
 
Height: 10,1 cm. (incl. stand: 16,7 cm.) miniature: 6,5 cm.



   Faberg? had to close down his workshops because his craftsman were all at the front. He was unable to continue to make these objects of art. He had no more precious materials. Gold and silver were no longer allowed to be handled by jewelers at that time so it was steel and brass and copper that they were using. And the imperial family could also not be seen ordering expensive things from Faberg? at a time when Russia was bleeding to death.

   The steel egg, with gold patterns surmounted by a gold crown, rests on four artillery shells. It is divided into three sections by two smooth horizontal lines. In the middle section, in inlaid gold, is an image of George the Conqueror in a diamond-shaped frame outlined in laurel leaves, the Russian emblem, consisting of a double-headed eagle beneath three crowns; and the monogram of Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna, also encircled by a laurel wreath. Resting on the points of four miniature artillery shells, the Steel Military egg (1916) makes up in sober significance what it lacks in ornamentation.

   This was the year that Faberg? had to close his workshops because all his craftsman were at the front. It was impossible for him to create any works of art. There were no materials, as gold and silver were forbidden for jewelers to work with. So he had to use steel and copper. On the other hand it seemed inappropriate when the Imperial family was noticed to buy expensive works of art while the country and its people were bleeding because of the war.

   The story goes that in 1916, when Nicholas II was far from home at the front, he sent a telegram to Faberg? asking him to deliver that years Egg to the Tsarina at Tsarskoye Selo. On Easter eve Eug?ne Faberg? acted for the very last time in father's name. He was received by the Tsarina and her five children and gave to her what must have been one of the most simple objects ever made by Faberg? for the Imperial Family; an egg, made of black steel with the initials of the Tsarina in gold.

   Believing as many did that now the Czar would overcome the difficulties, Faberg? designed this eggs to applaud the event. For the Czarina, Vassily Zuiev painted on ivory an image of Nicholas consulting with his officers at the front, as a surprise. On an easel there is a gold and white enamel frame displaying the emblem of the Order of St George surmounted by a golden crown. The frame encloses a miniature painting on ivory by Vassily Zuiev depicting Czar Nicholas II and his son at the Front.

   Alexandra sent a telegram to Nicholas II at the front, which reads in part:

   "Faberg? has just brought your delightful egg for which I thank you a thousand times. The miniature group is marvelous and all the portraits are excellent".

[Bart]

1916 Order of Saint George Egg (or Cross of St George Egg)

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna

height 8,4 cm (3"5/16)



   The egg honors the Order of St George, which was awarded for military bravery. The mat opalescent white enamel egg is under painted with a green enamel garlanded trellis which frames St. George crosses in white and red enamel.



A ribbon in the Order's colors of black and orange, encircles two medals; one mounted with the Order of the Cross of St. George (verso) and the second of silver chased with the portrait of Czar Nicholas II in profile (recto).



   The badges lift to reveal painted miniatures of Tsar Nicholas and Tsarevitch Alexis respectively. The silver crowned monogram of the Dowager Empress surmounts the egg; the date of presentation in silver is set directly below. It costed 13,347 rubles.



   "I kiss you three times and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your dear postcards and the delightful egg with the miniatures that dear Faberg? himself came with. Amazingly beautiful. It is so sad not to be together. I wish you, my dear Nicky with all my heart, all the best things and success in everything. Your warmly loving, old Mama."

   She never returned to St. Petersburg, and when she was finally evacuated on a British cruiser, she carried it with her. It was the egg she held most dear. When she died, it was left to her daughter, the Grand Duchess Olga, Nicholas II's sister. After her death, it passed to her oldest son, Prince Vassily, who sold it at Sotheby's on 27 November, 1961 for 11,000 pounds. It was later purchased by Faberg?, Inc. and then acquired by ALVR for sale to the Forbes Collection in 1976.

   After eighty years of exile this egg has been returned home thanks to Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, Chairman of board of directors of Open Society "Sual-holding" who has purchased it from successors to Malcolm Forbes and has made it accessible to the Russian citizens. Sale of the Forbes' collection from Sotheby's auction in the beginning of 2004 could make objects channel off in separate collections and countries. Purchasing of the whole collection by V. Vekselberg before the advertised bidding is unprecedented in auction practice.

   The surprise, a rectangular frame surmounted by a miniature crowned cross of the Order and its entwined orange and black ribbons, contains a miniature of the Tsar and his beloved son in military uniform at the Front.

[Bart]

1917 Blue Tsarevich Constellation Egg

*Intended by Nicholas II for Alexandra Fyodorovna, not finished and never presented to her

dark blue glass, probably silver (missing), opaque rock crystal, rose-cut diamonds



   In 1999, the publication of drawings from the Wigstr?m workshops alerted scholars to the fact that two eggs were designed for delivery in 1917. One, the "Constellation Egg" in the form of a celestial globe bearing the constellations present on the birth of the Tsarevitch Alexei, and the other, "The Birch Egg" crafted of Karelian Birch panels set in gold. Tatiana Faberg? released images of the drawings for these pieces, but, it was believed, the pieces were never finished.



   The last, unfinished, Easter egg ever designed by Faberg?, the Blue Tsarevich Constellation Egg was found in 2001 at the Fersman Mineralogical Museum in Moscow. The Egg is made of dark blue glass and engraved with the star constellation of the day of the Tsarevich's birth. Lined with rose diamonds, it has has an opaque rock crystal base.

   Only the clockwork and the dial itself were missing, as well as the lager part of the diamond stars. Reportedly the egg was in production for presentation to Alexandra Fyodorovna but was never finished due to the abdication of the Tsar prior to Easter 1917.

   Agathon Faberg?, one of the sons of the jeweller Karl Faberg?, who was forced by the communist regime to work on the inventory of the Imperial treasures, sent a large quantity of jewellery stones to the Fersman Museum. He also presented angular stones from his collection, a splendid vase from rock crystal in the renaissance style, and the pieces of the last Easter egg to be created by the firm Faberg?. Curatorial records in the Archives of the Fersman Mineralogical Museum date the receipt of this gift in the year 1925.

   On the night of 16-17 September 1917, a train arrived in Moscow, packed with valuable property of the former palace department in St. Petersburg. Boxes with treasures, which belonged to the Imperial Family, were delivered into the Moscow Kremlin. Among the treasures were the Easter Eggs of the firm Faberg?.

   Many small masterpieces were exported from Russia and sold abroad. Of the Easter Eggs, only ten remained in Russia. The eleventh egg, the 1917 Blue Tsarevich Constellation Egg, which was thought to have disappeared, all this time was stored in the reserves of the Fersman Mineralogical Museum.



 Nr. 1 Shown in an article from the Russian Embassy in Chile

Nr. 2 Egg as exhibited in Munich (2003-2004) with the addition of a metal band

Nr. 3 Exhibited in Brussels (2005-2006) Note: Modern white band of Plexiglas, to preserve the glass halves, was added by specialists from State Scientific Research Institute of Restoration, Moscow

Nr. 4 Published in an article by The Art Newspaper (June 2005)



   Faberg? experts have suggested egg nr. 4 may be a modern egg modelled after the unfinished 1917 original Faberg? Egg found in the Fersman Mineralogical Museum, Moscow.

[Bart]

1917 The Birch Egg

* Intended by Nicholas II for Maria Fyodorovna, but never presented to her

   In 1999, the publication of drawings from the Wigstr?m workshops alerted scholars to the fact that two eggs were designed for delivery in 1917. One, the "Constellation Egg" in the form of a celestial globe bearing the constellations present on the birth of the Tsarevitch Alexei, and the other, "The Birch Egg" crafted of Karelian Birch panels set in gold. Tatiana Faberg? released images of the drawings for these pieces, but, it was believed, the pieces were never finished.

   Soon, it was revealed, unfinished pieces of the "Constellation Egg" were in the collections of the Fersman Mineralogical Institute in Moscow, to which the leftover pieces in the Faberg? workshops had been removed after the Revolution. The fate of the other egg remained a mystery for years.



   In November 2001, it was announced by the Russian National Museum (a for-profit museum based in Moscow), that the last Imperial Egg had been purchased by the museum out of a private collection in London, where the egg had resided since leaving Russian soil in 1927. Ivanov declined to name the egg's previous owner - who he said lives in London and is descended from a family of Russian emigres.

   The egg is made of Karelian birch rather than the usual gold and precious gems that made Faberge famous.

   Ivanov said it is the egg's history, rather than its physical composition, that makes it so valuable. Its purchase included the transfer of all of the egg's original documentation - including the invoice from its sale and a letter from Faberge to transitional government head Alexander Kerensky. "The letter alone could cost $100,000 because it is an original historical document," Ivanov said. In the letter, Faberge complains about having not been paid and asks Kerensky to send the egg to Nicholas II.

   The egg was delivered to Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovitch for presentation to the Empress, but he fled his palace before it arrived. It sat in the palace, abandoned, until it turned up in an inventory taken five days after the October revolution.

   The February Revolution occurred just 32 days before Easter on April 1, 1917, and Nicholas II obtained the egg after paying 12,500 rubles ($6,000 at the time) - despite having already abdicated.

   The Rumyantsevsky Museum (now the Lenin Library) acquired the egg after the October Revolution. In January 1927, the museum closed and 450 items - including the egg - were sold by the Soviet government to foreign buyers. Experts can only speculate about the egg's whereabouts before it surfaced in London.

   The egg does not even contain Faberge's trademark surprise hidden inside - anymore.

   Because the downturn of Russian fortunes during World War I and the increasingly revolutionary mood in the country made it impolitic for the tsar to commission bejeweled Easter eggs after 1916, the egg was fashioned from birch and gold bands. Inside, though, Faberge crafted an expensive surprise: a mechanical elephant with eight large diamonds, 61 small diamonds and a diamond-studded key engraved "MF" - for Maria Fyodorevna. The elephant has since been lost - it was likely stolen by soldiers during the October Revolution.

   The Birch Egg carries with it a postscript, in the form of its invoice. Nicholas abdicated on March 15, 1917. Faberg?'s invoice, dated April 25, is made out not to the "Tsar of all the Russias", but simply to "Mr. Romanov Nikolai Aleksandrovich"...

[Bart]

1886 Lapis lazuli Hen Egg

Presented by Alexander III to Czarina Maria Fyodorovna

lapislazuli, gold, enamel, pearls, diamonds, rubies

height 2" 5/16 (64 mm)

   On Easter Sunday, the reigning Czar would present an Imperial Egg to his wife. Faberg?'s Imperial Egg designs became the object of great anticipation by the Imperial Court, whom Faberg? delighted in surprising with Imperial Eggs each more magnificent than the last. The Egg has no visible Faberg? markings.

   On Easter morning, Faberg? delivers to the palace what appears to be a simple enameled egg. But to the delight of the Empress, inside is a golden yolk; within the yolk is a golden hen with ruby eyes; and concealed within the hen is a diamond miniature of the royal crown and a tiny ruby egg.

   His wife's delight is all the Czar needs to reward Faberg? with a commission for an Easter egg every year. The requirements are straightforward: each egg must be unique, and each must contain a suitable surprise for the Empress. With consummate craftsmanship and an inventive spirit, Faberg? repeatedly meets the challenge, borrowing inspiration from the gilded lives of the Czar and Czarina.

   In what year India Early Minshall acquired this Egg is not known. In the 1930's there were five major American Faberg? collectors, of which India Early Minshall was one. She acquired this Lapis Lazuli Egg and the 1915 Tsar Imperial Red Cross Triptych Egg.

[Bart]

1889 Necessaire Egg

Presented by Alexander III to Czarina Maria Fyodorovna

   This Easter Egg was made in the form of a toilet-case. It contains a small 13-piece manicure set. It is one of the twelve untracked Faberg?'s Imperial Easter Eggs.

   It is valued about 3 million dollars. It would be wonderful to find at least some news about this curious "egg" made by Faberg?.

[Bart]

1885-1890 ? Resurrection Egg



gold, enamel, diamonds, rock cristal, pearl

height 3"7/8

   Made between 1885 and 1890, this egg is one of Faberge's masterpieces, exquisitely made in the manner of the Italian Renaissance. The clear rock crystal egg rests on a fluted quatrefoil base that is colorfully enamelled in translucent green, red, and blue arabesques between bands of opaque white enamel dotted with red enamel. The egg itself is banded with gold and diamonds. The resurrection group featured inside is Christ rising from the tomb, flanked by two angels. The three gold figures in the group are enamelled en ronde bosse - white drapery and lilac-coloured wings, in opaque colors quite naturistically. The grass and the ground on which the group is arranged are enamelled pale green and brown with yellow flecks, and the base is surrounded by a narrow belt of rose diamonds.



   The door is enameled to simulate marble with a coral-colored handle. The whole Resurrection scene is contained within a carved rock crystal egg, the two hemispheres held together by a line of rose diamonds. A large pearl serves as the shaft for this egg.

   The base features four pearls and panels of rose diamonds and eight brilliant-cut diamonds and supports a large pearl which is connected to the crystal egg with gold mounts.

   This was only the third egg of the Imperial egg series. It had no surprise within. It is also the only Imperial Faberge egg with a direct reference to the Easter holiday it was created to observe.

[Bart]

1886-1896 Spring Flowers Egg or Windflowers Egg

various color gold, platinum, enamel, diamonds, rock cristal, pearls, bowenite, white agate

Dimensions 3"1/4 (8,3 cm)



   Possibly made in 1890, its origin is uncertain. This egg is smaller than the later, more opulent Faberge eggs. Crafted in the Louis XV style, the golden, engraved shell is enamelled strawberry-red over a giulloch? (1) background, and encased in a rococo style golden cage. A band of rose diamonds encircles the egg from bottom to top, terminating in a diamond-set clasp. The base, of pale green bowenite, is also encircled with a band of rose diamonds and rests on a base of scrollwork executed in gold. It is attached to the egg by means of a short golden pedestal.



   After eighty years of exile the collection has been returned home thanks to Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, Chairman of board of directors of Open Society "Sual-holding" who has purchased it from successors to Malcolm Forbes and has made it accessible to the Russian citizens. Sale of the Forbes' collection from Sotheby's auction in the beginning of 2004 could make objects channel off in separate collections and countries. Purchasing of the whole collection by V. Vekselberg before the advertised bidding has become unprecedented in auction practice.

   Inside, the surprise is a platinum basket of spring flowers, 1"1/2 in height. The bouquet of windflowers, or wood anemones, was created with white chalcedony petals with demantoid garnet centers and engraved gold stems. The blossoms are accompanied by enamelled green petals. The basket is made of wrought platinum set with rose diamonds. It rests upon a small gold pedestal inside the egg. A quite similar basket was made for the 1913 egg - the Imperial Winter Egg.

[Bart]

1893 Caucasus Egg

Presented by Alexander III to Czarina Maria Fyodorovna

gold, silver, enamel, diamonds, platinum, ivory, pearls, rock crystal

height 9,2 cm (3"5/8) 

   When Nicholas' younger brother, Grand Duke Georgii Alexandrovich (1871-1899), was stricken with tuberculosis (he would die within six years), he took up residence in the Imperial hunting lodge at Abastuman, where the climate was better for his health.

   This egg is decorated with four ivory miniatures showing views of the mountain retreat high in the Caucasus where the Grand Duke spent the greater part of his life. Behind the hinged cover at the top of the egg is a portrait of the Grand Duke in his naval uniform.



   Varicolored gold garlands held by diamond bow-knots mount this gold egg, overload with vibrant ruby enamel on a guilloche (1) under surface. An extraordinary table-top diamond, gem-encircled, crowns the object; another completes the base.

   The miniatures, watercolor on ivory, executed and signed by Krijitski, depicting views of Grand Duke Georg's mountain retreat high in the Caucasus, are revealed on opening the four pearl-bordered doors around the egg. Each of these doors bears a diamond-set numeral of the year, the four forming the year 1893. Behind the hinged cover at the top of the egg is a portrait of the Grand Duke in his naval uniform.

The stand was made later.

[Bart]

1895 Twelve Monograms, or Silver Anniversary Egg, or Twelve Panels Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna

gold, diamonds, enamel

height 7,9 cm

   In 1885, Alexander III initiated the custom of presenting his wife Maria Fedorovna with a Faberg? egg each Easter. Beginning with this particular egg, Nicholas II continued the family tradition.



   After the death of Alexander III, in the short time remaining before the Easter holiday in 1895, Faberg? had not only to rework the egg that had originally been planned for Maria prior to her husband's death, but also to create an appropriate egg for Alexandra. The Twelve Monograms egg was the first Faberg? egg given by Czar Nicholas to his mother. Featuring in diamonds the royal insignia of Czar Alexander III set against a deep blue enamel background, Faberg?'s understated creation was a fitting tribute for the mourning Dowager Empress.

   The upper and lower halves of the egg are each divided into six panels by rows of diamonds. Each panel contains a cyrillic cipher of Alexander III and Maria Fedorovna, set and crowned in diamonds, which provide a simple yet elegant decoration against the dark blue enamel with a design of red gold. The egg was a gift for Czar Alexander III's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

   Only under high magnification is it possible to notice the champlev? enamel technique. Areas for the enamel were carved out of the gold, leaving the thin red-gold ribs that form the foliate design. To the naked eye, it appears that the gold design was painted on the ovoid surface.

   The Egg opens to reveal a velvet lining for the surprise, which is now lost.

[Bart]

1890 Danish Palaces Egg

Presented by Alexander III to Czarina Maria Fyodorovna

gold, enamel, diamond, sapphire, emerald, velvet lining

Height: 10,2 cm (4"1/2)

   A star sapphire within a cluster of rose diamonds and chased gold laurel leaves surmounts this trois-couleur gold egg which is enameled a translucent pink on a guilloche (1) pattern of repeated stars. The egg is divided into twelve panels by broad bands consisting each of a line of rose diamonds within continuous laurel leaf borders chased in gold, an emerald is set at each intersection of the lines of rose diamonds. This is one of the ten imperial Eggs sold in 1930 by the Antikvariat to the Hammer Galleries, New York. Between 1937 and 1953 it was owned by Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Ludwig, New York. In 1962 was sold to a Private Collection, United States. It was bought in 1972 by Matilda Geddings Gray foundation, New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana.

http://andrejkoymasky.com/liv/fab/08/danpal.jpg

   Inside is the surprise, a folding screen of 10 miniatures painted by Krijitski in 1890, framed in multi-colored gold is recessed within the egg.

   Painted with watercolor on mother-of-pearl, eight of the ten panels depict palaces and residences that Princess Dagmar had known in her native Denmark before she married Alexander in 1866.



   Panels depict, from left to right, Imperial yacht Polar Star, Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, Estate of Hvid?re near Copenhagen, The Summer Residence of Fredensborg Castle, Bernsdorff Castle, Copenhagen, Kronborg Castle, Elsinore, Two views of the Cottage Palace, Alexandria Park, Peterhof, Gatchina Palace, near St. Petersburg and the Imperial yacht "Tsarevna".



This panel (third from left) depicts the seaside estate of the Hvidore near Copenhagen. It was to this estate that the Dowager Empress came after her excape from The Crimea in 1919. She died at Hvidore in 1928.

[Bart]

1896 Revolving Miniatures Egg (or Rock Crystal Egg)

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

gold, enamel, diamonds, emerald, rock crystal

Dimensions 24,8x9,8 cm (9" 3/4 x 3" 7/8)

   Banded in diamonds and translucent emerald enamel, it is surmounted by a rare Siberian emerald weighing 26 karats, cut en cabochon and pointed. On a plinth of rock crystal, the double spheroid base in contrastyly colorful enamels, twice circled with diamonds, is designed with monograms of the Tsarina, as the Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, before her marriage, and later as Aleksandra Feodorovna, Empress of Russia. Above these appears a series of diamond crowns of the respective royal houses.



   The two halves of this rock crystal egg are held together by a narrow rose-cut diamond and translucent emerald-green enameled gold mount, culminating at the top with a 27 carat cabochon Siberian emerald, probably the biggest gem used in the Tsar Imperial Easter Eggs.

   The Egg is supported on a circular rock crystal plinth. The monograms of the Tsarina as the Princess Alex of Hesse-Darmstadt before her marriage, and as Alexandra Fyodorovna, Tsarina of Russia, each surmounted by their respective crown, appear as separate formal patterns encircling this plinth.



   This was the last of the five Imperial Easter Eggs bought by Lillian Thomas Pratt. The other four Eggs are the 1898 Pelican Egg, the 1903 Peter the Great Egg, the 1912 Tsarevich Egg and the 1915 Red Cross Portraits Egg.

   In 1930 one of the ten Eggs sold by the Antikvariat to the Hammer Galleries in New York. Ca. 1945 bought by Lillian Thomas Pratt, wife of a General Motors executive. 1947 Collection of the late Lillian Thomas Pratt, willed to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, USA.

   Its "surprise" is that the emerald at the apex, when depressed, engages a hook that revolves the miniatures on a columnar axis. All but two miniatures are signed by Johannes Zehngraf (1857-1908), and are framed in gold.

   These, showing the royal residences in Germany, England and Russia associated with the life of the Czarina, include views of palaces in and near Darmstadt, Hesse; Balmoral and Windsor Castles, and Osborne House in the British Isles; the Winter, Antichkov, and Aleksandr Palaces of Russia.

[Bart]

1897 Gold Pelican Egg (or Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna Egg)



red gold, enamel, diamonds, pearls, ivory

Dimensions 10,2 x 5,4 cm (4"1/8 x 2"1/8) - with stand: 13,3 x 7,5 cm (5"1/4 x 2"15/16)

   The egg is made of gold and the ornaments are engraved. This is one of the few eggs that is not enamelled over most of its surface.

   Coincident with the centennial celebration of the patronage of charitable institutions by the Empresses of Russia, this gold egg is engraved with the commemorative dates "1797-1897"; and with the motifs of the Arts and Sciences. Surmounting the egg is a pelican feeding her young, an emblem of motherhood.



   The figure of the pelican and its young, in diamonds and opalescent white enamel, represents also tenets of the Christian Faith, Charity and Sacrifice. The Egg is engraved with classical motifs, the commemorative dates 1797 - 1897, and the inscription "Visit our vineyards, O Lord, and we shall dwell in thee."

   The surprise is that the egg, when taken from its stand, can be opened up, unfolding into eight oval panels, each rimmed in pearls.



   Thus are revealed miniatures on ivory by Johannes Zehngraf (1857-1908) depicting the Institutions of which the Dowager Empress was patroness, founded principally for the education of young girls. This egg commemorates the centennial celebration of the patronage of charitable institutions by the Dowager Empress of Russia.

   The institutions, founded mainly for the education of the daughters of the nobility, are depicted on an extending folding screen of eight ivory miniatures, each within a pearl border. On the back of the miniatures are listed the institutions portrayed. Closed, the panels form the entire egg, the surface separations of which are ingeniously concealed.

[Bart]

1899 Clock Egg or Madonna lily Egg or Bouquet of Lilies Clock Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

gold, platinum, silver, rosettes, onyx

height 27 cm (105/8")

   The egg-shaped clock and its rectangular pedestal are decorated with translucent enamel on a guilloche  background. The four-colored gold egg is enameled translucent daffodil-yellow, and is richly set with diamonds. The egg takes the form of a clock with a revolving dial. The body of the clock is divided into twelve parts which are outlined in diamond-studded stripes. The belt of the dial which divides the egg is enameled opaque white with twelve diamond-set Roman numerals and the hours are pointed by the head of an arrow in a drawn bow. The belt revolves around the perimeter of the egg, indicating the time. The diamond clock hand protrudes from an immobile base. A gold key was used to wind the mechanism.



   The clock is crowned with a delicate bouquet of Madonna lilies, carved from onyx. The pistils of the flowers are set with three small rose diamonds, and the leaves and stems are of tinted gold. It stands on an onyx platform decorated with colored gold scroll mounts, rosettes and the date of its manufacture, 1899, is set in diamonds, and is designed as a vase with red gold scrolls serving as extra supports at either side. The gold rim of the vase is chased as a cluster of roses.

[Bart]

1910 Colonnade Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

Pale-green bowenite, gold, silver, diamonds 

Height 28.6 cm

   It is a deeply romantic piece surmounted by a silver-gilt Cupid on a dome of opalescent pink enamel around which is a series of numbers in rose diamonds. The principal material used for the colonnade is pale-green bowenite, witch is beautifully worked in the base and the six columns wich are the principal part of the design; the whole object is richly embellished with four silver-gilt cherubs at the base, representing Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, the Romanov daughters, and floral swags in different colours of gold. The clock dial below the cupid is set with rose diamonds. This was truly a temple of love given from Czar Nicholas II to his beloved wife.



Designed as a temple of love, this clock egg commemorates the birth of the long awaited heir to the throne, Alexei, in 1904. A silver-gilt cupid, a representation of the tsarevich, surmounts the gold Egg, which is enameled in opalescent pale pink and isencircled by a broad band of a white enameled dial, set with rose-cut diamond numerals. The little gold cupid originally had a twig in his hands that pointed the the our. Two platinum doves are perched within the circle of the columns.


   Apparently there is no "surprise" coming with this egg, as with all the clock-eggs.



   There has been confusion for a long time, over whether the Colonnade Egg was the companion piece for the 1907 Love Trophies Egg, as both Eggs were thought to celebrate the birth of the heir. Recent research however indicates that this Egg was presented to Alexandra in 1910.

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1906 The Moscow Kremlin Egg (or Uspenski Cathedral Egg)

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

Onyx, quatre-couleur gold, white and green enamel

Height 36.1 cm (14"1/4)

   The largest of the eggs, this is a stylish model inspired by the architecture of the Cathedral of the Assumption (Uspenski) in the Moscow Kremlin.

   The magnificent Moscow Kremlin Egg commemorates the return to Moscow of the Imperial couple in 1903. (See the 1897 Coronation Egg). They had tended to avoid the capital following the disaster during the celebrations to mark their coronation. Hundreds of Muscovites died, crushed to death, when a crowd ran amok in Khodynka Meadow. Many russians took the tragedy as a bad omen for the reign of the new tsar.



   An enameled gold composition centered on the egg-shaped (removable) dome of the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin, in white opalescent enamel, the interior of the church with its carpets, tiny enameled icons and High Altar made visible through four triple windows, surmounted by a gold cupola; flanked by two square and two circular stylized turrets, the former based on the Spassky Tower, bearing the coat-of-arms of the Russian Empire and Moscow and inset with chiming clocks. Standing on a crenelated gold base and octagonal onyx plinth - signed Faberg?, dated 1904.

   The Egg was to have been presented in 1904 (hence the date on the base) but was delayed possibly because of the Russo-japanese War. Another disaster is connected with this Egg. Nicholas II's favorite uncle and brother-in-law, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, was assassinated in the kremlin by a terrorist early in 1905, the first and only time a member of the ruling dynasty was murdered in the ancient citadel of the Moscow Tsars. This may have delayed the presentation of the Egg for a second time. Nicholas II did not receive the Egg until 1906 and the bill of sale was not presented until that year.

   Despite these sad associations, the Moscow Kremlin Egg held the most prominent position in Alexandra Fyodorovna's display cabinet in her Sitting Room in the Alexander Palace.

   The surprise a clockwork music box with its original gold key at the base of the egg. The music box plays "Izhe Khveruviny" (Cherubim Hymn), a favorite hymn of Czar Nicholas.

[Bart]

1900 Trans-Siberian Railway Egg

Presented by Nicholas II to Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna

Platinum, tinted gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, onyx, rock crystal, wood, silk, velvet

Height 26 cm (10"1/4), length of train 39.8 cm (15"3/4)

   In 1900, the railway that would link European Russia with the Pacific coast was near completion, an accomplishment that brought Nicholas great satisfaction and the support of his country. Faberg? devised an ingenious offering to celebrate the event: a translucent green enamelled gold Easter egg decorated with colored enamel and mounted on an onyx base. The lid of the egg is hinged, has an overlay of green enamel, and is decorated with inlaid leaves of acanthus. Surmounting the lid is a three-headed Eagle in gold bearing the Imperial Crown.



   Engraved in silver across the egg is a map of the route of the Trans-Siberian railway, which ran from St. Petersburg to Vladivostock. Each station is marked by a precious stone. This map forms a broad belt around this translucent green enamelled gold egg. It is decorated with blue and orange enamel mounts and bears the inscription "The route of the Grand Siberian Railway in the year 1900." The egg is supported by three Romanov Griffins cast in gold-plated silver, each brandishing a sword and shield. The stepped base is of white onyx in the form of a triangle with concave sides and rounded corners. A gold-plated silver braid is inlaid into the base.



   Within is concealed, in three sections, a miniature working model of the Trans-Siberian Express just one foot long. It consists of a platinum and gold locomotive and tender, and of five gold coaches with windows of rock crystal. Its headlights are diamonds, and its rear lights are rubies. The three parts may be connected to form a train which runs along when the clockwork locomotive is wound up. The coaches are individually labeled "mail", "for ladies only", "smoking" and "non-smoking", and a "restaurant" car. The last coach is designated "chapel", which was appended to the Imperial train. The train runs when is wound up with a golden key above the driving wheels of the locomotive, .

[Bart]

1900  Cuckoo Egg (or Cockerel Egg)

Presented by Nicholas II to Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna

Gold, enamel, diamonds, natural feathers, pearls, ruby

Height 20,6 cm (8"1/8)

   This strange and awkward pastiche of R?gence and Louis XV motifs was inspired by an automaton in the collections of the Hermitage by the English clockmaker James Cox (d. 1788). The baroque-style Cuckoo Egg, fashioned as a table clock, is one of six automated imperial Easter eggs created by Faberg?.



   The egg, in dull yellow, green and red gold, is enameled opalescent white and translucent violet on a zigzag guilloche (1) field, and set with pearls and rose diamonds. The dial, which is encircled by pearls set in red polished gold, is enameled with translucent emerald green trefoils, and the rose diamond numerals are set on pale greenish white opalescent enamel within opaque white enamel rings. A yellow gold leaf pattern surrounds the central pivot on which the red gold hands revolve.



   The egg is supported on an elaborate base set with three large rose diamonds by a central shaft and three struts enameled opalescent white. Though from a design standpoint, this egg is among the least interesting of the Imperial eggs (it was a theme Faberg? explored in several other eggs, including one made for Varvara Kelch which is also for sale at Sotheby's) technically it is a major clock making achievement in miniature, and prepares the way for several of Faberg?'s more innovative pieces.



   The egg, which cost 6500 rubles, was delivered to the Dowager Empress at the Anitchkov Palace, where it remained until it was also sold to Wartski in 1927. By 1949, the egg had been sold to Mrs. Isabella S. Low, who sold it back to Wartski in 1953. In 1970, it was sold by Wartski to a Washington DC developer, Robert H. Smith. On November 20, 1973, it was sold as lot 355 by Christie's Geneva to Bernard Solomon of Los Angeles for 207,000 dollars. On June 11, 1985, it was sold by Sotheby's New York as part of Mr. Solomon's divorce settlement, and was purchased by Forbes for $1,760,000 - setting a record at auction.

   After eighty years of exile this egg has been returned home thanks to Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, Chairman of board of directors of Open Society "Sual-holding" who has purchased it from successors to Malcolm Forbes and has made it accessible to the Russian citizens. Sale of the Forbes' collection from Sotheby's auction in the beginning of 2004 could make objects channel off in separate collections and countries. Purchasing of the whole collection by V. Vekselberg before the advertised bidding is unprecedented in auction practice.

   With every egg, Faberg? outdid himself in technique, detail or complex mechanics. Some of the world's best examples of handcrafted automata are hidden in the jeweled shells of the Imperial eggs.

   When a button at the back of the clock is pressed, the circular pierced gold grille which surmounts it opens, and a cockerel, plumed with natural feathers, set with cabochon ruby eyes, and standing on gold legs, rises crowning on a gold platform, the beak and wings moving authentically, until the crowing finished, it descends once again into the egg. At the stroke of the hour, the ruby-eyed rooster emerges automatically, crowing and flapping its wings. On the top of the grille the date 1900 is inscribed beneath a diamond. Faberg? was known to have worked on the mechanism of the Peacock Clock in the Winter Palace, and his familiarity with that famous automaton no doubt inspired the creation of this egg.

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Carlos Jasso / Bloomberg
The Rothschild Faberge egg

A Faberge egg made for the Rothschild banking family has sold at auction for a world record �8.9m.

The Rothschild egg made in 1902 is just one of 12 in public hands known to have been produced to standards required by the Russian Imperial family.

The gold and pink egg has a clock for a face and a diamond-encrusted cockerel which nods its head and flaps its wings on the stroke of each hour.

A private Russian art collector bought the clock at Christie's in London.

He was in the auction room but not immediately identified.

Private records

The egg which has never been seen in public before was previously only documented in private family records.

Made by Peter Carl Faberge, it was a gift to Germaine Halphen for her engagement to Baron de Rothschild in 1905.

It is thought the egg was purchased in St Petersburg at the turn of the 20th Century.

Anthony Philips, international director of silver and Russian works of art at Christie's, said the Rothschild Faberge Egg "encapsulates every characteristic that defines a true masterpiece".

The sale price included the buyer's premium.

The previous record was set when The Faberge Winter Egg sold in 2002 for more than �6.6m.


Auction

[Administration]

The Imperial Coronation Egg is a jewelled Faberg� egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Faberg� in 1897 by Faberg� ateliers, Mikhail Perkhin and Henrik Wigstrom. The egg was made to commemorate the 1894 Coronation of Czar Nicholas II. The valuable piece of Russian history was then presented as a gift to his spouse, the Tsaritsa, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna.

It was frequently on exhibition at The Hermitage Museum (specifically the Winter Palace) in St. Petersburg, Russia, and also materialized in various museums worldwide, placed in temporary exhibits there. Georges Stein is responsible for the creation of the gold Coronation Coach (at right). It is currently owned by one of the Russian oligarchs, Viktor Vekselberg.



Craftsmanship

The egg is made from gold, enamelled translucent lime yellow on a guilloch� field of starbursts, referencing the cloth-of-gold robe worn by the Tsarina at her Coronation.

It is trellised with bands of greenish gold laurel leaves mounted at each intersection by a gold Imperial double-headed eagle enamelled opaque black, and set with a rose diamond on its chest. This pattern was also drawn from the Coronation robe worn by the Empress.

A large portrait diamond is set in the top of the egg within a cluster of ten brilliant diamonds; through the table of this stone, the monogram of the Empress can be seen. A smaller portrait diamond is set within a cluster of rose diamonds at the end of the egg, beneath which the date 1897 is inscribed on a similar plaque. The egg was presented, together with a glass-enclosed jadeite stand for the display of the Carriage, at a cost of 5650 rubles.

Surprise

Fitted inside a velvet-lined compartment is a precise replica, less than four inches long of the Eighteenth-century Imperial coach that carried the Tsarina Alexandra to her coronation at Moscow's Uspensky Cathedral, created by Georges Stein.

The red colour of the original coach was recreated using strawberry coloured translucent enamel and the blue upholstery of the interior was also reproduced in enamels. The coach is surmounted by the Imperial Crown in rose diamonds and six double-headed eagles on the roof; it is fitted with engraved rock crystal windows and platinum tyres, and is decorated with a diamond-set trellis in gold and an Imperial eagle in diamonds at either door. Complete with moving wheels, opening doors, actual C-spring shocks, and a tiny folding step-stair.

Missing surprises include an emerald or diamond pendant that hung inside the replica coach, a glass-enclosed jadeite stand for the display of the carriage as well as a stand made of silver-gilt wire.

History


The last Romanov patriarchs at their Coronation Mass, painting by Laurits Regner Tuxen, 1898

The Coronation of Czar Nicholas II and his spouse, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna was the catalyst for the Imperial Coronation Egg's creation, to celebrate the historical event. The Coronation on 14 May 1894, was a day of jubilance and pride in the Romanovs, celebrated by throngs of spectators. The Russian nobles and guests gathered on the Eastern Orthodox day of Dormition, the death of Mary, inside Uspensky Cathedral for the actual Coronation. The throne of the Czar, the former throne of Michael I of Russia was inset with 870 diamonds, rubies, and pearls. The throne of the Czarina, the famous ivory throne of Ivan the Great, also was inset with a vast collection of jewels and rare gemstones.

The gold miniature coach, which is removable from the interior of the Coronation Egg, is a replica of Catherine the Great's Gold Coach of 1793 used to transport the last Romanov rulers from ceremony to ceremony on the coronation week. Another artifact used in the coronation from the reign of Catherine was the nine-pound diamond crown made by J�r�mie Pauzie in 1762.

�    The coronation in Moscow on May 26th 1896 was the most opulent celebration which I ever witnessed. It bordered close to the Oriental and lasted for 10 days. In Moscow the cathedral was filled with paintings on gold ground of saints and all priests were dressed in gold robes applied with embroidery and precious stones. A very deep feeling of mysticism was in all the ceremonies and you could feel the tradition of Byzance... And following the prayer for the Emperor he gets up and then is the only person standing at that moment in the whole Russian Empire... To look at all this must have been like a fantastic dream because the sun was shining an all.    �

        - Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, Brother of Empress Alexandra, Grandson of Queen Victoria[1]