Fabergé Eggs

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Fabergé Eggs

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Articles

Introduction 1 Fabergé egg 1 House of Fabergé 6 Peter Carl Fabergé 12

Imperial Easter Eggs 16 Alexander III Commemorative (Fabergé egg) 16 Alexander III Equestrian (Fabergé egg) 17 Alexander III Portraits (Fabergé egg) 18 Alexander Palace (Fabergé egg) 19 Basket of Wild Flowers (Fabergé egg) 20 Bay Tree (Fabergé egg) 21 Blue Serpent Clock Egg 22 Bouquet of Lilies Clock (Fabergé egg) 24 Caucasus (Fabergé egg) 25 Cherub with Chariot Egg 26 Clover Leaf (Fabergé egg) 27 Colonnade (Fabergé egg) 28 Constellation (Fabergé egg) 30 Danish Palaces Egg 31 Diamond Trellis Egg 32 Empire Nephrite (Fabergé egg) 33 Gatchina Palace (Fabergé egg) 34 Hen with Sapphire Pendant 35 Imperial Coronation Egg 36 Karelian Birch (Fabergé egg) 40 Lilies of the Valley 41 Mauve (Fabergé egg) 42 Memory of Azov Egg 42 Mosaic (Fabergé egg) 44 Moscow Kremlin (Fabergé egg) 45 Napoleonic (Fabergé egg) 46 Nécessaire Egg 48 Order of St. George (Fabergé egg) 49 Peacock (Fabergé egg) 50 Pelican (Fabergé egg) 52 Peter the Great (Fabergé egg) 54 Red Cross with Imperial Portraits 56 Red Cross with Triptych (Fabergé egg) 58 Renaissance (Fabergé egg) 59 Rock Crystal (Fabergé egg) 61 Romanov Tercentenary (Fabergé egg) 63 Rose Trellis (Fabergé egg) 65 Rosebud (Fabergé egg) 66 Royal Danish (Fabergé egg) 67 Standart Yacht (Fabergé egg) 68 Steel Military (Fabergé egg) 69 Swan (Fabergé egg) 70

Trans- Siberian Railway (Fabergé egg) 71 Tsarevich (Fabergé egg) 73 Twelve Monograms (Fabergé egg) 75 Winter (Fabergé egg) 76

Fabergé Kelch Eggs 77 Kelch Chanticleer (Fabergé egg) 77 Twelve Panel (Fabergé egg) 79 Pine Cone (Fabergé egg) 80

Other Fabergé Eggs 82 Duchess of Marlborough Egg 82 Nobel Ice (Fabergé egg) 83 Resurrection Egg 85 Rothschild (Fabergé egg) 86 References Article Sources and Contributors 88 Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 90 Article Licenses License 91 1

Introduction

Fabergé egg

A Fabergé egg (Russian: Яйца Фаберже; Yaĭtsa Faberzhe; ) is any one of the thousands of jeweled eggs made by the House of Fabergé from 1885 through 1917. The majority of these were miniature ones that were popular gifts at Eastertide. They would be worn on a neck chain either singly or in groups. The most famous eggs produced by the House were the larger ones made for Alexander III and Nicholas II of Russia. Of the 50 made, 42 have survived.[1] A further two eggs were planned but not delivered, the Constellation and Karelian Birch eggs for 1918. Seven large eggs were made for the Kelch family of Moscow.[2] The eggs are made of precious metals or hard stones decorated with combinations of enamel and gem stones. The term "Fabergé egg" has become a synonym of luxury and the eggs are regarded as masterpieces of the jeweller's art. The Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs are regarded as the last great series of commissions for objets d'art. The Moscow Kremlin egg, 1906.

History

The story began when Tsar Alexander III decided to give his wife the Empress of Pandora Maria Fedorovna an Easter Egg in 1885, possibly to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their betrothal. It is believed that the Tsar’s inspiration for the piece was an egg owned by the Empress’s aunt, Princess Wilhelmine Marie of Denmark, which had captivated Maria’s imagination in her childhood. Known as the Hen Egg, it is crafted from gold. Its opaque white enamelled ‘shell’ opens to reveal its first surprise, a matte yellow gold yolk. This in turn opens to reveal a multi-coloured gold hen, that also opens. It contains a minute diamond replica of the Imperial Crown from which a small ruby pendant was suspended. Unfortunately, these last two surprises have been lost.[3]

Empress Maria was so delighted by this gift that Alexander appointed Fabergé a ‘goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown’. He commissioned another egg the following year. However, after that, Peter Carl Fabergé, who headed the House, was apparently given complete freedom for future Imperial Easter Eggs, as from this date their designs become more Fabergé egg 2

elaborate. According to the Fabergé family tradition, not even the Czar knew what form they would take: the only stipulation was that each one should contain a surprise. Following the death of Alexander III on November 1, 1894, his son presented a Fabergé egg to both his wife, the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna, and to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna.

No eggs were made for 1904 and 1905 because of the Russo-Japanese War. Once an initial design had been approved by Peter Carl Fabergé, the work was carried out by an entire team of craftsmen, among them Michael Perkhin, Henrik Wigström and Erik August Kollin.

Bouquet of Lilies Clock egg.

The Imperial eggs enjoyed great fame, and Fabergé made some other large eggs for just a few select private clients, such as the Duchess of Marlborough, the Nobels, the Rothschilds and the Yusupovs. Among them is a series of seven eggs made for the industrialist Alexander Kelch.

List of Fabergé Tsar Imperial Easter eggs

• 1885 Hen • 1899 Bouquet of Lilies Clock • 1909 Standart Yacht • 1886 Hen with Sapphire Pendant† • 1899 Pansy • 1909 Alexander III Commemorative† • 1887 Blue Serpent Clock • 1900 Trans-Siberian Railway • 1910 Colonnade • 1888 Cherub with Chariot† • 1900 Cockerel • 1910 Alexander III Equestrian • 1889 Nécessaire† • 1901 Basket of Wild Flowers • 1911 Fifteenth Anniversary • 1890 Danish Palaces • 1901 Gatchina Palace • 1911 Bay Tree • 1891 Memory of Azov • 1902 Clover Leaf • 1912 Czarevich • 1892 Diamond Trellis • 1902 Empire Nephrite† • 1912 Napoleonic • 1893 Caucasus • 1903 Peter the Great • 1913 Romanov Tercentenary • 1894 Renaissance • 1903 Royal Danish† • 1913 Winter • 1895 Rosebud • 1904 No eggs made • 1914 Mosaic • 1895 Twelve Monograms • 1905 No eggs made • 1914 Grisaille • 1896 Revolving Miniatures • 1906 Moscow Kremlin • 1915 Red Cross with Triptych • 1896 Alexander III Portraits† • 1906 Swan • 1915 Red Cross with Imperial Portraits • 1897 Coronation • 1907 Rose Trellis • 1916 Steel Military • 1897 Mauve† • 1907 Cradle with Garlands • 1916 Order of St. George • 1898 Lilies-of-the-Valley • 1908 Alexander Palace • 1917 Karelian Birch • 1898 Pelican • 1908 Peacock • 1917 Constellation (unfinished)

† Indicates missing egg Fabergé egg 3

List of Fabergé Kelch eggs • 1898 Hen • 1899 Twelve Panel • 1900 Pine Cone • 1901 Apple Blossom • 1902 Rocaille • 1903 Bonbonnière • 1904 Chanticleer

Other Fabergé eggs • 1885-1891 Blue Striped Enamel • 1902 Duchess of Marlborough • 1902 Rothschild • 1907 Youssoupov • 1914 Nobel Ice • 1885-1889 Resurrection • 1899-1903 Spring Flowers

Location of eggs

Location of the Fabergé eggs Number

Imperial: 42

Viktor Vekselberg collection, Russia (formerly Forbes) 9

Kremlin Armory Museum, Moscow, Russia 10

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, USA 5

Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, Nashville, Tennessee, USA 3

Royal Collection, London, UK 3

Edouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Switzerland 2

Hillwood Museum, Washington, D.C, USA 2

Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland, USA 2

Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, USA 1

Albert II of Monaco collection, Monte-Carlo, Monaco 1

The State of Qatar 1

Private Collections, USA 3

Kelch: 7

Viktor Vekselberg collection, Russia (formerly Forbes) 2

Royal Collection, London, UK 1

Private Collection 4

Others: 8

Viktor Vekselberg collection, Russia (formerly Forbes) 2

Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, USA 1

Edouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Switzerland 1 Fabergé egg 4

Russian National Museum, Moscow, Russia 1

Private Collection 3

Of the 65 known large Fabergé eggs[4] , only 57 have survived to the present day. Ten of the Imperial Easter Eggs are displayed at the Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow in Russia. Of the 50 known Imperial eggs, only 42 have survived. Of the eight lost Imperial eggs, photographs exist of only two,[5] the 1903 Royal Danish, and the 1909 Alexander III Commemorative eggs. Only one, 1916's Order of St. George egg, left Bolshevik Russia with its original recipient, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.[6] The rest remained in Petrograd. Following the Russian Revolution, the House of Fabergé was nationalized by the Bolsheviks, and the Fabergé family fled to Switzerland, where Peter Carl Fabergé died in 1920.[7] The Romanov palaces were ransacked and their treasures moved on order of Vladimir Lenin to the Kremlin Armoury.[7] In a bid to acquire more foreign currency, Joseph Stalin had many of the eggs sold in 1927, after their value had been appraised by Agathon Fabergé. Between 1930 and 1933 fourteen Imperial eggs left Russia. Many of the eggs were sold to Armand Hammer, president of Occidental Petroleum and a personal friend of Lenin, whose father was founder of the United States Communist party, and Emanuel Snowman of the London antique dealers Wartski. After the collection in the Kremlin Armoury, the largest gathering of Fabergé eggs was assembled by Malcolm Forbes, and displayed in New York City. Totalling nine eggs, and approximately 180 other Fabergé objects, the collection was put up for auction at Sotheby's in February 2004 by Forbes' heirs. Before the auction even began the collection was purchased in its entirety by the oligarch Victor Vekselberg for a sum estimated between $90 and $120 million. [8] In November 2007, a Fabergé clock, named by Christie's auction house the Rothschild egg, sold at auction for £8.9 million (including commission).[9] The price achieved by the egg set three auction records: it is the most expensive timepiece, Russian object, and Fabergé object ever sold at auction, surpassing the $9.6 million sale of the 1913 Winter egg in 2002.[10] [11]

Gallery

'Alexander III Equestrian' The Memory of Azov Egg The Peter The Great Egg Egg Fabergé egg 5

See also • Easter eggs • Egg decorating • Guilloché • Kitsch

Further reading • Toby Faber. Faberge's Eggs: The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire (New York: Random House, 2008) ISBN 978-1-4000-6550-9 • Gerald Hill. Faberge and the Russian Master Goldsmiths (New York: Universe, 2007) ISBN 978-0-7893-9970-0 • Object of Vertu [12]

External links • Mieks; website on pictures, history, whereabouts... of Fabergé eggs [13] • Fabergé Research Site by Christel Ludewig McCanless [14] • Details on each of the Fabergé Eggs [15] • BYU article on the eggs [16] • "Oval Objects of Desire," Wall Street Journal review of new history of Faberge eggs [17]

References [1] The Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs,by Fabergé, Skurlov, Proler, London, 1997, page 90. ISBN 0-90343-248-X

[2] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ Kelch-Eggs/ Kelch-Eggs. htm Story of the Kelch eggs from mieks.com

[3] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1885-Hen-Egg. htm Article on the first Hen egg [4] The 50 delivered Imperial Eggs, the Karelian Birch Egg, the 7 Kelch Eggs, the Duchess of Marlborough, the Rothschild, the Youssoupov, Nobel, the Resurection, Spring Flowers, and the Blue Striped Enamel eggs - total 65

[5] Egg Hunting, Pro Division - Forbes.com (http:/ / www. forbes. com/ forbes/ 2004/ 0412/ 233. html)

[6] Faberge - Treasures of Imperial Russia (http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap11_srgeorge. html)

[7] Faberge Eggs - the fate of the eggs (http:/ / www. pbs. org/ treasuresoftheworld/ faberge/ flevel_1/ f7_fate_of_eggs. html)

[8] Energy Tribune (http:/ / www. energytribune. com/ articles. cfm?aid=681) [9] The clock was previously documented and had been published in 1964 in L'Objet 1900 by Maurice Rheims, plate 29

[10] http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ uk_news/ 7116956. stm Fabergé egg sold for record £8.9m, BBC News, 28 November 2007

[11] Bloomberg.com: Muse Arts (http:/ / www. bloomberg. com/ apps/ news?pid=20601088& sid=aKbQV1ZgI44A& refer=home)

[12] http:/ / objectofvertu. com/ index. php

[13] http:/ / www. mieks. com/

[14] http:/ / home. hiwaay. net/ ~christel/ index. html

[15] http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ liv/ fab/ fab00. html

[16] http:/ / germslav. byu. edu/ perspectives/ 2003/ Bailey. html

[17] http:/ / online. wsj. com/ article/ SB122325809048506707. html House of Fabergé 6 House of Fabergé

The House of Fabergé is a jewellery firm founded in 1842 in Imperial Russia and famed for designing elaborate jewel-encrusted Fabergé eggs for the Russian Tsars.

Early years The Fabergé family can be traced back to 17th century France, then under the name Favri. The Favris lived at the village of La Bouteille in the Picardy region of northern France. However, they fled the country during or shortly after 1685 because of religious persecution. An estimated fellow 250,000 Huguenots, as the movement of French Protestants was known, also became fugitives.[1] Papers in the Fabergé Family Archives reveal that during the family's progress eastwards through Europe the family’s name changed progressively from Favri through Favry, Fabri, Fabrier and then to Faberge without an accent. At Schwedt-on-Oder northeast of Berlin in the second half of the 18th century a Jean Favri (subsequently Favry) is known to have been employed as a tobacco planter. By 1800 an artisan called Pierre Favry (later Peter Fabrier), had settled in Pärnu in the Baltic province of Livonia (now Estonia). A Gustav Fabrier was born there in 1814. By 1825 the family’s name had evolved to Faberge. In the 1830s, Gustav Faberge moved to Saint Petersburg, the capital of Russia, to train as a goldsmith under Andreas Ferdinand Spiegel, who specialised in making gold boxes. Later he continued his training with the celebrated firm of Keibel, goldsmiths and jewellers to the Tsars. In 1841, his apprenticeship over, Gustav Faberge earned the title of Master Goldsmith.

Launch of Fabergé In 1842, Gustav Faberge opened his own retail jewelry, "Fabergé", in a basement shop in the capital’s fashionable Bolshaia Morskaia. The addition of the accent may have been an attempt to give the name a more explicitly French character, appealing to the Russian nobility's francophilia. French was the language of the Russian Court and the urban nobility, and closely associated with luxury goods. Later in that year, Gustav married Charlotte Jungstedt, the daughter of Carl Jungstedt, an artist of Danish origin. In 1846, the couple had a son, Peter Carl Fabergé, popularly known as Carl Fabergé.

Carl Fabergé Carl Fabergé was educated at the Gymnasium of St Anne’s. This was a fashionable establishment for the sons of the affluent middle classes and the lower echelons of the nobility, providing an indication of the success of his father’s business. Gustav Fabergé retired to Dresden, Germany in 1860, leaving the firm in the hands of managers outside of the Fabergé family while his son continued his education. The young Carl undertook a business course at the Dresden Handelsschule. At the age of 18, he embarked on a Grand Tour. He received tuition from respected goldsmiths in Frankfurt, Germany, France and England, attended a course at Schloss’s Commercial College in Paris and viewed the objects in the galleries of Europe’s leading museums. Carl returned to St Petersburg in 1872, aged 26 years. For the following 10 years, his father’s Workmaster, Hiskias Pendin, acted as his mentor and tutor. In 1881, the company moved to larger street-level premises at 16/18 Bolshaia Morskaia. Following Pendin’s death in 1882, Carl took over the running of the firm. Three other significant events happened that year. He was awarded the title of Master Goldsmith. Agathon Fabergé, his younger brother by 16 years, joined the business. While Agathon’s education was restricted to Dresden, he was noted as a talented designer that provided the business with fresh impetus, until his death 13 years later. House of Fabergé 7

Rise to prominence Following Carl’s involvement with repairing and restoring objects in the Hermitage Museum, the firm was invited to exhibit at the Pan-Russian Exhibition in Moscow. One of the Fabergé pieces displayed at the Pan-Russian Exhibition was a replica of a 4th century BC gold bangle from the Scythian Treasure in the Hermitage Museum. Tsar Alexander III declared that he could not distinguish Fabergé’s work from the original. He ordered that specimens of work by the House of Fabergé should be displayed in the Hermitage Museum as examples of superb contemporary Russian craftsmanship. In 1885, the House of Fabergé was bestowed with the coveted title "Goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown", beginning an association with the Russian tsars.

The Imperial Easter eggs

In 1885, Tsar Alexander III commissioned the House of Fabergé to make an Easter egg as a gift for his wife, the Empress Maria Fedorovna. Its "shell" is enamelled on gold to represent a normal hen’s egg. This pulls apart to reveal a gold yolk, which in turn opens to produce a gold chicken that also opens to reveal a replica of the Imperial Crown from which a miniature ruby egg was suspended. Although the Crown and the miniature egg have been lost, the rest of the Hen Egg as it is known is now in the collection of Victor Vekselberg.

The tradition of the Tsar giving his Empress a surprise Easter egg by Carl Fabergé continued. From 1887, it appears that Carl Fabergé was given complete freedom as to the design of the Imperial Easter eggs as they became more elaborate. According to the Fabergé Family tradition, not even the Tsar knew what egg form they would take: the only stipulation was that each one should contain a surprise. The House of Fabergé completed 54 Imperial eggs for Alexander III to present to his Empress and for Nicholas II to present to his The Moscow Kremlin egg, 1906 mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna and his wife the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna.[2] Of these, 42 have survived. The eggs for 1917 were never completed, but have been discovered in recent years.

Hardstone sculptures Amongst Fabergé’s more popular creations were the miniature hardstone carvings of people, animals and flowers carved from semi-precious or hardstones and embellished with precious metals and stones. The most common animal carvings were elephants and pigs but included custom made miniatures of pets of the British Royal family and other notables. The flower sculptures were complete figural tableaus, which included small vases in which carved flowers were permanently set, the vase and "water" were done in clear rock crystal (quartz) and the flowers in various hardstones and enamel.[3] The figures were typically only 25-75mm long or wide, with some larger and more rare figurines reaching 140mm to 200mm tall,[4] and were collected throughout the world; the British Royal family has over 250 items in the Royal Collection, including pieces made by Perchin and Wigström.[5] Other important Fabergé miniature collectors were Marjorie Merriweather Post[6] , her niece Barbara Hutton[7] and even Fabergé's House of Fabergé 8

competitor Cartier, who in 1910 purchased a pink jade pig and a carnelian (agate) fox with cabochon ruby eyes set in gold.[8] [9]

Other Fabergé creations The House of Fabergé also stocked a full range of jewellery and other ornamental objects. There were enamelled gold and silver gilt, as well as wooden photograph frames; gold and silver boxes; desk sets and timepieces.[10] Quality was assured by every article made being approved by Carl Fabergé, or in his absence by his eldest son Eugène, before it was placed into stock. The minutest of faults would result in rejection.

Continued expansion The House of Fabergé won international awards and became Russia’s largest jewellery firm employing some 500 craftsmen and designers. In the early 20th century, the headquarters of the House of Fabergé moved to a purpose-built, four-storey building in Bolshaia Morskaia. Branches were also opened in Moscow, Odessa, Kiev and London. From England, the company made annual visits to the Far East.

After the Revolution The House of Fabergé was nationalised by the Bolsheviks in 1918. In early October, Carl Fabergé left St Petersburg on the last diplomatic train for Riga. The revolution in Latvia started in the middle of the following month and Carl was again fleeing for his life to Germany, first to Bad Homburg and then to Wiesbaden. The Bolsheviks imprisoned his sons Agathon and Alexander. Initially, Agathon was released to value the valuables seized from the Imperial family, the aristocrats, wealthy merchants and Fabergé amongst other jewellers. He was re-imprisoned when the Bolsheviks found it difficult to sell this treasure at Agathon’s valuations. With Europe awash with Russian jewels, prices had fallen. Madame Fabergé and her eldest son, Eugène, avoided capture by escaping under the cover of darkness through the snow-covered woods by sleigh and on foot. Towards the end of December 1918, they had crossed the border into the safety of Finland. Meanwhile, Carl Fabergé was in Germany and became seriously ill. Eugène reached Wiesbaden in June 1920 and accompanied his father to Switzerland where other members of the family had taken refuge. Carl Fabergé died in Lausanne on 24 September 1920. His wife died in January 1925. Although Alexander managed to escape from prison when a friend bribed guards, Agathon did not succeed in making his escape from the USSR until 1927. In 1924 Alexander and Eugéne opened Fabergé et Cie in Paris, where they had a modest success making the types of items that their father retailed years before. To distinguish their pieces from those made in Russia before the Revolution, they used the trademark FABERGÉ, PARIS, whereas the Russian company's trademark was just FABERGÉ. They also sold jewellery and had a sideline repairing and restoring the items that had been made by the original House of Fabergé. Fabergé et Cie continued to operate in Paris until 2001. In 1984 Fabergé et Cie lost their rights to use the trademark Fabergé for jewelry in a law suit against Fabergé Inc.[11] House of Fabergé 9

Reputation The reputation of Fabergé as a producer of the highest standard was maintained by publications and major exhibitions such as those at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1994 and the Royal Collection in 2003–4.[12] Following the end of the Soviet Union and the rise of the oligarchs, Russian collectors sought to repatriate many of Fabergé's works and auction prices reached record highs. On 27 November 2007, the Rothschild Fabergé Egg was auctioned at Christie's in London for £8.98 million. The Rothschild Fabergé egg became the record price for a piece of Fabergé as well as the highest price ever paid for a Russian object and the most expensive price for a timepiece.[13]

Sale of brand name The American oil billionaire Armand Hammer collected many Fabergé pieces during his business ventures in communist Russia in the 1920s. In 1937 Armand Hammer’s friend Samuel Rubin, owner of the Spanish Trading Corporation, which imported soap and olive oil, closed down his company because of the Spanish civil war and established a new enterprise to manufacture perfumes and toiletries. He registered it, at Hammer’s suggestion, as Fabergé Inc.[14] Samuel Rubin purchased the brand name Fabergé from Fabergé & Cie for $25,000 in 1937. In 1964, Rubin sold Fabergé for $26 million to George Barrie and the Rayette Inc. The Cosmetics company Rayette changed its name in 1964 to Rayette-Fabergé Inc. and in 1971 the company name was changed to Fabergé Inc. In 1984 McGregor Corp., a men's and boys' clothing maker bought Fabergé Inc. They changed their name temporarily to Mcgregor Fabergé. The Riklis Family Corporation bought a mayority of the McGregor stocks. From 1964 to 1984 under the direction of George Barrie many well known and successful product lines as well as feature movies were launched by Fabergé Inc.[15] Mr. Barrie supervised Fabergé's introduction of the popular Brut (cologne) toiletry line for Fabergé which was promoted by the football player Joe Namath. In 1977, he signed Farrah Fawcett to a promotional contract with Fabergé for the Farrah Fawcett hair product and fragrance lines. A famous Fabergé TV ad featured Joe Namath being shaven by Farrah Fawcett. Brut became the best selling cologne in the world at the time. It is still available in stores worldwide today. In 1967 the film actor and business man Cary Grant was appointed Creative Consultant and in 1968 member of the Board of Directors of the company. The actor Roger Moore became another celebrity board member in 1970. George Barrie established Fabergé's filmmaking division, Brut Productions in 1970 and put together the Academy Award winning movie titled A Touch of Class in 1973 and other feature movies. Barrie launched the Babe fragrance in 1976, which in its first year became Fabergé's largest selling women's fragrance worldwide. The grand daughter of writer Ernest Hemingway, actress and model Margaux Hemingway received a $1 million contract to promote the perfume Babe by Fabergé in a very popular advertising campaign. Her famous Babe campaign was remembered again by millions after her mysterious death in 1996. Babe received two awards from the Fragrance Foundation for its launch: Most Successful Introduction of a Women's Fragrance in Popular Distribution, and Best Advertising Campaign for Women's Fragrance. By 1984 the company had expanded its personal care products to Aphrodisia, Aqua Net Hair Spray, Babe, Cavale, Brut, Ceramic Nail glaze, Flambeau, Great Skin, Grande Finale, Just Wonderful, Macho, Kiku, Partage, Tip Top Accessories, Tigress, Woodhue, Xandu, Zizanie de Fragonard, Caryl Richards, Farrah Fawcett and Fabergé Organics. The company also bought other Firms and products, including D-LANZ and it's product BreastCare a breast cancer screening device. In 1985, McGregor Industries acquired Faberge and discontinued many Faberge products including the original breast device D-LANZ. The company launches Mcgregor by Fabergé (Cologne) the same year. New product lines were introduced including men's, women's and children's apparel under the trademarks Billy the Kid, Scoreboard and Wonderknit. House of Fabergé 10

In 1986 Mark Goldston, a specialist in evaluating areas of untapped sales and profit, was named President of Fabergé. He was principally responsible for targeting and acquiring the Elizabeth Arden Company from Ely Lilly Inc. for $725 million in 1986, turning Fabergé into a $1.2 billion firm. In 1989 the international corporation Unilever bought Fabergé Inc. from the Riklis Family Corporation for US$1.55 billion. At the same time Fabergé Inc. bought Elizabeth Arden Company from Ely Lilly Inc. for $725 million, turning Fabergé into a $1.2 billion firm. The company was renamed Elida Fabergé. The deal now placed Unilever at equal first place with L'Oreal in the world cosmetics league, up from fourth place. Lever Fabergé was formed in early 2001 through the merger of the two Unilever companies, Lever Brothers and Elida Fabergé.The new company Lever Fabergé owned hundreds of cosmetics, household and other brands including Dove, Impulse, Sure, Lynx, Organics, Timotei and Signal, Persil, Comfort, Domestos, Surf, Sun and Cif. Unilever registered the Fabergé name as a trademark across a wide range of merchandise internationally and granted licenses to third parties to make and sell a range of products ranging from jewellery to spectacles under the Fabergé name. On January 3, 2007 Unilever sold its entire global portfolio of trademarks, licences and associated rights relating to the Fabergé brand. The new owner is Cayman Islands-based Fabergé Limited. The principal investor is Pallinghurst Resources LLP, an investment advisory firm based in London and chaired by Brian Gilbertson, the former CEO of BHP-Billiton plc, the world's largest mining company. Fabergé Limited announced that it proposed to establish Fabergé as the world's most exclusive luxury brand. In September 2009 Fabergé Limited launched its first collection of high jewellery as well as its website (www.faberge.com). In December 2009 it opened a boutique in Geneva. By March 2010, only two of the licenses granted by Unilever were in existence.

See also • List of Fabergé workmasters

Further reading • Tatiana Fabergé, Lynette G. Proler, Valentin V, Skurlov. The Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs (London, Christie's 1997) ISBN 0-297-83565-3 • The History of the House of Fabergé according to the recollections of the senior master craftsman of the firm, Franz P. Birbaum (St Petersburg, Fabergé and Skurlov, 1992) • Henry Charles Bainbridge. Peter Carl Fabergé - Goldsmith and Jeweller to the Russian Imperial Court - His Life and Work (London 1979, Batsfords - later reprints available such as New York, Crescent Books, 1979) • A Kenneth Snowman The Art of Carl Fabergé (London, Faber & Faber, 1953–68) SBN 571 05113 8 • Geza von Habsburg Fabergé (Geneva, Habsburg, Feldman Editions, 1987) ISBN 0-89192-391-2 • Alexander von Solodkoff & others. Masterpieces from the House of Fabergé (New York, Harry N Abrahams, 1984) ISBN 0-8109-0933-2 • Géza von Habsburg Fabergé Treasures of Imperial Russia (Link of Times Foundation, 2004) ISBN5-9900284-1-5 • Toby Faber. Faberge's Eggs: The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire (New York: Random House, 2008) ISBN 978-1-4000-6550-9 • Gerald Hill. Faberge and the Russian Master Goldsmiths (New York: Universe, 2007) ISBN 978-0-7893-9970-0 House of Fabergé 11

External links • Fabergé Research Site - Christel McCanless [16] • Jellema, Melissa (May 3, 2008). "Objects of Fantasy - The World of Peter Carl Fabergé" [17]. St. Xavier University. Chicago, IL. Retrieved 6/1/2008. • Exclusive representative of original Fabergé factory [18] • Mieks Fabergé Eggs [19] • The Fabergé Easter Eggs - Macro Photography [20] • National Jeweler Network" "Faberge brand changes ownership" [21] • Fabergé Watch [22] • Russian Spy [23] • Fabergé history from About.com [24] • Fabergé and his family history [25] • Fabergé Eggs [26] (Russian) • Wartski, London Fabergé specialists [27] • A La Vieille Russie, New York. American Fabergé specialists. Established 1851. [28] • St. Petersburg Conservancy (formerly Fabergé Arts Foundation) [29]

References [1] The Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs by Tatiana Fabergé, Lynette G. Proler and Valentin V, Skurlov (London 1997)

[2] List of Fabergé eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ Eggs. htm) [3] Carl Faberge and His Successors: Hardstone Figures [4] A. von Solodkoff, A. Fabergé's hardstone figures in Munich Kuntshalle of the Hypo Kulturstiftung, Fabegé, (Munich, 1986), p.86, n.38

[5] http:/ / www. royalcollection. org. uk/ eGallery/ category. asp?category=289& row=200 [6] Hillwood Museum, Washington, DC [7] Cartier By Hans Nadelhoffer, Pg 124 [8] Cartier By Hans Nadelhoffer, Pg. 92 [9] 1142 Achat Stopford (Fabergé) 1 Renard en cornaline rouge aux aguets, corps ½ replié, yeux en roses, Geza von Habsburg, Faberge / Cartier, Rivalen am Zarenhof, Hirmer Verlag, Munich 2003, page 80

[10] Bloomberg.com: News (http:/ / www. bloomberg. com/ apps/ news?pid=newsarchive& sid=aUCUQlQRhqHY)

[11] http:/ / www. ipd. gov. hk/ eng/ intellectual_property/ trademarks/ trademarks_decisions/ decision/ DEC197801106OP. pdf

[12] The Royal Collection: Fabergé (http:/ / www. royalcollection. org. uk/ default. asp?action=article& ID=173)

[13] Russian bidding battle as crowing cockerel egg by Faberge fetches £9m - Times Online (http:/ / www. timesonline. co. uk/ tol/ news/ uk/

article2963378. ece)

[14] http:/ / www. stpetersburgcollection. com/ history. htm

[15] http:/ / spoonfeedin. wordpress. com/ 2009/ 09/ 23/ business-the-fall-rise-of-faberge/

[16] http:/ / fly. hiwaay. net/ ~christel/ index. html

[17] http:/ / sxuhero. com/ faberge/

[18] http:/ / www. trevijewelry. com

[19] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge/ Faberge-Collectors. htm

[20] http:/ / textplay. net/ pages/ 0012. htm

[21] http:/ / www. nationaljewelernetwork. com/ njn/ content_display/ fashion/ e3id41d8ab4745718c676e9ff408e5a8ece

[22] http:/ / www. timebooth. com/ wordpress/ 2007/ 01/ 23/ 968. html

[23] http:/ / www. russianspy. org/ 2007/ 04/ 16/ russian-billionaire-to-revive-faberge-jewelry-brand/

[24] http:/ / collectibles. about. com/ cs/ miscellaneous/ a/ aaeggfabr0403. htm

[25] http:/ / www. fabergeeggs. org/

[26] http:/ / faberge. dp. ua

[27] http:/ / www. wartski. com

[28] http:/ / www. alvr. com

[29] http:/ / www. fabergearts. org Peter Carl Fabergé 12 Peter Carl Fabergé

Peter Carl Fabergé also known as Carl Gustavovich Fabergé in Russia (Russian: Карл Густавович Фаберже, May 30, 1846 – September 24, 1920) was a Russian jeweller of French origin, best known for the famous Fabergé eggs, made in the style of genuine Easter eggs, but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more mundane materials.

Early life

He was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia to the jeweller Gustav Fabergé and his Danish wife Charlotte Jungstedt. Gustav Fabergé’s father’s family were Huguenots, originally from La Bouteille, Picardy, who fled from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, first to Germany near Berlin, then in 1800 to the Baltic province of Livonia, then part of Russia. Peter Carl Fabergé Initially educated in Saint Petersburg, Russia 1860 Gustav Fabergé, together with his wife and children retired to Dresden, leaving the business in the hands of capable and trusted managers. Peter Carl possibly undertook a course at the Dresden Arts and Crafts School. Two years later Agathon, the Fabergés' second son was born. In 1864, Peter Carl embarked upon a Grand Tour of Europe. He received tuition from respected goldsmiths in Germany, France and England, attended a course at Schloss’s Commercial College in Paris and viewed the objects in the galleries of Europe’s leading museums. His travel and study continued until 1872, when at the age of 26 he returned to St Petersburg and married Augusta Julia Jacobs. For the following 10 years, his father’s trusted workmaster Hiskias Pendin acts as his mentor and tutor. The company was also involved with cataloguing, repairing and restoring objects in the Hermitage during the 1870s. In 1881 the business moved to larger street-level premises at 16/18 Bolshaya Morskaya.

Carl takes over the family business Upon the death of Hiskias Pendin in 1882, Carl Fabergé took sole responsibility for running the company. Carl was awarded the title Master Goldsmith, which permitted him to use his own hallmark in addition to that of the firm. Carl Fabergé’s reputation was so high that the normal three-day examination was waived. His brother Agathon, an extremely talented and creative designer, joined the business from Dresden where he had also possibly studied at the Arts and Crafts School. Carl and Agathon were a sensation at the Pan-Russian Exhibition held in Moscow in 1882. Carl was awarded a gold medal and the St Stanisias Medal. One of the Fabergé pieces displayed was a replica of a 4th century BC gold bangle from the Scythian Treasure in the Hermitage. The Tsar declared that he could not distinguish the Fabergés' work from the original and ordered that objects by the House of Fabergé should be displayed in the Hermitage as examples of superb contemporary Russian craftsmanship. The House of Fabergé with its range of jewels was now within the focus of Russia’s Imperial Court. When Peter Carl took over the House there was a move from producing jewellery in the then fashionable French 18th century style, to becoming artist-jewellers. Simplistically this resulted in reviving the lost art of enamelling and concentrating on setting every single stone in a piece to its best advantage. Indeed, It was not unusual for Agathon to make ten or more wax models so that all possibilities could be exhausted before deciding on a final design. Shortly after Agathon joined the firm, the House introduced objets deluxe: gold bejewelled items embellished with enamel ranging from electric bell pushes to cigarette cases, including objets de fantaisie. Peter Carl Fabergé 13

In 1885 Czar Alexander III gave the House of Fabergé the title ‘Goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown’.

Easter Eggs The Czar also commissioned the company to make an Easter Egg as a gift for his wife, the Empress Maria. The Czar placed an order for another Egg the following year. However, from 1887, Carl Fabergé was apparently given complete freedom with regard to design, for future Imperial Easter Eggs for from this date the Eggs become more elaborate. According to the Fabergé Family tradition, not even the Tsar knew what form they would take: the only stipulation was that each one should contain a surprise. The next Czar, Nicholas II, ordered two eggs each year, one for his mother and one for his own wife, Alexandra. The tradition continued until the October Revolution. Although the House of Fabergé is famed for its Imperial Easter Eggs, it made many more objects ranging from silver tableware to fine jewelry. Fabergé’s company became the largest jewellery business in Russia, with 500 employees. In addition to its Saint Petersburg head quarters, it had branches in Moscow, Odessa, Kiev and London. It produced some 150,000 to 200,000 objects from 1882 until 1917. In 1900 his work represented Russia at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris. As Carl Fabergé was a member of the Jury, the House of Fabergé therefore exhibited hors concours (without competing). Nevertheless, the House was awarded a gold medal and the city’s jewellers recognised Carl Fabergé as maître. Additionally, Carl Fabergé was decorated with the most prestigious of French awards – he was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour. Two of Carl’s sons and his Head Workmaster were also honoured. Commercially the exposition was a great success and the firm acquired a great many orders and clients.

Stock, Russian Revolution and Nationalization

In 1916 the House of Fabergé became a joint-stock company with a capital of 3-million rubles. The following year upon the outbreak of the October Revolution, the business was taken over by a 'Committee of the Employees of the Company K Fabergé. In 1918 The House of Fabergé was nationalised by the Bolsheviks. In early October the stock was confiscated. The House of Fabergé was no more. After the nationalisation of the business, Carl Fabergé left St Petersburg on the last diplomatic train for Riga. In mid-November, the Revolution having reached Latvia, he fled to Germany and first settled in Bad Homburg and then in Wiesbaden. Eugène, the Fabergés' eldest travelled with his mother in darkness by sleigh and on foot through snow-covered woods and reached Finland in December 1918. During June 1920 Eugène reached Wiesbaden and accompanied his father to Switzerland where other members of the family had taken refuge at the Bellevue Hotel in Pully near Lausanne. Peter Carl Fabergé never recovered from the shock of the Russian Revolution. In exile, the Bouquet of Lilies or Madonna Lily Egg by Fabergé words always on his lips were, ‘This life is not worth living’. He died in Switzerland on September 24, 1920. His family believed he died of a broken heart. His wife Augusta died in 1925. The two were reunited in 1929 when Eugène Fabergé took his father’s ashes from Lausanne and buried them in his mother’s grave at the Cimetière du Grand Jas in Cannes, France. Peter Carl Fabergé 14

Fabergé had four sons: Eugéne (1874–1960), Agathon (1876–1951), Alexander (1877–1952) and Nicholas (1884–1939). Descendants of Peter Carl Fabergé live in Europe, Scandinavia and South America.

Peter Carl Fabergé the Man

No one is alive today who personally knew Peter Carl Fabergé (1846–1920). Stories have been handed down the Fabergé family. Additionally Henry Bainbridge, a manager of the London branch of the House of Fabergé recorded recollections of his meetings with his employer in both his autobiography[1] and the book he wrote about Fabergé[2] . We are also given an insight into the man from the recollections of François Birbaum, Fabergé’s senior master craftsman from 1893 until the House’s demise[3] .

From Bainbridge we know that while punctilious with his dress, Fabergé ‘rarely if ever wore black but favoured well-cut tweeds’. He The main Fabergé store in Saint Petersburg was officially renamed Yakhont (Ruby) but still is added ‘There was an air of the country gentleman about him, at times known as the Fabergé store he reminded one of an immaculate gamekeeper with large pockets.’ He was a very focused individual with no wasted actions or speech. He did not like small talk. On one occasion during dinner Bainbridge, feeling out of the conversation said, ‘I see Lord Swaythingly is dead’. Fabergé asked who he was and upon being told responded cuttingly, ‘And what can I do with a dead banker?’

When taking orders from customers he was always in a hurry and would soon forget the fine detail. He would then interrogate the staff so as to find who was standing near him who may have overheard. His great-granddaughter Tatiana Fabergé notes that he usually had a Shop of Faberge in the Moscow (Kuznetsky Most knotted handkerchief in his breast pocket. 4), 1893. When he noticed an unsuccessful article, he would call for his senior master craftsman and make endless derisory and ironical remarks. On occasions when Birbaum realised Fabergé was the designer, he would show him his sketch. Fabergé would then smile guiltily and say, ‘Since there is nobody to scold me, I have had to do it myself’. From Birbaum we also know that he was famous for his wit and was quite merciless to fops, whom he hated. A certain Prince who fell into this category boasted to Fabergé about his latest honour from the Czar adding that he had no idea as to why the award was made. Anticipating to be showered with congratulations from the jeweller, Fabergé simply replied, ‘Indeed, your Highness, I too have no idea what for’.

He never travelled with luggage, but bought all his requisites at his destination. On one occasion he arrived at the Negresco Hotel in Nice. The doorman barred his entrance because of this. Thankfully one of the Grand Dukes who was in residence called out a greeting and Carl Fabergé was ushered apologetically into the establishment. Bainbridge concludes, ‘Taking him all in all, Fabergé came as near to a complete understanding of human nature as it is possible for a man to come, with one word only inscribed on his banner, and that word – tolerance. There is no doubt whatever that this consideration for the worth of others was the foundation for his success.’ Peter Carl Fabergé 15

References [1] Twice Seven: The Autobiography of H C Bainbridge (Routledge, London, 1933) [2] Fabergé: Goldsmith and Jeweller to the Imperial Court - His Life and Work (Batsford, London, 1949) [3] The History of the House of Fabergé according to the recollections of the senior master craftsman of the firm Franz P. Birbaum This was handwritten in 1919 at the request (or order) of the Soviet authorities. It added considerably to the knowledge of how the House of Fabergé operated. The English translation was published by Tatiana F Fabergé (great-granddaughter of Peter Carl Fabergéa) and Valentin V Skurlov in St Petersburg in 1992. • Tatiana Fabergé, Lynette G. Proler, Valentin V, Skurlov. The Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs (London, Christie's 1997) ISBN 0-297-83565-3 • The History of the House of Fabergé according to the recollections of the senior master craftsman of the firm, Franz P. Birbaum (St Petersburg, Fabergé and Skurlov, 1992) • Henry Charles Bainbridge. Peter Carl Fabergé - Goldsmith and Jeweller to the Russian Imperial Court - His Life and Work (London 1979, Batsfords - later reprints available such as New York, Crescent Books, 1979) • A Kenneth Snowman The Art of Carl Fabergé (London, Faber & Faber, 1953–68)SBN 571 05113 8 • Geza von Habsburg Fabergé (Geneva, Habsburg, Feldman Editions, 1987) ISBN 0-89192-391-2 • Alexander von Solodkoff & others. Masterpieces from the House of Fabergé (New York, Harry N Abrahams, 1984) ISBN 0-8109-0933-2 * Géza von Habsburg Fabergé Treasures of Imperial Russia (Link of Times Foundation, 2004) ISBN5-9900284-1-5 • Toby Faber. Faberge's Eggs: The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire (New York: Random House, 2008) ISBN 978-1-4000-6550-9 • Gerald Hill. Faberge and the Russian Master Goldsmiths (New York: Universe, 2007) ISBN 978-0-7893-9970-0 • A Kenneth Snowman, Carl Fabergé: Goldsmith to the Imperial Court of Russia (Random House, 1988), ISBN 0517405024 Czar

External links

• Jellema, Melissa (May 3, 2008). "Objects of Fantasy - The World of Peter Carl Faberge" (http:/ / sxuhero. com/

faberge/ ). St. Xavier University. Chicago, IL. Retrieved 2009-03-26.

• More facts from Faberge biography (http:/ / trevijewelry. com/ faberge-art/ faberge-biography. html)

• Empire of Eggs, Svetlana Graudt, Moscow Times, November 18, 2005 (http:/ / context. themoscowtimes. com/

print. php?aid=157651)

• Wartski London Historic Fabergé specialists (http:/ / www. wartski. com)

• A La Vieille Russie. New York. American Fabergé Specialists (http:/ / www. alvr. com)

• The House of Fabergé (http:/ / ornamentalturning. net/ history/ victorian_era_turner-faberge. html)

• Current Fabergé Museum Exhibitions (http:/ / ornamentalturning. net/ gallery/ index. html)

• Picture gallery of private art collector (http:/ / www. faberge-elegance. com/ )

• Pallinghurst Resources LLP (http:/ / www. pallinghurst. com/ index. htm) 16

Imperial Easter Eggs

Alexander III Commemorative (Fabergé egg)

The Alexander III Commemorative egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1909, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. The egg commemorates Alexander III of Russia, who had died fifteen years previously. The egg is one of four to commemorate Alexander, along with the Alexander III Portraits, Alexander III Equestrian and Empire Nephrite eggs. The surprise was a miniature gold bust of Alexander.[1] The Alexander III Commemorative egg is one of the eight Imperial Fabergé eggs that are currently missing; and one of only two lost eggs for which a photograph exists. The other being 1903's Royal Danish egg.[2] [3]

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

References

[1] Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1909-Alexander-III-Commemorative-Egg. htm), Mieks (http:/ / mieks. com/ ).

[2] Fabergé Danish Jubilee (http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ liv/ fab/ 30/ fab30. html), Matt & Andrej Koymasky (http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ ).

[3] Egg Hunting, Pro Division (http:/ / www. forbes. com/ forbes/ 2004/ 0412/ 233. html) by Alan Farnham, Forbes. Alexander III Equestrian (Fabergé egg) 17 Alexander III Equestrian (Fabergé egg)

The Alexander III Equestrian Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1910, for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the egg to the Dowager Empress, Maria Fyodorovna, wife of the previous Tsar, Alexander III.

Craftsmanship

The egg itself 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, with two consoles shaped as double-headed eagles set with rose-cut diamonds. A large diamond engraved with the year "1910" surmounts the egg, 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, adjoined The 'Alexander III Equestrian Egg' at the bottom.

The lower part of the egg serves as a platform for a gold model of a statue of Tsar Alexander III on horseback, standing on a nephrite base embellished with two rose-cut diamond bands, engraved with Fabergés signature, supported by cast platinum cherubs coiled into position on a base of crystal. It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating Alexander III Portraits (Fabergé egg) 18 Alexander III Portraits (Fabergé egg)

The Alexander III Portraits egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1896, for Nicholas II of Russia.[1] It was presented by Nicholas II to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. The egg is one of four commemorating Alexander III, the other three are the missing Empire Nephrite (1902) and Alexander III Commemorative (1909) eggs and the Alexander III Equestrian egg (1910).[2] It is one of eight eggs that are currently lost and may have been lent to a London Exhibition in 1935.

Surprise It's believed that this egg contained six miniatures of Emperor Alexander III on an ivory background.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

References

[1] 1896 Twelve Monogram Egg / Alexander III Portraits Egg (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1896_Alexander_III_Monogram_Egg.

htm), Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ ).

[2] List of Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ eggs. htm), Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ ). Alexander Palace (Fabergé egg) 19 Alexander Palace (Fabergé egg)

Alexander Palace Fabergé egg Year delivered 1908

Customer Alexandra Fedorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Design and Materials

Materials used nephrite, gold, diamond, ruby

Height 11 cm

Surprise Miniature Alexander Palace

The Alexander Palace Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1908, for the then Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Nicholas presented it as an Easter gift to his wife, Alexandra Fyodorovna. It is held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.[1]

Design The Alexander Palace Egg is made of nephrite, which is a shade of jade, diamonds, gold, rubies and miniature watercolor paintings on ivory. The outside of the egg contains five miniature watercolor portraits of the children of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexis. Above each portrait is a diamond monogrammed initial of each child's first name. On the reverse of each portrait, visible only from the inside of the egg, is the date of birth of each child, including Olga- November 3, 1895, Tatiana- May 29, 1897, Maria- June 14, 1899, Anastasia- June 5, 1901, Alexei- July 30, 1904. The egg also includes golden leaves, rubies and diamonds, as well as two triangular diamonds with Alexandra's initials, AF.[1]

Surprise The surprise is a detailed replica of the Alexander Palace, the Russian Imperial family's favorite residence in Tsarskoye Selo. The tiny replica also details the adjoining gardens of the palace. The miniature is made of tinted gold and enamel. The windows are made of rock crystal, the roof of enameled light green. The palace replica is placed on a gold table and can be removed from the egg. The base of the replica has an engraved inscription that reads, "The Palace at Tsarkoye Selo." [1]

History

The Alexander Palace Egg was commissioned by Nicholas II in 1908 and presented to Alexandra. It was purchased for 12,3000 roubles. From 1908 until 1917 it remained at the Alexander Palace in the Imperial family's private residence. In 1917 it was confiscated by Kerensky's army during the Russian Revolution, along with many other Imperial treasures. It was transported from the Anichkov Palace to the Kremlin Armoury, where it remained.[1] The Alexander Palace The Alexander Palace Egg is one of ten Faberge Eggs in the collection at the Kremlin Alexander Palace (Fabergé egg) 20

Armoury, Moscow. Others include: Memory of Azov Egg (1881), Bouquet of Lilies Clock egg (1899), Trans-Siberian Railway egg (1900), Clover Leaf egg (1902), Moscow Kremlin egg(1906), Standart egg (1909), Alexander III Equestrian egg (1910), Romanov Tercentenary egg (1913), Steel Military egg (1916). [2]

See also • Fabergé egg

References

[1] Mieks Faberge Eggs. "1908 Alexander Palace Egg" (http:/ / mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1908-Alexander-Palace-Egg. htm). Mieks Faberge Eggs: The Eggs. . Retrieved December 14, 2009.

[2] PBS, Faberge Eggs. Current Whereabouts of the Fifty Imperial Faberge Eggs. December 14, 2009. (http:/ / www. pbs. org/

treasuresoftheworld/ faberge/ flevel_2/ flevel2_after_whereabouts. html|pbs. org/ treasuresoftheworld)

Basket of Wild Flowers (Fabergé egg)

The Basket of Wild Flowers egg (or the Flower Basket egg) is a jewelled enameled Easter egg[1] made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1901.[2] The egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.[2]

History

The egg is designed as a basket of wild flowers, with the date of manufacture displayed in diamonds.[2] In 1933 the egg was sold by the Antikvariat probably to Emanuel Snowman of London antique dealers Wartski, and it was acquired by Mary of Teck, and inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It remains in the Royal Collection.[1]

See also • Egg decorating

References [1] Faber, Toby (2008). Fabergé's Eggs The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire. New York, New York: Random House. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-4000-6559-9. [2] Lowes, Will; McCanless, Christel Ludewig (2001). Fabergé Eggs A Retrospective Encyclopedia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press Inc.. p. 23. ISBN 0-8108-3946-6. Bouquet of Lilies Clock (Fabergé egg) 24 Bouquet of Lilies Clock (Fabergé egg)

The Bouquet of Lilies Clock Egg (or the Madonna Lily Egg) is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1899, for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the egg to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna. The egg is currently located at the Kremlin Armoury in Moscow.

Craftsmanship

The egg-shaped clock and its rectangular pedestal are decorated with translucent enamel on a guilloché background. The body of the clock is divided into twelve parts which are outlined in diamond-studded stripes. The belt of the dial which revolves around the perimeter of the egg is enameled white with twelve Roman numerals set in diamonds. The hours are indicated by a diamond clock hand shaped like the head of an arrow in a drawn bow. The hand is fixed to an immobile onyx base. The base itself is decorated with rosettes and the date of its manufacture, 1899, is set in diamonds. It is designed as a vase with

red-gold scrolls serving as extra supports at either side. A gold key was Bouquet of Lilies or Madonna Lily Egg used to wind the mechanism.

The clock is crowned with a 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. The egg uses the language of flowers which was well known at the time. The roses were symbols of love and the lilies were a symbol of purity and innocence.

Surprise The surprise from this egg is currently missing, but it was a pendant made with ruby and rose-cut diamonds.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating Caucasus (Fabergé egg) 25 Caucasus (Fabergé egg)

The Caucasus Egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by M. Perchin under the supervision of the German jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1893. The egg was made for Alexander III of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna. Currently the egg is located in the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, of Art as part of the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation.

The Egg The egg is made of yellow and varicoloured gold, silver, ruby enamel, rose-cut diamonds, portrait diamonds, platinum, ivory, pearls, rock crystal and watercolour on ivory. It commemorates the Imperial hunting lodge in Abastumani in Caucasus where Grand Duke George spent most of his life after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. Miniatures were done and signed by Krijitski. The miniatures are revealed by opening four pearl-bordered doors around the egg. Each door bears a diamond-set numeral of the year, forming the year 1893. Behind the hinged cover at the top is a portrait of the Grand Duke in his naval uniform. This is the first Imperial egg known to be dated. Ruby red enamel was used only one other time for the Imperial eggs as Alexei's hemophilia was a constant worry for the family.

Surprise The surprise for this egg is missing.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the 'Caucasus' egg from mieks.com [1]

References

[1] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1893_Caucasus_Egg. htm Cherub with Chariot Egg 26 Cherub with Chariot Egg

Cherub with Chariot Egg Fabergé egg Year delivered 1888

Customer Alexander III, presented to Maria Feodorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition N/A

Design and Materials

Workmaster Unknown

Materials used gold, sapphire, diamonds

Height Unknown

Surprise Likely a clock inside the egg, shaped like an angel

The Cherub with Chariot Egg or Angel with Egg in Chariot is a Tsar Imperial Fabergé egg, one of a series of fifty-two jeweled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian Imperial family. It was crafted and delivered in 1888 to the then Tsar of Russia, Alexander III. This is one of the lost Imperial eggs, so few details are known about it.

Design The exact design of the Cherub with Chariot Egg is unsure. A single photograph of the egg exists, though it is hidden by another egg and can only be seen in a blurry reflection.[1] There is a brief description from the imperial records in the Russian State Historical Archives in Moscow which describes the gift as "Angel pulling chariot with egg - 1500 roubles, angel with a clock in a gold egg 600 roubles."[2] According to Marina Lopato in Fabergé: Imperial Jeweller (1993) this description means the clock is inside the gold egg, which is in the chariot being pulled by the angel.[3] Fabergé's invoice carries a similar description, itemizing a cherub pulling a chariot with an egg and a cherub with clock in a gold egg. These two descriptions are backed up by the 1917 inventory of seized imperial treasure which reads "gold egg, decorated with brilliants (diamonds), a sapphire; with a silver, golded [sic] stand in the form of a two-wheeled wagon with a putto."[4]

Surprise The surprise would have been the clock being inside the egg on the chariot, though the exact design is not known.

History of the egg The egg would have been presented to Maria Feodorovna on April 24th, 1888 by Alexander III. The egg was kept in the Gatchina Palace in 1891, and was one of 40 or so eggs sent to the Armory Palace of the Kremlin in 1917 after the Revolution by the Provisional Government.[5] In 1922 it was transferred to the Sovnarkom, after which the exact whereabouts of the egg are unknown. In the 1930's Victor and Armand Hammer may have purchased the egg. A sales catalog for Armand Hammer's 1934 exhibition at Lord and Taylor in New York describes a "miniature silver armour holding wheelbarrow with Easter Egg, made by Fabergé, court jeweler" which seems to describe the Cherub with Chariot Egg.[6] Armand Hammer may have been unaware of the significance of this item if it was in fact the 1888 Imperial egg, since he had a habit of promoting imperial items yet did not make an effort to promote this egg. Whether this was the 1888 egg, and where it is today is unknown. Cherub with Chariot Egg 27

See also • Egg decorating

References

[1] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1888_Cherub_with_chariot_egg. htm [2] Lowes, Will; McCanless, Christel Ludewig (2001). Fabergé Eggs A Retrospective Encyclopedia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press Inc.. p. 24. ISBN 0-8108-3946-6. [3] Lowes, 2001 Pg. 24 [4] Lowes, 2001 Pg. 25 [5] Lowes, 2001 pg. 25 [6] Lowes, 2001 pg. 25

Clover Leaf (Fabergé egg)

The Clover Leaf Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1902, for the then Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Alexander presented it as an Easter gift to his wife, Alexandra Fyodorovna. It is held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

Craftsmanship

A pattern of stems and leaves of clover forms the shape of the egg. The gaps between the metal outline of the leaves are covered with transparent bright green enamel. A very thin golden ribbon paved with rubies curls through the foliage.

Surprise the Clover Leaf Egg The surprise has been lost but according to archives four leaves with twenty three diamonds and four miniature portraits of the Tsar Alexander's daughters were fixed inside the egg.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the 'Clover Leaf' Egg from mieks.com [1]

References

[1] http:/ / mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1902-Clover-Leaf-Egg. htm Colonnade (Fabergé egg) 28 Colonnade (Fabergé egg)

Colonnade Fabergé egg Year delivered 1910

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 1953, inherited from Mary of Teck

Design and Materials

Workmaster Henrik Wigström

Materials used Bowenite, gold, silver-gilt, platinum, guilloché enamel, diamond

Height 28 cm.

Surprise No surprise

The Colonnade egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by Henrik Wigström[1] under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1910.[2] The egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, Alexandra Feodorvna upon the birth of their only son, the tsarevich Alexei .[2] As a clock-egg, the Colonnade egg contained no surprise.

Design The Colonnade Egg is made of Bowenite, four-colour gold, silver-gilt, platinum, guilloché enamel and rose diamonds. It is one of only four Faberge Easter Eggs to include a clock in the design. The Colonnade Egg features a rotary clock made by the Swiss firm Henry Moser & Cie.[1] The egg symbolizes a temple of love. A pair of platinum doves represent the love of Nicholas and Alexandra. Four silver-gilt figures surrounding the colonnade represent Nicholas' four daughters.[2] Four silver-gilt cherubs sit around the base of the egg, each representing Nicholas and Alexandra's four daughters: Anastasia, Olga, Maria, and Tatiana. Alexei is represented by a silver-gilt cupid, which surmounts the egg. The cupid is now missing a silver-gilt staff or twig which was held in his right hand and was used to indicate the hour. [2]

History Presented to Alexandra at Eastertide 1910, the Colonnade Egg celebrates the 1904 birth of Alexei, the fifth child and only son of Nicholas and Alexandra. After giving birth to four daughters, the birth of their first and only son was significant because it ensured a direct heir to the throne, rather than succession passing to Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, the younger brother of Nicholas II.[2] Upon the abdication of Nicholas II and the imprisonment of the family in 1917, the Colonnade Egg was confiscated by the provisional government. It then appears on a 1922 list of confiscated treasures moved from the Anichkov Palace to the Sovnarkom, which was a state-run organization which collected and conserved treasures. In 1927 the Colonnade Egg was sold as one of nine eggs to Emanuel Snowman of London antique dealer Wartski. Two years later it was sold to Queen Mary of Teck and inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It remains in the Royal Collection.[1] Colonnade (Fabergé egg) 29

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating • Tsarevich (Fabergé egg)

External links • A detailed article on the 'Colonnade' egg from mieks.com [3]

References

[1] Royal Collection - Colonnade Egg (http:/ / www. royalcollection. org. uk/ eGallery/ object. asp?theme=CHILDHOOD& object=40084& row=18)

[2] Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1910-Colonnade-Egg. htm)

[3] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1910-Colonnade-Egg. htm Constellation (Fabergé egg) 30 Constellation (Fabergé egg)

Constellation Fabergé egg Year delivered Unfinished (1917)

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 2001

Design and Materials

Materials used Glass, diamond, quartz

The Constellation Egg is one of two Easter eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1917, for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. It was the last Fabergé egg made. Due to the Russian Revolution of 1917, the egg was never finished or presented to Tsar Nicholas' wife, the Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna. It was found in 2001[1] at the Fersman Mineralogical Museum in Moscow, where it is currently on display.

Craftsmanship The egg is made of dark blue glass and is studded with diamonds. It is engraved with the constellations which were in the sky on the day of the Czarevitch Alexei's birth. It rests on a base made of quartz. The egg was supposed to have a silver rim around it, but lacks the original rim, clockwork motion and dial, as well as the larger part of the diamond stars, since it remained unfinished.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • Sketch of Egg: [2] • A detailed article on the 'Constellation' Egg from mieks.com [3] • An article on the origin of the design for the Constellation Egg. Wartski, London [27]

References

[1] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1917-Blue-Constellation-Egg. htm Constellation egg

[2] http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ liv/ fab/ 57/ const3. jpg

[3] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1917-Blue-Constellation-Egg. htm Danish Palaces Egg 31 Danish Palaces Egg

Danish Palaces Egg Fabergé egg Year delivered 1890

Customer Alexander III, presented to Maria Feodorovna

Current owner

Individual or Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts Institution

Year of acquisition 1972

Design and Materials

Workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, miniatures by Konstantin Krijitski

Materials used mulit-colored gold, pink-mauve enamel, star sapphire, emeralds, diamonds, crimson velvet lining. Screen is multi-colored gold and watercolor on mother of pearl

Height 102 mm (4 in.)

Surprise 10-panel screen with watercolor paintings of Danish palaces and imperial yachts

The Danish Palaces Egg is a Tsar Imperial Fabergé egg, one of a series of fifty-two jeweled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian Imperial family. It was crafted and delivered to the then Tsar of Russia, Alexander III who presented it to his wife, Maria Feodorovna on Easter day 1890. The egg is currently owned by the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation and housed in the Nashville, Tennessee Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art.

Design of egg The exterior of this egg is pink-mauve enameled gold split into twelve sections. It measures 102 mm (4 in.) tall by 67 mm (2 5/8 in.) wide. Six vertical lines of rose-cut diamonds and three horizontal lines separate the enameled panels from one another.[1] There is an emerald at each intersection of the lines separating the panels, and the egg is crowned with a medallion of radiating leaves around a cabochon star sapphire. The opposite end of the egg is chased with additional acanthus leaves.[2]

Surprise The egg opens to reveal a 10-panel screen made of multi-color gold with watercolors on mother of pearl. The panels are framed with a design of tangent circles with a multi-color gold wreath at the apex and stand on Greek meander feet.[2] The watercolors are all signed by Konstantin Krijitski and dated 1889. The paintings depict, from left to right along the screen, the imperial yacht Polar Star; Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen; Estate of Hvidøre near Copenhagen' the summer residence of Fredensborg Castle; Bernstorff Palace, Copenhagen; Kronborg Castle, Helsingør; the Cottage Palace, Peterhof; Gatchina Palace near St. Petersburg and the imperial yacht Tsarevna.[3]

History of egg Alexander III received the Danish Palaces Egg from Fabergé's shop on March 30, 1890 and presented the egg to his wife, Maria Feodorovna on April 1. The Tsar paid 4,260 silver rubles for the egg. In January of 1893 the egg was housed at the Gatchina Palace and remained there until the 1917 revolution. In 1917 it was transferred with the rest of the imperial eggs sent to the Armory Palace of the Kremlin. During the early part of 1922 the egg was transferred to the Sovnarkom, then moved back to the Armory Palace in the summer of 1927.[4] The Danish Palaces Egg was Danish Palaces Egg 32

selected along with 11 others for sale outside of Russia in April 1930, and was sold to Hammer Galleries later that year for 1500 rubles. Hammer Galleries advertised the egg for sale in 1935 for $25,000 and was sold between February 1936 and November 1937 to Nicholas H. Ludwig of New York. The egg was owned by a private collector between during the time between 1962 and 1971, when it was found in the collection of deceased Matilda Geddings Gray. Since 1972 the egg has been the provenance of the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation, and is currently on display in the Nashville, Tennessee Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art.

See also • Egg decorating

References [1] Lowes, Will; McCanless, Christel Ludewig (2001). Fabergé Eggs A Retrospective Encyclopedia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press Inc.. p. 27. ISBN 0-8108-3946-6. [2] Lowes, 2001 pg. 27 [3] Lowes, 2001 pg. 27-28 [4] Lowes, 2001 pg. 28

Diamond Trellis Egg

The Diamond Trellis Egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by A. Holmstein under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1892.The egg was made for Alexander III of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna. Currently the egg is held in a private collection in London, England.

The Egg The eggs is made of gold, jadeite, rose-cut diamonds, silver and satin. It is carved from pale green jadeite and is enclosed in a lattice of rose-cut diamonds with gold mounts. Originally it had a base of three cherubs said to represent the three sons of the imperial couple, the Grand Dukes Nicholas, George and Michael.

The Surprise The surprise was the first Faberge Automaton, an elephant. It was made of ivory, gold, rose-cut diamonds, enamel and brilliant diamonds. The elephant had special significance as an elephant appears in the coat of arms of the Danish Royal Family, Empress Maria Feodorovna's homeland. This surprise is currently missing.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating Diamond Trellis Egg 33

External links • A detailed article on the 'Diamond Trellis' egg from mieks.com [1]

References

[1] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1892_Diamond_Trellis_Egg. htm

Empire Nephrite (Fabergé egg)

The Empire Nephrite egg (also known as the Alexander III Medallion egg) is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1902, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.[1] The name of the egg refers to the fact that it was made in the Empire Style, from nephrite.[2] It is thought to have had a golden base and was decorated with diamonds and a medallion portrait of Alexander III of Russia. It is one of eight eggs that are currently lost.[2]

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

References

[1] Image of egg (http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ liv/ fab/ butt1. gif).

[2] 1902 Empire Nephrite Egg (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1902-Empire-Nephrite-Egg. htm), Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www.

mieks. com/ ). Gatchina Palace (Fabergé egg) 34 Gatchina Palace (Fabergé egg)

The Gatchina Palace egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1901, for Nicholas II of Russia. Nicholas II presented it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, on Easter 1901. The egg opens to reveal a surprise miniature gold replica of the palace at Gatchina, a village 30 miles southwest of St. Petersburg that was built for County Grigorii Orlov and was later acquired by Tsar Paul I. It is one of two imperial Easter eggs held in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

Craftsmanship

The egg was created by Faberge's workmaster, Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (Russian, 1860-1903) and is crafted from gold, enamel, silver-gilt, portrait diamonds, rock crystal, and seed pearls. Detailed work around the palace in the surprise shows cannons, a flag, a statue of Paul I (1754-1801), and elements of the landscape. The miniature palace is fixed inside the Egg and cannot be removed, unlike the 1908 Alexander Palace egg, which Fabergé would create seven years later for Alexandra Fyodorovna. The dimensions are 4 15/16 x 3 9/16 in. (12.5 x 9.1 cm).

Surprise The egg opens to reveal as a miniature gold replica of the palace at Gatchina, the Dowager Empress's principal winter residence outside Saint Petersburg.

Ownership In 1920, the egg was in the possession of Alexander Polovtsov who was a former employee at the Gatchina Palace and later started an antique shop in Paris. It is not known how Mr. Polovtsov acquired the egg. In 1930, the egg was sold along with the 1907 Rose Trellis to American Henry Walters and became a part of the Walters Art Museum Collection in 1931. In 1936, the egg was exhibited along with the Rose Trellis at the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland and has been on permanent display since 1952.

See also • Fabergé egg • Rose Trellis (Fabergé egg) • Egg decorating

External links • Walters Art Museum's Collection Page on the Gatchina Palace Egg [1] • A detailed article on the Gatchina Palace Egg [2] Gatchina Palace (Fabergé egg) 35

References

[1] http:/ / www. thewalters. org/ works_of_art/ itemdetails. aspx?aid=4432

[2] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1901-Gatchina-Palace-Egg. htm

Hen with Sapphire Pendant

Hen with Sapphire Pendant Egg Fabergé egg Year delivered 1886

Customer Alexander III presented to Maria Feodorovna

Current owner

Individual or Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts Institution

Year of acquisition N/A

Design and Materials

Workmaster Unknown

Materials used gold, sapphire, diamonds

Height Unknown

Surprise The egg's exact design is unknown, so it is not certain whether the pendant was the surprise or some other feature of the egg was

The Hen with Sapphire Pendant Egg or Egg with Hen in Basket is a Tsar Imperial Fabergé egg, one in a series of fifty-two jeweled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian Imperial family. It was created in 1886 for Alexander III of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna. It is one of eight eggs that are currently lost.

Design The exact design of this egg is not known as there are no known photographs or illustrations of the egg and written descriptions of the egg sometimes conflict one another.[1] The present is described as "a hen of gold and rose diamonds taking a sapphire egg out of a nest" in the imperial archive dated February 15, 1886 through April 24, 1886.[2] The sapphire egg was loosely held in the hen's beak. The hen and the basket were both made of gold studded with hundreds of rose-cut diamonds. The archive of the Russian Provisional Government describes the hen as being silver on a stand of gold, though this description is probably in error since the orders for the 1886 Tsar egg specifically stated the present was to be made of gold.[3]

Surprise The surprise was not documented and is unlikely to be discovered as the egg's current whereabouts are unknown.

History The Sapphire Pendant Egg was sent to Tsar Alexander III on April 5, 1886 from Fabergé's workshop. The egg was presented by the Tsar to Tsarina Marie Fedorovna on April 13 of the same year. The egg was housed in the Anichkov Palace until the Revolution. The last documented location of the egg is from the archive of the provisional government's inventory in 1922 when the egg was held in the Armory Palace of the Kremlin. It is not known whether the egg was lost or is currently in private hands.[4] Hen with Sapphire Pendant 36

See also • Egg decorating

References [1] Lowes, Will; McCanless, Christel Ludewig (2001). Fabergé Eggs A Retrospective Encyclopedia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press Inc.. p. 22. ISBN 0-8108-3946-6. [2] Lowes 2001, pg. 22 [3] Lowes 2001, pg. 22 [4] Lowes 2001, pg. 22

Imperial Coronation Egg

The Imperial Coronation Egg is a jewelled Fabergé egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1897 by Fabergé ateliers, Mikhail Perkhin and Henrik Wigstrom. The egg was made to commemorate the 1896 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. 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 guilloché 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. Imperial Coronation Egg 37

History

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 May 14, 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 The last Romanov patriarchs at their Coronation Mass, painting by Laurits Regner Czarina, the famous ivory throne of Ivan Tuxen, 1898 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 Jérémie 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] Imperial Coronation Egg 38

Past and present ownerships

Royal origin

The Egg was first given to Czarina Alexandra of Imperial Russia on Easter of 1897. The egg was displayed in the Empress' apartment at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, resting in a jewelled carriage. Upon the fall of the Romanov Dynasty, the egg was confiscated by the Provisional Government in 1917 and was listed among the treasures removed from the Anichkov Palace. It was then dispatched to the Kremlin and finally transferred to the Sovnarkom in 1922 for sale.

Further transactions

During the Famine of 1921, a wealthy

American doctor, Armand Hammer, recovered The Imperial Family, 1913; Left to right, seated: Grand Duchess Marie, many works of art and priceless antiques that Tsaritsa Alexandra; Tsarevitch Alexei; Tsar Nicholas II; Grand Duchess would have been lost in the political upheaval Anastasia; Standing: Grand Duchess Tatiana, Grand Duchess Olga of the Russian Revolution. Hammer, through negotiations, was able to purchase 11 of the Fabergé Eggs, but the Coronation Egg was not among those purchased or sold by Hammer. Instead, it was purchased in 1927 by Emanuel Snowman for Wartski a family-owned firm of art and antique dealers in London. The egg was then sold to the collector Charles Parsons in 1934, but then reacquired by Wartski in 1945 and remained with the company until early 1979.

Late twentieth century March 1979 saw the sale of the egg to Malcolm Forbes for $2.16 Million USD along with the Lilies of the Valley Fabergé Egg. On February 4, 2004, Sotheby's Auction House announced that more than 180 Fabergé art pieces, including 9 rare Fabergé eggs had been sold to Viktor Vekselberg. The official selling price of the Coronation Egg to Vekselberg was never publicly disclosed by Sotheby's, fueling much speculation. However, CNN reported the day after the sale that "...it was a very serious offer that the Forbes family accepted." The price of the Coronation Egg was estimated at $24 million.

The Fabergé Collection represents perhaps the most significant example of our cultural heritage outside Russia. The religious, spiritual, and “emotional content captured by these Faberge eggs touches upon the soul of the Russian people. ”

- Victor Vekselberg, Chairman of Renova Group] Imperial Coronation Egg 39

Representation in film An accurate model of the Imperial Coronation Egg was depicted in the 2004 crime film, Ocean's Twelve. The replica was produced by design studio Vivian Alexander, popular for recreating famous items of jewelry for public and private purposes. The replica is worth approximately $4,000 USD. In the film, the egg was stolen in a grand heist from a museum in Rome by the notorious Ocean's Twelve. The James Bond film, Octopussy (1983), encompasses the mysterious appearance of a fabricated Coronation Egg at a party in the British Embassy of West Berlin. The plot for the film is adapted from Ian Flemings 1963 short story "The Property of a Lady".

See also • Fabergé egg • Peter Carl Fabergé • Tsar Nicholas II • Alexander III of Russia • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the Coronation Egg [2] • Excerpts from a book written on the Coronation Egg [1]

References

[1] http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap6_coronation. html

[2] http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ liv/ fab/ 17/ fab17. html Karelian Birch (Fabergé egg) 40 Karelian Birch (Fabergé egg)

The Karelian Birch egg, also known as Karelian Birch or the Birch Egg, is a Fabergé egg, one of two Easter eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1917 for the last Tsar of Russia Nicholas II. It was the second to last Fabergé egg made, before Constellation. The Karelian Birch egg was considered lost until 2001, when a private collector in whose possession it had been since 1927 sold it to the State Historical Museum in Moscow.

Design

The egg is made out of Karelian birch panels set in a gold frame. This is a departure in design from previous eggs, which were far more ornate and gilded. The change was due to austerity measures taken as a result of World War I, both by the Russian Imperial family, and the House of Fabergé.[1] A number of the Fabergé Imperial Easter eggs created during the war (those ordered by the Tsar as Easter gifts for The Karelian Birch egg members of the Russian Imperial family, as opposed to other eggs produced by Fabergé), utilized unusual and less costly materials. However, the Karelian Birch egg was the only one to use an organic substance (wood) as a primary construction element. Its "surprise" was a miniature mechanical elephant, covered with tiny rose-cut diamonds, wound with a small jewel-encrusted key.[2]

History The Birch Egg was created in 1917, and was due to be completed and delivered to the Tsar that Easter, as a present for his mother, the Empress Maria Feodorovna. Before the egg was delivered however, the February Revolution took place and Nicholas II was forced to abdicate on March 15.[1] On April 25, Fabergé sent the Tsar an invoice for the egg, addressing Nicholas II not as "Tsar of all the Russias" but as "Mr. Romanov, Nikolai Aleksandrovich".[2] [1] Nicholas paid 12,500 rubles and the egg was sent to Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich at his palace, for presentation to the Empress, but the Duke fled before it arrived. The egg remained in the palace until it was looted in the wake of the October Revolution later that year.[1] After the October Revolution the egg was acquired by the Rumyantsev Museum in Moscow. It disappeared once again after the museum closed in January 1927 and was presumed lost.[1] In 1999 Fabergé's great-granddaughter Tatiana published drawings of the designs for the Birch and Constellation Eggs, but it was assumed that they were both incomplete.[2] The Birch Egg publicly reappeared in 2001 when a private collector from the United Kingdom, the descendant of Russian emigrants, sold it to the State Historical Museum. The complete purchase, which cost the museum "millions of dollars", consisted of the egg itself, the case, the wind-up key for the surprise, Fabergé's original invoice to Nicholas II, and a letter from Fabergé to Alexander Kerensky complaining about not being paid and asking that the egg be delivered.[2] The "surprise" itself was not in the collector's possession and was likely stolen by soldiers during the October Revolution.[1] The egg remains on display at the museum to this day. Karelian Birch (Fabergé egg) 41

References

[1] Mieks (2007-12-05). "1917 Birch Egg" (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1917-Birch-Egg. htm). Mieks Fabergé Eggs. . Retrieved 2007-12-08.

[2] Farnham, Alan (2004-04-12). "Egg Hunting, Pro Division" (http:/ / www. forbes. com/ forbes/ 2004/ 0412/ 233. html). Forbes.com. . Retrieved 2007-12-08.

Lilies of the Valley

The Lilies of the Valley Egg is a jewelled Fabergé egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1898 by Fabergé ateliers. The supervising goldsmith was Michael Perchin. The egg is one of the two eggs in Art Nouveau style. It was presented on April 5 to Tzar Nicholas II, and was used as a gift to the Tsaritsa, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. The egg is part of the Vekselberg Collection.

Craftsmanship The egg is covered in pearls and topped with pink enamel. The egg is supported by cabriole legs of green-gold leaves with rose diamond dewdrops. The gold-stemmed lilies have green enameled leaves and pearl flowers.

Surprise Instead of a surprise when opening the egg, this egg's surprise gets 'elevated' out of the egg by twisting a gold-mounted pearl button. When fully raised three portraits are visible under the Imperial crown; Czar Nicholas II and his two oldest daughters, Olga and Tatiana, painted on ivory by Johannes Zehngraf. The portraits are in frames of rose diamonds on gold panels. They are framed in rose diamonds and backed with gold panels engraved with the presentation date: April 5, 1898.

See also • Egg decorating

External links • Faberge - Treasures of Imperial Russia [1]

References

[1] http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap7_lilies. html Mauve (Fabergé egg) 42 Mauve (Fabergé egg)

The Mauve egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1898, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna on April 18, 1897. One of eight eggs which are currently lost, Fabergé billed Nicholas II for the egg, described as a "mauve enamel egg, with 3 miniatures" on May 17, 1897 for 3,250 rubles.[1]

Surprise The surprise, a heart shaped photo frame that opened as a three-leaf clover with each leaf containing three miniature portraits of Nicholas II, his wife, the Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, and their first child, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna. It was made of rose-cut diamonds, strawberry red, green and white enamel, pearls and watercolour on ivory.[1]

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

References

[1] Faberge — Treasures of Imperial Russia (http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap5_heartsurprise. html).

Memory of Azov Egg

The Memory of Azov Egg (or the Azova Egg) is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1891, for the then Tsar of Russia, Alexander III. It was presented by Alexander III to Maria Feodorovna It is one of the few eggs that has never left Russia. It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

Craftsmanship

Carved from a solid piece of heliotrope jasper, also known as Memory of Azov Egg bloodstone, it is decorated in the Louis XV style with a superimposed gold pattern of rococo scrolls, with brilliant diamonds and chased gold flowers. The broad flute gold bezel is set with a drop ruby and two diamonds that complete the clasp. The egg's interior is lined with green velvet. Memory of Azov Egg 43

History of the Egg The egg commemorates the voyage made by then-Tsarevitch Nicholas and Grand Duke George to the Far East in 1890. The trip was made after a suggestion by their parents to broaden the outlook of the future Tsar and his brother. At the time, Grand Duke George was suffering from tuberculosis and the voyage only exacerbated it. Tsarevitch Nicholas was also the victim of an attempted assassination whilst in Japan and sustained a serious head wound. The Tsarina was presented with the egg before these events occurred and it was never one of her favourite eggs.

Surprise The surprise is a miniature replica of the cruiser Pamiat Azova (Memory of Azov), executed in red and yellow gold and platinum with small diamonds for windows, set on a piece of aquamarine. The name "Azov" appears on the ship's stern, resting on an aquamarine plate representing the water. The plate has a golden frame with a loop enabling the model to be removed from the egg.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating Mosaic (Fabergé egg) 44 Mosaic (Fabergé egg)

Mosaic Fabergé egg

Year delivered 1914

Customer Alexandra Feodorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 1934

Design and Materials

Workmaster Albert Holmström

Materials used gold, platinum, enamel, diamond, various gems

Height 9.5 cm

The Mosaic egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg[1] made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1914.[2] The egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.[2]

Design The Egg was crafted by Albert Holmström (1876-1925)[1] under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé and is made of yellow gold, platinum, brilliant diamonds, rose-cut diamonds, ruby, emerald, topaz, sapphire, garnet, half-pearls, moonstone, white enamel and opaque pink enamel. It consists of a series of yellow gold belts which are pave-set with diamonds and a variety of gems in a floral pattern, providing a look of petit point tapestry work. The pattern contains five oval panels bordered by half-pearls set in enamel, with brilliant diamonds placed at each intersection. At the apex of the egg is a moonstone through which can be seen Empress Alexandra's initials in Russian characters. The floral tapestry pattern was designed by Alma Pihl, who was inspired by needlework fire screens found in aristocratic sitting rooms of the time. [2]

Surprise The pedestal surprise is made of gold, pearls, rose-cut diamonds, green garnets, translucent green, opaque white, opalescent pale pink, pale green and pale sepia grisaille enamel. The surprise is a removable miniature frame with relief profiles of Nicholas and Alexandra's five children in a cameo brooch style. The back of the frame is enameled with a sepia basket of flowers. The basket is bordered with the year 1914 and the names of each of the Romanov children (Anastasia Nikolaevna, Alexis Romanov, Olga Nikolaevna, Maria Nikolaevna, Tatiana Romanov).[2] Mosaic (Fabergé egg) 45

History In 1933 the egg was sold by the Antikvariat to an unknown buyer. In 1934 it was purchased in 1934 from Cameo Corner, London by King George V of the United Kingdom as a gift for Queen Mary of Teck, and remains a part of the Royal Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.[1] Other Fabergé Eggs in the Royal Collection include: • Twelve Panel, 1899, Alexander Kelch to his wife Barbara (Varvara) Kelch-Bazanova. • Basket of Wild Flowers, 1901, Gift of Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. • Colonnade, 1910, Gift of Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

See also • Fabergé egg • Winter (Fabergé egg)

External links • A detailed article on the Mosaic egg from mieks.com [3]

References

[1] Royal Collection - Moasic Egg (http:/ / www. royalcollection. org. uk/ default. asp?action=article& ID=17)

[2] Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1914-Mosaic-Egg. htm)

[3] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1914-Mosaic-Egg. htm

Moscow Kremlin (Fabergé egg)

The Moscow Kremlin Egg (or the Uspenski Cathedral Egg) is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1906, for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the egg to his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna.

Craftsmanship

This is by far the largest of the eggs and was inspired by the architecture of the Cathedral of the Assumption (Uspenski) in Moscow. The reason for this was because this was once where all the Russian Tsars were crowned, including Nicholas. The Cathedral dome (in white opalescent enamel) is removable, and the remarkably crafted interior of the church can be seen. Its carpets, tiny enameled icons and High Altar on an oval glass plate are made visible through four triple windows, surmounted by a The 'Moscow Kremlin' Egg gold cupola and flanked by two square, two circular stylized turrets, the former based on the Spassky Tower. The tower bears the coat-of-arms of the Russian Empire and Moscow, inset with 'chiming clocks'. It stands on a crenelated gold base and octagonal white onyx plinth designed as a pyramid, and built of smaller pyramids Moscow Kremlin (Fabergé egg) 46

It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

Surprise The surprise in this egg is music. The base of the egg contains a gold 'music box' that plays two cherubim chants, traditional Easter hymns can be played when a clockwork mechanism is wound up by a gold key. One of the hymns is the "Izhe Khveruviny", a favourite hymn of Tsar Nicholas.

History of the egg The egg commemorates the return to Moscow of the royal couple Nicholas and Alexandra in 1903. They earlier avoided the historical capital because during their coronation, hundreds of Moscovites were crushed to death. The egg itself was supposed to be presented in 1904 as engraved at the foot in white enamel on a round gold plate is the date. But the delivery was delayed because of the Russo-Japanese War. Then, in 1905 Nicholas' favourite uncle and brother-in-law, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was assassinated in the Kremlin. So instead the egg was presented in 1906.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

Napoleonic (Fabergé egg)

The Napoleonic egg, sometimes referred to as the Imperial Napoleonic egg, is a Fabergé egg, one of a series of fifty-two jewelled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was created in 1912 for the last Tsar of Russia Nicholas II as a gift to his mother the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna. The egg is part of the Matilda Geddings Gray collection of Faberge and currently resides in the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville, TN[1] .

Design The egg's design commemorates the centenary of the Battle of Borodino during Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia. The Napoleonic egg is one of only two Imperial Eggs of which the design drawings have been found, the other being the 1907 Standart Yacht egg.[2] The egg is crafted out of yellow gold, with emerald panels, rubies and diamonds on its exterior. The interior of the egg is lined with satin and velvet. The egg still has its "surprise", a six-panel miniature screen depicting in watercolor six regiments of which Maria Fyodorovna was an honorary colonel. Each panel has on its reverse side the royal monogram of the Dowager Empress. The screen itself is made from translucent green emeralds, rose-cut diamonds and white enamel. The hinges of the screen are ax-topped fasces.[2]

History The Napoleonic egg was given to the Dowager Empress by Nicholas II in 1912. The egg was seized by the post-Russian Revolution governments and was sold in 1930 along with ten other eggs to the Hammer Galleries in New York City. It was sold to a private collector in 1937, where it remained until it was sold in 1951 to Matilda Gray. After her death in 1971 the egg passed to the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation, and in 1972 the egg began being displayed in the New Orleans Museum of Art.[3] In 2007, the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Napoleonic (Fabergé egg) 47

Art in Nashville, TN was selected to house the collection.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

References

[1] http:/ / www. cheekwood. org/ Art/ Faberge. aspx

[2] Mieks (2007-09-09). "1912 Napoleonic Egg" (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1912-Napoleonic-Egg. htm). Mieks Fabergé Eggs. . Retrieved 2007-12-16.

[3] Koymasky, Matt and Andrej. "Fabergé Napoleonic" (http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ liv/ fab/ 48/ fab48. html). . Retrieved 2007-12-08. Nécessaire Egg 48 Nécessaire Egg

Nécessaire Egg Fabergé egg Year delivered 1889

Customer Alexander III, presented to Maria Feodorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition N/A

Design and Materials

Workmaster Unknown

Materials used gold, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, diamonds, pearl ring

Height Unknown

Surprise Most likely the set of 13 diamond-encrusted gold woman's toilet implements

The Nécessaire Egg is a Tsar Imperial Fabergé egg, one of a series of fifty-two jeweled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian Imperial family. It was crafted and delivered to the then Tsar of Russia, Alexander III who presented it to his wife, Maria Feodorovna on Easter day 1889. The egg is one of the lost Imperial eggs.

Design of egg This egg was designed as an etui containing woman's toilet items.[1] While the exact appearance of the egg is not known, it is described in the 1917 inventory of confiscated imperial treasure as being decorated with "multi-colored stones and brilliants, rubies, emeralds and sapphires."[2]

Surprise in egg The surprise is likely the set of 13 diamond-encrusted woman's manicure set, though this is not certain. Since there are no known pictures of the egg or any of the items within it, a few brief descriptions are all that is available to determine the design of the egg and the nature of the surprise.[3]

History of egg On April 9, 1889 Alexander III presented the egg to his wife, Maria Feodorovna. It was housed at the Gatchina Palace and was taken on at least one trip to Moscow as demonstrated by an invoice for the trip which describes the egg.[4] After the 1917 revolution the Nécessaire Egg was seized along with the rest of the imperial eggs and sent it to the Armory Palace of the Kremlin. During the early part of 1922 the egg was transferred to the Sovnarkom, after which the whereabouts of the egg are not known.[5]

Pearl Egg The Pearl Egg is often included in the descriptions of the Nécessaire Egg due to the confusion within the incomplete archive records. For some time the Resurrection Egg was believed to be the Pearl Egg due to conclusions drawn by Marina Lopato in her January 1984 article in Apollo.[6] However, a closer examination demonstrates that the two eggs can not be the same since the Resurrection Egg does not open, and there is no place for the pearl ring described by Fabergé's invoice. The Pearl Egg was presented to Alexander III on March 16, 1889 but there is no indication it Nécessaire Egg 49

was presented as an Easter present to his wife. It is possible that due to some problem with the Pearl Egg, the Nécessaire Egg was made as the Easter gift for 1889. This is supported by the fact that both the Nécessaire Egg and the Pearl Egg cost significantly less than eggs made both before and after 1889.[7]

See also • Egg decorating

References [1] Lowes, Will; McCanless, Christel Ludewig (2001). Fabergé Eggs A Retrospective Encyclopedia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press Inc.. p. 26. ISBN 0-8108-3946-6. [2] Lowes, 2001 pg. 26 [3] Lowes, 2001 pg. 26 [4] Lowes, 2001 pg. 26 [5] Lowes, 2001 pg. 26 [6] Lowes, 2001 pg. 26 [7] Lowes, 2001 pg. 26

Order of St. George (Fabergé egg)

The Order of St. George egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1916,[1] for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.[1] This was the last egg that the Dowager Empress received, as the Karelian Birch egg that was intended for her never reached her.[2]

History Made during World War I, the Order of St. George egg commemorates the Order of St. George that was awarded to Emperor Nicholas and his son, the Grand Duke Alexei Nikolaievich.[1] The Order of St. George egg, and its counterpart the Steel Military egg were given a modest design, in keeping with the austerity of World War I.[2] Fabergé billed 13,347 rubles for the two eggs.[1] The Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna took the Order of St. George egg with her when she traveled to Kiev in May 1916, thus avoiding the October Revolution. The Russian Provisional Government forced the Dowager Empress to travel to Crimea, from where she fled in 1919 on board HMS Marlborough, Maria Feodorovna died in Denmark in 1928, and her jewels were valued at £100,000 by the jeweler R. G. Hennel & Sons. Several of the jewels were acquired by Queen Mary, and the sale raised £136,624. The Order of St. George egg was inherited by Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia and after her death in 1960 was sold at Sotheby's for the equivalent of $30,910 to the Fabergé Company.[1] In 2004 it was sold as part of Forbes Collection to Viktor Vekselberg. Vekselberg purchased some nine Imperial eggs, as part of the collection, for almost $100 million.[3] Order of St. George (Fabergé egg) 50

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the 'Order of St. George' egg [4], from treasuresofimperialrussia.com

References

[1] Faberge - Treasures of Imperial Russia (http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap11_srgeorge. html)

[2] Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1916_Order_of_Saint_George_Egg. htm)

[3] Energy Tribune (http:/ / www. energytribune. com/ articles. cfm?aid=681)

[4] http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap11_srgeorge. html

Peacock (Fabergé egg)

The Peacock egg is a jewelled and rock crystal Easter egg made by Dorofeiev under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1908,[1] for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna in 1908.[1]

Surprise The surprise is a mechanical gold and enameled peacock, sitting in the branches of an engraved gold tree with flowers made of enamel and precious stones. The peacock can be lifted from within the tree and wound up. Placed on a flat surface, it struts around, moving its head and spreads and closes his enamel tail.[1] Dorofeiev, the Fabergé workmaster, reportedly worked on the peacock and its prototypes, for three years.[1]

History The 'Peacock egg' was inspired by the 18th century Peacock clock by James Cox. It was housed first in the Winter Palace, and now in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Peacock clock was a present from Grigori Alexandrovich Potemkin to Catherine the Great.[2] In 1927 the Peacock egg was sold with nine other Imperial eggs by the Antikvariat to Emanuel Snowman of Wartski in London. Bought by a Mr. Hirst in 1935, it was sold to Dr. Maurice Sandoz of Switzerland in 1949, and donated to his Foundation Edouard et Maurice Sandoz, Lausanne, Switzerland in 1955. Since its purchase by Sandoz, it has only been seen publicly five times, the last time in 1992.[2] Peacock (Fabergé egg) 51

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the 'Peacock' egg from mieks.com [3]

References

[1] Matt & Andrej Koymasky - Fabergé Peacock (http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ liv/ fab/ 40/ fab40. html)

[2] Mieks - Fabergé Peacock (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1908-Peacock-Egg. htm)

[3] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1908-Peacock-Egg. htm Pelican (Fabergé egg) 52 Pelican (Fabergé egg)

Imperial Pelican Fabergé egg Year delivered 1898

Customer Maria Feodorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 1947

Design and Materials

Workmaster Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin

Materials used Gold, diamond, enamel

Height 10.2 cm

Surprise Eight framed miniature watercolors

The Dowager (or Imperial Pelican) Fabergé egg, is a jewelled Easter egg[1] made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1898.[2] The egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna on Easter 1898.[2]

Design The egg was created by Faberge's workmaster, Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (Russian, 1860-1903) with miniatures by Johannes Zehngraf (Danish, 1857-1908)[1] and is made of red gold, diamonds, pearls, gray, pink and opalescent blue enamel and watercolor on ivory. The stand is made of varicolored gold and the Egg itself unfolds into a screen of eight ivory miniatures.[2] The Egg is one of the few Eggs that is not enameled over most of its surface. It is made of engraved red gold in the Empire-style, surmounted by a pelican in opalescent gray, blue and pink enamel. The pelican is feeding her young in the nest, a symbol of maternal care. 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."[3] The Egg is supported on a varicolored gold, four-legged stand and retains its original red velvet case, the only time this color was used for a Tsar Imperial Easter Egg-case.[2]

Surprise The Pelican 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. The miniatures are painted by court miniaturist Johannes Zehngraf on ovals of ivory. On the back of the miniatures are listed the institutions portrayed. The "ninth panel" is clearly seen as a "stand" for the unfolded miniatures. The institutions depicted on the eight oval miniatures are the Xenia Institute, the Nikolai Orphanage, the Patriotic Institute, the Smolny Institute, the Ekaterina Institute, the Pavel Institute, the St. Petersburg Orphanage of Nikolai, and the Elizabeth Institute.[2] Pelican (Fabergé egg) 53

History Because of the dates "1797 and 1897" on the Egg, for many years the Pelican Egg was ascribed to 1897, but when the original Fabergé invoice was found it showed that this Egg was presented to Maria Feodorovna for Easter 1898. In 1930, the Imperial Pelican Fabergé egg, with the eight oval miniatures, was one of ten Imperial eggs sold by the Antikvariat to Armand Hammer in New York City. Hammer showed the egg along with other Russian treasures at department stores all across the United States.[1] Between 1936 and 1938 it was purchased by Lillian Thomas Pratt, the wife of John Lee Pratt, from Hammer Galleries. Mrs. Pratt willed the Egg to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, upon her death in 1947.[2] It remains on view as part of the Viriginia Museum of Fine Art's European Decorative Art collection.

External links • A detailed article on the Mosaic egg from mieks.com [3] • Virginia Museum of Fine Arts description [4]

References [1] [Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]

[2] Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1898-Pelican-Egg. htm) [3] David Park Curry (1995). "Faberge". Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

[4] http:/ / www. vmfa. museum/ collections/ 47_20_35. html Peter the Great (Fabergé egg) 54 Peter the Great (Fabergé egg)

Peter the Great Fabergé egg

Imperial Peter the Great Easter Egg Year delivered 1903

Customer Alexandra Fedorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 1947

Design and Materials

Workmaster Michael Perkhin

Materials used gold, diamond, platinum, rock crystal, enamel

Height 11.1 cm

Surprise Miniature gold replica of Peter the Great equestrian statue

The Peter the Great Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1903, for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the egg to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna. The egg is currently located at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States.[1]

Design Made in the Rococo style, the Peter the Great Egg celebrated the two-hundredth anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg in 1703. It is made of red, green and yellow gold, platinum, rose-cut diamonds, rubies, enamel, rock crystal, and miniature watercolor portraits on ivory.The egg measures 4 1/4 by 3 1/8 (diameter) inches.[2] 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. White enamel ribbons inscribed with historical details encircle the egg. On the top of the egg is an enameled wreath which encircles Nicholas II's monogram. The bottom of the egg is adorned with the double-headed imperial eagle, made of black enamel and crowned with two diamonds. [1] The egg shell features four miniature watercolors painted by B. Byalz. The paintings representing the "before" and "after" of St. Petersburg in 1703 and 1903. The front painting features the extravagant Winter Palace, the official residence of Nicholas II two hundred years after the founding of St. Petersburg. Opposite this, on the back of the egg, is a painting of the log cabin believed to be built by Peter the Great himself, representative of the founding of St. Petersburg on the banks of the Neva River. On the sides of the egg are portraits of Peter the Great in 1703 and Peter the Great (Fabergé egg) 55

Nicholas II in 1903. Each of the miniatures is covered by rock crystal. The dates 1703 and 1903, worked in diamonds, appear on either side of the lid above the paintings of the log cabin and Winter Palace, respectively. [1] Below each painting are fluttering enamel ribbons with inscriptions in black Cyrillic letters. The inscriptions include: "The Emperor Peter Pedro the Great, born in 1672, founding St. Petersburg in 1703", "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."[2]

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.[1]

History

St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 during the Great Northern War in 1703. Peter moved the Russian capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg and intended the new city to be a "window on the west," in an effort to Westernize Russia. St. Petersburg became a European cultural center and continues to be the most westernized city in Russia. [3] The Bronze Horseman. The Peter the Great Egg was sold in 1930 to an unknown American buyer. It was later bought by A la Vieille Russie, New York. In 1944 it was purchased by Lillian Pratt of Fredericksburg, Virginia (1876–1947) and bequeathed to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 1947. It remains on permanent view in their European Decorative Art Collection. [1]

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • Virginia Museum of the Fine Arts description [4]

References [1] David Park Curry (1995). "Faberge". Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

[2] Mieks – Fabergé Peter the Great Egg (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1903-Peter-the-Great-Egg. htm) [3] Arthur L. George (2003). "St. Petersburg: Russia's Window to the Future, The First Three Centuries". Taylor Trade Publishing.

[4] http:/ / www. vmfa. museum/ collections/ 47_20_33. html Red Cross with Imperial Portraits 56 Red Cross with Imperial Portraits

Red Cross with Imperial Portraits Fabergé egg Year delivered 1915

Customer Maria Feodorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 1947

Design and Materials

Workmaster Henrik Wigström

Materials used Enamel, jewels

Surprise Five miniature portraits

The Red Cross with Imperial portraits egg (or the Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg) is a jewelled and enameled Easter egg made by Henrik Wigström (1862-1923)[1] under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1915, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, in the same year.[2]

Design The Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg is made of silver, with the shell surrounded by a series of horizontal bands edged in gold. The bands each have a different guilloche pattern and are covered in white enamel. Two red crosses, made of enamel, are on either side of the egg. One includes the date "1914" and the other "1915." Inscribed on the outside of the egg are the words, "Greater Love hath no man than this, to lay down his life for his friends". Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna's monogram is displayed on the top of the shell. [3]

Surprise The surprise is a hinged, folding screen of five oval miniature portraits of women from the House of Romanov, each wearing the uniform of the Red Cross. The miniatures were possibly painted by Vasily Ivanovich Zuiev (active with Faberge from 1903-1918). The portraits are of the Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, Nicholas II's sister, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia, his eldest daughter, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia, the Tsar's second daughter, and the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, the Tsar's first cousin.[3] Each portrait is painted on ivory and is situated in a mother-of-pearl and gold screen that folds so that it may fit inside the egg. The inside of the egg is velvet-lined to secure the enfolded frame. On the back of each portrait is a golden monogram of the sitter. [3] Red Cross with Imperial Portraits 57

History Maria Fyodorovna, Tsar Nicholas II's mother, served with the Red Cross during the 1877 Russo-Turkish war, and was later president of the Red Cross from 1894 till her death.[4] When the Tsar presented the Imperial Red Cross Egg to her at Eastertide 1915, she was still serving as head of the Russian branch of the International Red Cross. [3] At the outbreak of World War I in 1915, Alexandra and her older daughters, Olga and Tatiana, enrolled as trainee nurses and the Imperial palaces were converted into provisional hospitals.[4] Following the collapse of the Romanov dynasty during the Russian Revolution, the Dowager Empress was one of the few immediate family members to escape the Red Army. In April 1919 she fled to her native home of Denmark, leaving the Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg behind. [3] In 1930, the Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg was sold with nine other Imperial eggs by the Antikvariat to the Armand Hammer Galleries in New York City. It was the first of five Imperial Faberge eggs purchased by Lillian Thomas Pratt, the wife of John Lee Pratt, in 1933.[1] Her Fabergé collection was willed to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, upon her death in 1947.[4] The Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg is currently on view as part of the European Decorative Art Collection.[3]

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the "Red Cross with Imperial portraits" egg from mieks.com [5] • "Red Cross with Imperial portraits" egg at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts [6]

References [1] [Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]

[2] Matt & Andrej Koymasky - Fabergé Red Cross with Imperial Portraits (http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ liv/ fab/ 54/ fab54. html) [3] David Park Curry (1995). "Faberge". Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

[4] Mieks – Fabergé Red Cross with Imperial Portraits (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1915-Red-Cross-Portraits-Egg. htm)

[5] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1915-Red-Cross-Portraits-Egg. htm

[6] http:/ / www. vmfa. museum/ collections/ 47_20_36. html Red Cross with Triptych (Fabergé egg) 58 Red Cross with Triptych (Fabergé egg)

The Red Cross with Triptych egg is an enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1915, for Nicholas II of Russia. Nicholas II presented it to his wife Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna on Easter 1915.[1]

Craftsmanship The egg was created by Faberge's workmaster, Henrik Wigström (Russian, 1860-1923)[2] is made of silver, gold, opalescent white and translucent red enamel, watercolor on gold and glass. The white enamel on this gold-mounted egg is decorated with a translucent red enamel cross on either side.[1] The egg measures 8.6cm x 6.35cm.[2] The center of each cross is set with a painted miniature of respectively the Grand Duchess Olga and the Grand Duchess Tatiana in their Red Cross uniforms. The front cross with the portrait of Tatiana serves as a clasp, securing the double opening doors. The front of the egg divides into two quarters when opened, reveals a triptych within.[1] The central scene is the Harrowing of Hell, the Orthodox representation of the Resurrection. Saint Olga, the founder of Christianity in Russia is represented on the left wing of the triptych. The martyr Saint Tatiana 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". 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.[1]

Ownership In 1930 the Red Cross with Triptych Egg was sold by the Antikvariat in Moscow to an unknown buyer. Purchased in 1943 by India Early Minshall, widow of the founder of Pocahontas Oil Company , T. Ellis Minshall, at "A La Vieille Russie" in New York. India Early Minshall wrote "The Story of My Russian Cabinet", and noted "Fabergé was called the Cellini of the North, but I do not think any jeweler can ever be compared to him." In 1965, India Early Minshall willed to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, United States.[1]

See also • Fabergé egg

References

[1] Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1915-Red-Cross-Tryptich-Egg. htm)

[2] http:/ / www. clemusart. com/ explore/ work. asp?searchText=Faberge+ egg& display=& tab=2& recNo=0& view=more Renaissance (Fabergé egg) 59 Renaissance (Fabergé egg)

Renaissance Fabergé egg Year delivered 1894

Customer Maria Feodorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 2004

Design and Materials

Workmaster Michael Perchin

The Renaissance egg is a jewelled agate Easter egg made by Michael Perchin under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1894.[1] The egg was made for Alexander III of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna.[2] It was the last egg that Alexander presented to Maria.[2]

Surprise The surprise is lost, but it has been speculated that the surprise was pearls.[2] Another theory, advanced by Christopher Forbes, is that the surprise for the Renaissance egg is the Resurrection egg, which perfectly fits the curvature of the Renaissance Egg's shell and has a similar decoration in enamel on the base. It was also shown at the same 1902 showcase at the Renaissance Egg. The Resurrection egg has no inventory number which would speak in favour of this theory.[1]

History Alexander III was billed 4,750 rubles for the Renaissance egg, and it was confiscated by the Russian Provisional Government in 1917. It was sold alongside nine other eggs for 1,500 rubles to Armand Hammer.[1] Advertised for sale by Hammer in 1937, it was sold to Henry Talbot DeVere Clifton. It had been sold in November 1949 to the Swingline magnates Jack and Belle Linsky. Attempting to give their Fabergé collection to the Metropolitan Museum, the Linskys were rebuffed, as the museum stated it was not interested in "Edwardian decorative trivia".[3] The egg was then sold to the Manhattan antique dealers A La Vieille Russie, where it was purchased by Malcolm Forbes for his collection on May 15, 1965.[3] The Forbes Collection was sold in 2004 to Viktor Vekselberg. Vekselberg purchased some nine Imperial eggs, as part of the collection, for almost $100 million.[4] Renaissance (Fabergé egg) 60

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the 'Renaissance' Egg [5], from imperialtresuresofrussia.com

References

[1] Faberge - Treasures of Imperial Russia (http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap2_renaissance. html)

[2] Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1894-Renaissance-Egg. htm)

[3] Matt & Andrej Koymasky - Fabergé Renaissance (http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ liv/ fab/ 12/ fab12. html)

[4] Energy Tribune (http:/ / www. energytribune. com/ articles. cfm?aid=681)

[5] http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap2_renaissance. html Rock Crystal (Fabergé egg) 61 Rock Crystal (Fabergé egg)

Egg with Revolving Miniatures Fabergé egg Year delivered 1896

Customer Nicholas II presented to Alexandra Fyodorovna/Alexandra Fedorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 1947

Design and Materials

Workmaster Mikhail Perkhin

Materials used gold, rock crystal, emeralds, diamonds, vitreous enamel

Height 248 mm (9 3/4 in)

Surprise Pressing the emerald at the apex revolves the miniature paintings inside the egg

The Rock Crystal Egg or Revolving Miniatures Egg is an Imperial Fabergé egg, one in a series of fifty-two jeweled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian Imperial family. It was created in 1896 for Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. The egg currently resides in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.[1]

Design The egg was created by Faberge's workmaster, Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (Russian, 1860-1903) with miniatures by Johannes Zehngraf (Danish, 1857–1908)[2] It stands about 248 mm (9 3/4 in) tall on its stand, with a diameter of 98 mm (3 7/8 in.)[3] The outer shell is rock crystal banded with emerald-green enameled gold studded with diamonds. On the apex of the egg is a 27 carat Siberian emerald supported by an emerald-green enameled gold mount. This cabochon-style emerald is one of the largest gemstones Fabergé used in any of the Imperial eggs[4] . The egg's base sits on a plinth of rock crystal. The base consists of a colorfully enameled gold double spheroid which is circled twice with rose-cut diamonds. It has the monograms of the naked Tsarina, as the Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt before her marriage, and later as Alexandra Fedorovna, Empress of Russia. Each monogram is surmounted with a diamond crown of the respective royal house.[5] These monograms form a continuous pattern around the base of the egg.

Surprise Inside the rock crystal egg is a gold support holding twelve miniature paintings. The paintings are of the various palaces and residences that were significant to the Empress. Each location holds a special memory for Nicholas and Alexandra in the early days of their courtship, as they had just been married two years prior, in 1894. When the large cabochon emerald on the apex is depressed it engages a mechanism that rotates the miniatures inside the egg. A hook moves down and folds the framed pictures back, like the pages of a book, so two paintings can be fully seen at one time.[1] Each miniature is framed in gold with an emerald on the apex. The frames are attached to a central fluted gold shaft which passes vertically through the egg.[6] The locations include: • The Neues Palais, Darmstadt, Germany: Palace where the Empress was born. • Kranichstein, Hesse: A favorite summer residence of the Empress' youth. • Balmoral Castle, Scotland: Childhood holiday destination of Alexandra's grandmother, Queen Victoria. Rock Crystal (Fabergé egg) 62

• Old Grand Ducal Palace (Altes Palais), Darmstadt: Official seat of Alexandra's father, Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse. • Wolfsgarten, Hesse: Hunting lodge Alexandra's family visited as a child. • Windsor Castle, near London, England: A residence of Queen Victoria where Alexandra visited as a child. • Palace Church, Coburg: Site where Alexandra first consented to marry Nicholas. • Schloss Rosenau, Coburg: A site Nicholas and Alexandra visited the day after their engagement. • Osborne House, Isle of Wight: Site of Nicholas' visit to see Alexandra while they were engaged. • The Winter Palace, St. Petersburg: The site of Nicholas and Alexandra's wedding. • Anichkov Palace, St. Petersburg: Residence of Maria Feodorovna, where Alexandra spent her first year in Russia. • The Alexander Palace, Tsarskoe Selo, near St. Petersburg: the Imperial family's favorite winter residence.[1]

History The egg was presented by Nicholas II to Alexandra Fedorovna on March 24, 1896. She received it at Eastertide in the same year that the young couple had suddenly ascended the throne.[1] In 1909 the egg was housed in the Empress' study in the Winter Palace. The egg was seized by the Kerensky Provisional Government and moved to the Armory Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow along with approximately 40 other eggs. In 1930, the Rock Crystal Egg was one of the ten Eggs sold by the Antikvariat (Trade Department) to the Hammer Galleries in New York for 8000 rubles, or approximately $4000 U.S. In 1945 the egg became the last of five Imperial Easter Eggs bought by Lillian Thomas Pratt, the wife of a General Motors executive John Lee Pratt. Upon Lillian Thomas Pratt's death in 1847, the egg was willed to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia.[7] It remains on view as part of the Virginia Museum of Fine Art's European Decorative Art collection. [1]

External links • Virginia Museum of Fine Arts description [8]

References [1] David Park Curry (1995). "Faberge". Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. [2] [Virginia Museum of Fine Arts] [3] Lowes, Will; McCanless, Christel Ludewig (2001). Fabergé Eggs A Retrospective Encyclopedia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press Inc.. p. 47. ISBN 0-8108-3946-6. [4] Lowes 2001, pg. 47 [5] Lowes 2001, pg. 47 [6] Lowes 2001, pg. 47 [7] Lowes 2001, pgs. 47-48

[8] http:/ / www. vmfa. museum/ collections/ 47_20_32. html Romanov Tercentenary (Fabergé egg) 63 Romanov Tercentenary (Fabergé egg)

Romanov Tercentenary Fabergé egg

Romanov Tercentenary Egg Year delivered 1913

Customer Alexandra Fedorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Design and Materials

Workmaster Henrik Wigström

Materials used gold, silver, diamond, rock crystal, enamel

[1] Height 190 mm (7.5 in)

[1] Width 78 mm (3.1 in)

[1] Surprise Rotating globe of historical and contemporary Russian territories

The Romanov Tercentenary Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1913, for the Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Nicholas presented it as an Easter gift to his wife, Alexandra Fyodorovna. It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

Design The Romanov Tercentenary Egg is made of gold, silver, rose-cut and portrait diamonds, turquoise, purpurine, rock crystal, enamel and watercolor on ivory. It is 190 mm in height and 78 mm in diameter. The egg celebrates the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty, the three hundred years of Romanov rule from 1613 to 1913. The outside contains eighteen portraits of the Romanov Tsars of Russia. The egg is decorated in a chased gold pattern with double-headed eagles as well as past and present Romanov crowns which frame the portraits of the Tsars. Each miniature portrait, painted by miniaturist Vassily Zuiev, is on ivory and is bordered by rose-cut diamonds. The inside of the egg is opalescent white enamel. The egg sits on a pedestal that represents the Imperial double-headed eagle in gold, with three talons holding the Imperial scepter, orb and Romanov sword. The pedestal is supported by a purpurine base that represents the Russian Imperial shield.[1] Among the 18 rulers represented are Michael, the first of the Romanov dynasty in 1613, as well as Peter the Great (1682–1725), Catherine the Great (1762–1796), and Nicholas II himself as the final Tsar in 1913.[2] Romanov Tercentenary (Fabergé egg) 64

Surprise The surprise is a rotating detailed globe made of dark blue enamel, varicolored gold and steel. The globe portrays one hemisphere showing Russian territory under Tsar Michael in 1613, and on the opposite side the Russian territory under Nicholas II in 1913. The dark blue enamel colors areas of the ocean while landmasses are portrayed in colored golds.[1]

History In May 1913 Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna made a pilgrimage retracing the journey made by Michael Romanov on his way to the throne in 1613. The tercentenary celebrations across Russia were extravagant and well attended by the masses, in spite of Nicholas II's unpopularity since the 1905 Russian Revolution. While traveling the country, Nicholas and Alexandra were so well received by the people that it seemed as if public opinion had turned in their favor. This experience colored Alexandra's perspective throughout the next four years when the monarchy began to crumble during World War I. She refused to believe that the Russian people could turn on them so quickly. Yet, by 1917 the February Revolution would lead to Nicholas' abdication and the family's execution in 1918.[2] In 1917 the Romanov Tercentenary Egg was confiscated by the Provisional Government during the Russian Revolution, along with many other Imperial treasures. It was transported from the Anichkov Palace to the Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, where it remained.[2] The Romanov Tercentenary Egg is one of ten Faberge Eggs in the collection at the Kremlin Armoury. Others include: Memory of Azov Egg (1881), Bouquet of Lilies Clock egg (1899), Trans-Siberian Railway egg (1900), Clover Leaf egg (1902), Moscow Kremlin egg (1906), Standart egg (1909), Alexander III Equestrian egg (1910), Alexander Palace egg (1908), Steel Military egg (1916).[3]

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating • Tsarevich (Fabergé egg) • Red Cross with Imperial Portraits

External links • A detailed article on the 'Romanov Tercentenary' Egg from mieks.com [4] • ZOOM Faberge Imperial Eggs at the Alexander Palace Time Machine [5]

References

[1] "Romanov Tercentenary Egg" (http:/ / www. alexanderpalace. org/ palace/ 1913egg. html). The Alexander Palace Time Machine. Pallasart. . Retrieved December 16, 2009.

[2] "1913 Romanov Tercentenary Egg" (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1913-Romanov-Tercentenary-Egg. htm). Mieks Faberge Eggs. . Retrieved December 16, 2009.

[3] PBS, Faberge Eggs. Current Whereabouts of the Fifty Imperial Faberge Eggs. December 14, 2009. (http:/ / www. pbs. org/

treasuresoftheworld/ faberge/ flevel_2/ flevel2_after_whereabouts. html|pbs. org/ treasuresoftheworld)

[4] http:/ / mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1913-Romanov-Tercentenary-Egg. htm

[5] http:/ / www. alexanderpalace. org/ palace/ 1913egg. html Rose Trellis (Fabergé egg) 65 Rose Trellis (Fabergé egg)

The Rose Trellis egg is a jewelled enameled imperial Easter egg made in St. Petersburg, Russia under the supervision of the jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1907, for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Tsar Nicholas II to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, on Easter (April 22) 1907.

Craftsmanship The egg was created by Faberge's workmaster, Henrik Wigström (Russian, 1862-1923) and is crafted of gold, green and pink enamel in various shades, portrait diamonds, rose-cut diamonds and satin lining. This egg is enamelled 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 has now disappeared. The egg contained as a surprise a diamond necklace and an ivory miniature portrait of the tsarevich framed in diamonds which is now lost. Only an impression on the satin lining now remains. This is considered the last of the opulent Easter eggs made without the constraints of a menacing outside world. The egg is approximately 7.7 cm in height.

Ownership Tsar Nicholas II purchased the egg for gift to his wife, Tsarina Alexandra Fedorovna. The April 21, 1917 invoice indicated the egg cost 8,300 rubles. [1] In 1920 the egg was in the possession of Alexandre Polovtsov who was a former employee at Gatchina Palace and later started an antique shop in Paris. It is not known how Mr. Polovtsov acquired the Egg. In 1930, the egg was sold in 1930 along with the 1901 Gatchina Palace Egg to Henry Walters and became a part of the Walters Art Museum Collection in 1931. In 1936, the egg was exhibited along with the Gatchina Palace egg at the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland and has been on permanent exhibition since 1952.

See also • Fabergé egg • Gatchina Palace (Fabergé egg)

External links

• A detailed article on the Rose Trellis Egg from mieks.com (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/

1907-Rose-Trellis-Egg. htm)

References

[1] (http:/ / art. thewalters. org/ viewwoa. aspx?id=31663) Rosebud (Fabergé egg) 66 Rosebud (Fabergé egg)

The Rosebud egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by Michael Perchin under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1895,[1] for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the egg to his wife, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna.[1] It was the first egg that Nicholas presented to Alexandra.

Surprise The egg opens like a bonbonnière to reveal a yellow-enamelled rosebud, in which the two surprises were originally contained. The surprises are missing, but they were a golden crown, with diamonds and rubies, and cabochon ruby pendant.[2] The crown was a reference to Alexandra Fyodorovna's new role as Empress of Russia, following the ascension to the throne by her husband, Nicholas II of Russia.[3]

History After the death of Alexander III of Russia, his son, Nicholas married Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, who subsequently became Empress Alexandra of Russia, following the ascension to the throne by her husband, Nicholas II of Russia.[3] Princess Alix missed the rose garden of Rosenhöhe, Darmstadt, and so this egg reminded her of them during her first Easter with her new husband.[1] The familiar yellow rose in 1895 was the yellow China tea rose that had been introduced by Parkes from China in 1824, re-bloomed in fall and was a staple of milder gardens than Saint Petersburg, where it was not hardy.[4] Yellow roses were the most valued ones in the Empress' native Germany. The egg embodied Fabergé's embrace of Neo-Classicism, in opposition to the dominance of Art Nouveau in late 19th century contemporary design.[1] Fabergé charged 3,250 rubles for the egg.[1] In 1917 the egg was confiscated by the Russian Provisional Government and later sold to Emanuel Snowman of the jewellers Wartski around 1927.[2] It was owned by a certain Charles Parsons in the 1930s, and was lost for decades, amid rumours that it had been damaged in a marital dispute. It was this damage that helped Malcolm Forbes identify the egg when he purchased it in 1985 from the Fine Art Society in London. In 2004 it was sold as part of the Forbes Collection to Viktor Vekselberg. Vekselberg purchased some nine Imperial eggs from the collection, for almost $100 million.[5]

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • The Rosebud Egg [6]

References

[1] "The Rosebud Egg, Chapter 4" (http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap4_rosebud. html). Faberge: Treasures of Imperial Russia. The Link of Times Foundation. 2005. . Retrieved 2007-12-05.

[2] Wintraecken, Annemiek (2007-09-12). "1895 Rosebud Egg" (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1895-Rosebud-Egg. htm). Mieks Fabergé Eggs. . Retrieved 2007-12-05.

[3] "The Bay Tree Egg, Chapter 9" (http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap9_baytree. html). Faberge: Treasures of Imperial Russia. The Link of Times Foundation. 2005. . Retrieved 2007-12-05.

[4] Henry Curtis, Beauties of the Rose (1850-1853) (http:/ / www. rosegathering. com/ triversteas. html). Rosebud (Fabergé egg) 67

[5] Economides, Michael (2006-03-23). "Energy Security from Russia" (http:/ / www. energytribune. com/ articles. cfm?aid=68). Energy Tribune. . Retrieved 2007-12-05.

[6] http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap4_rosebud. html

Royal Danish (Fabergé egg)

The Royal Danish egg (also known as the Danish Jubilee egg) is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1903, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.[1] One of eight Fabergé eggs that are currently lost, it is one of two eggs whose existence is known only from a single photograph, the other being 1909's Alexander III Commemorative egg.[2]

Surprise The egg contains miniature portraits of Christian IX of Denmark and his wife, Louise of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), the parents of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.[1]

History The egg is known from a description published in 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."[2] One of the largest Fabergé eggs at over nine inches (229 mm) in height,[1] the egg is crowned by the symbol of Denmark's ancient Order of the Elephant. In 1903 the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, born in Denmark as Princess Dagmar, returned to Denmark for the 40th Anniversary of her father's accession to the throne.[1] The Royal Danish egg was thus a commemoration of this event and at the same time to commemorate the death of Queen Louise.[1] Nicholas II wrote to his mother in Copenhagen that he was "sending you a Fabergé Easter present. I hope it will arrive safely; it simply opens from the top".[1]

See also • Egg decorating

References

[1] 1903 Royal Danish Egg (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1903-Royal-Danish-Egg. htm), Mieks.

[2] Fabergé (http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ liv/ fab/ 30/ fab30. html), Andrej KOYMASKY. Standart Yacht (Fabergé egg) 68 Standart Yacht (Fabergé egg)

The Standart Yacht Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1909, for the then Czar of Russia, Nicholas II. Nicholas presented it as an Easter gift to his wife, Alexandra Fyodorovna. It is held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

Craftsmanship The exterior of the Standart Yacht egg is made from gold, diamonds, pearls, and lapis lazuli. The egg rests on a base of gold. The surprise is a golden replica of the Standart Yacht, made of gold and platinum, and is coated in vitreous enamel.

The Standart Yacht The c5,500 ton Standart was commissioned by Alexander III in Copenhagen. It was launched in 1895 and was 116 meters long, which made it the largest yacht in the world at that time.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the 'Standart Yacht' Egg from mieks.com [1]

References

[1] http:/ / mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1909-Standart-Egg. htm Steel Military (Fabergé egg) 69 Steel Military (Fabergé egg)

Steel Military Fabergé egg Year delivered 1916

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Design and Materials

Workmaster Alma Pihl

The Steel Military Egg is one of a series of fifty-two Russian jewelled Easter eggs made by Alma Pihl under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1916, for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the egg as an Easter gift to his wife, the Tsaritsa Alexandra Fyodorovna. The egg is one of the ten Imperial eggs that were never sold, and now is found in the Kremlin armoury.

Craftsmanship The exterior of the egg is made from gold, steel, and is coated in vitreous enamel, while the interior is made of silk and velvet. The egg stands on a base of jade. Four steel artillery shells support the egg. The surprise is a miniature painting by Vassily Zuiev on an easel made of gold and steel. The easel is coated in vitreous enamel. The frame of the painting is lined with diamonds.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links

http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Swan (Fabergé egg) 70 Swan (Fabergé egg)

The Swan Egg is a Fabergé egg, one in a series of fifty-two jewelled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. Commissioned in 1906 by Tsar Nicholas II, the egg was presented to the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna on Easter that year for her 40th wedding anniversary.

Design The egg is made of mauve enamel, with gold trim. On the exterior is a twisted ribbon trellis design of rose-cut diamonds, as well as a portrait diamond on the top inscribed "1906". Another portrait diamond on the other end once held the Imperial monograph.[1] The "surprise" that came inside the egg is a miniature gold and silver swan on a "lake" of aquamarine. By winding a gear beneath one of the wings, the swan's mechanical neck and wings move.[1] In Russia, the swan is considered a symbol of family life and the permanence of the bond of marriage.

Ownership This egg belongs to Edouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Switzerland.

References

[1] Mieks (2007-09-09). "1906 Swan Egg" (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1906-Swan-Egg. htm). Mieks Fabergé Eggs. . Retrieved 2009-01-28. Trans-Siberian Railway (Fabergé egg) 71

Trans- Siberian Railway (Fabergé egg)

Tran-Siberian Railway Fabergé egg

The Trans-Siberian Railway Egg photographed in the Kremlin in 2003 Year delivered 1900

Customer Alexandra Fyodorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 1927

Design and Materials

Materials used Gold, silver, green, blue and orange enamel, onyx and velvet for lining

Height 26 cm

Surprise A miniature steam train made of gold, platinum, rose-cut diamonds, rubies, and rock crystal

The Trans-Siberian Railway Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1900, for the then Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Nicholas presented the egg as an Easter gift to his wife, the Tsaritsa Alexandra Fyodorovna. It is currently kept in the Kremlin Armoury museum in Moscow.

Craftsmanship The exterior of the 1900 Trans-Siberian Railway egg is made of onyx, silver, gold, and quartz, and is decorated with colored vitreous enamel. The interior is lined with velvet. The egg is supported by three griffins made of gold-plated silver. The surprise is a miniature clockwork replica of a steam locomotive made of gold and platinum. His five carriages are for mail, ladies only, smoking, non-smoking and chapel. The train has a gold key that can be used to wind the train and have it run. Trans-Siberian Railway (Fabergé egg) 72

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the 'Trans-Siberian Railway Egg' from mieks.com [1]

References

[1] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1900-Trans-Siberian-Railway-Egg. htm Tsarevich (Fabergé egg) 73 Tsarevich (Fabergé egg)

The Tsarevich Fabergé egg

Year delivered 1912

Customer Alexandra Fedorovna

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 1947

Design and Materials

Workmaster Henrik Wigström

Materials used Lapis Lazuli, gold, diamond

Height 5 3/4"

Width 4"

Surprise Russian double-headed Imperial eagle with portrait of the Czarevich Alexis

The Tsarevich Egg is a Fabergé egg, one in a series of fifty-two jewelled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was created in 1912 for Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna as a tribute by Faberge to her son the Tsarevich Alexis (Alexei). The egg currently resides in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.[1]

Design The egg is about five and three-quarters inches tall on its stand, with a diameter of four inches.[2] The outer shell is blue lapis lazuli, with architectural, Louis XV-style gold cagework in a design of leafy scrolls. The gold motifs cover each joint, making the egg look as if it was carved from a single block of lapis. The goldwork includes two Imperial double-headed eagles, as well as cupids, canopies, floral scrolls, flower baskets and garlands.[1] Two large diamonds, one at top and one at bottom, are encrusted into the egg's surface, showing the initials of Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna, the year 1912 and the Imperial crown.[3] The location of the original stand is unknown, however it is thought to have not made it out of Russia when purchased by antiques dealer Armand Hammer. [1]

Surprise The "surprise" inside is a Russian double-headed Imperial eagle with a miniature portrait of the Czarevich Alexis, set in platinum and encrusted with diamonds.[3] The Imperial eagle holds the orb and sceptre representative of the Romanov crown jewels. The intricate frame sits on a lapis lazuli base and can be completely removed from inside the egg. The portrait portrays Alexei in his sailor suit, a favorite of the Tsarevich's. The original double-sided watercolor miniature portrait has suffered damage and is still in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Tsarevich (Fabergé egg) 74

The current portrait on display is an archival photograph. Inside the egg, an engraved golden disc with a rose window design serves as a platform for the portrait frame. [1]

History

Fabergé created the egg as a tribute to (Tsarevich) Alexei. Unknown to all but the royal family, Alexei was expected to die of hemophilia and was at one point so close to death that the Russian Imperial Court had already drawn up his death certificate. When Alexei survived, Fabergé, who knew of the Czarevich's health, created the egg for Alexei's mother Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna as a tribute to the miracle of his survival.[4] [5]

Subsequent owners included antiques-dealer Armond Hammer who moved from Paris to New York in the early 1930’s. Philanthropist Lillian Thomas Pratt of Fredericksburg, Virginia (1876-1947) purchased the egg in New York from Hammer in 1933-34. The egg was bequest to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, in 1947, where it remains on permanent view.[2]

Czarevich in a sailor uniform. See also

• Fabergé egg • Colonnade (Fabergé egg)

External links • Virginia Museum of Fine Arts description [6]

References [1] David Park Curry (1995). "Faberge". Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

[2] "Imperial Czarevich Easter Egg" (http:/ / www. vmfa. museum/ collections/ 47_20_34. html). Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. . Retrieved 2007-12-29.

[3] Koymasky, Matt and Andrej. "Fabergé Czarevich" (http:/ / andrejkoymasky. com/ liv/ fab/ 47/ fab47. html). . Retrieved 2007-12-29.

[4] "Fabergé Eggs: Fragile Remembrances" (http:/ / www. pbs. org/ treasuresoftheworld/ faberge/ flevel_1/ f5_fragile_remember. html). PBS.org. . Retrieved 2007-12-29.

[5] Mieks (2007-09-09). "1912 Tsarevich Egg" (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ 1912-Tsarevich-Egg. htm). Mieks Fabergé Eggs. . Retrieved 2007-12-29.

[6] http:/ / www. vmfa. museum/ collections/ 47_20_34. html Twelve Monograms (Fabergé egg) 75 Twelve Monograms (Fabergé egg)

Twelve Monograms Fabergé egg Year delivered 1895

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Design and Materials

The Twelve Monograms (or the Silver Anniversary Egg) is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1895, for the then Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna. The egg was the first presented to Tsar Nicholas, continuing the tradition started under his father, Alexander III After Alexander's death, in the short time remaining before the Easter holiday in 1895, Fabergé had not only to rework the egg that had originally been planned for Maria Fyodorovna prior to her husband's death, but also to create an appropriate egg for Alexandra. The Twelve Monograms egg was the first Fabergé egg given by Tsar Nicholas to his mother. It is currently held in the Hillwood Museum in Washington, D.C. as part of the Marjorie Merriweather Post Collection.

Surprise The surprise for this egg is missing.

Craftsmanship Each panel of the egg contains a Cyrillic cipher of Alexander III and Maria Fedorovna, set and crowned in diamonds, set against the dark blue enamel with a design of red gold, rose-cut diamonds, portrait diamonds and velvet lining. It's covered by six panels each divided by bands set with rose-cut diamonds and decorated with the Imperial crown and Imperial monograms (MF) "Maria Fyodorovna" and (AIII) "Alexander III". Each monogram appears six times, with Maria's monogram appearing on the top half of the egg and Alexander's appearing on the bottom. For a long time this egg was thought to have been the 1892 gift for Maria and Alexander's 25th wedding anniversary. Instead it was presented to Maria in memory of Alexander. The design was very simple because Faberge only had six months to create it. He had to rework the egg originally planned before Alexander's death and he was also making an egg for Alexandra at the same time.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating Winter (Fabergé egg) 76 Winter (Fabergé egg)

Winter Fabergé egg Year delivered 1913

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Design and Materials

The 1913 Winter egg is one of a series of fifty-two Russian jeweled Easter eggs and was designed by Alma Pihl, the designer who worked for Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1913 for Tsar Nicholas II as an Easter gift for the Tzar's mother, Tsaritsa Maria Fyodorovna. The egg sold for US$9.6 million in 2002. [1]

Craftsmanship The exterior of the egg is studded with 1,660 diamonds, and made from quartz, platinum, and orthoclase. The miniature surprise basket is studded with 1,378 diamonds and is made from platinum and gold, while the flowers are made of white quartz and the leaves are made of demantoid. The flowers lie in gold moss.

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links

• http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ eggs. htm

• http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ 1913-Winter-Egg. htm

References

[1] http:/ / www. bloomberg. com/ apps/ news?pid=20601088& sid=aKbQV1ZgI44A& refer=home 77

Fabergé Kelch Eggs

Kelch Chanticleer (Fabergé egg)

Kelch Chanticleer Fabergé egg Year delivered 1904

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Design and Materials

The Kelch Chanticleer egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by Michael Perchin under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1904,[1] for the Russian industrialist Alexander Ferdinandovich Kelch, who presented the egg to his wife, Barbara Kelch-Bazanova.[1]

Surprise Upon the hour, a diamond set cockerel pops up from the top of the egg, flaps its wings four times, nods his head three times, crowing all the while during this routine. This lasts fifteen seconds, before the clock strikes the hour on a bell.[1]

Similarities with Rothschild egg As one of only four eggs with an ornamentation surprise and a clock, similarities have been drawn with the 1902 Rothschild egg.[2]

History The Kelch Chanticleer egg is, together with the 1906 Moscow Kremlin egg, one of Fabergé's largest Imperial Easter eggs.[1] It was long believed to be an Imperial egg and was purchased as such from A La Vieille Russie by Malcolm Forbes in 1966. The first doubts were raised as to its Imperial status in 1979, when the ownership of six Fabergé eggs illustrated in a 1920 photograph was attributed to Alexander Ferdinandovich Kelch. These included several eggs which had previously been considered Imperial (including the Pine Cone egg and the Chanticleer egg) as well as three others bearing the initials BK of Barbara Kelch (the 1898 Kelch Hen egg, the 1902 Rocaille egg and the 1903 Kelch Bonbonnière egg).[1] In 2004 it was sold as part of the Forbes Collection to Viktor Vekselberg. Vekselberg purchased some nine Imperial eggs from the collection, for almost $100 million.[3] Kelch Chanticleer (Fabergé egg) 78

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • The Kelch Chanticleer Egg [4]

References

[1] "The Kelch Chanticleer Egg, Chapter 15" (http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap4_rosebud. html). Faberge: Treasures of Imperial Russia. The Link of Times Foundation. 2005. . Retrieved 2008-02-06.

[2] Wintraecken, Annemiek (2008-02-06). "Two eggs" (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ two-eggs. html). Mieks Fabergé Eggs. . Retrieved 2008-02-06.

[3] Economides, Michael (2006-03-23). "Energy Security from Russia" (http:/ / www. energytribune. com/ articles. cfm?aid=68). Energy Tribune. . Retrieved 2007-12-05.

[4] http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap14_kelchchantecleer. html Twelve Panel (Fabergé egg) 79 Twelve Panel (Fabergé egg)

Twelve Panel Fabergé egg

Year delivered 1899

Customer Barbara Kelch-Bazanova

Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 1933

Design and Materials

Workmaster Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin

Materials used Gold, enamel, diamond

The Twelve Panel egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg[1] made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1899.[2] The egg was made for Alexander Kelch, who presented it to his wife, Barbara (Varvara) Kelch-Bazanova.[2]

Craftmanship The egg was created by Peter Carl Faberge's workmaster, Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (Russian, 1860-1903) and is crafted of yellow gold, rose-cut diamonds, portrait diamonds, translucent pink en green enamel and opaque white enamel. The upper and lower sections of the Egg are each divided into six panels by bands of matt-finished gold, overlaid with rows of pink enamel roses with gold stems and translucent green leaves. A band of rose-cut diamonds set at intervals with rosettes of additional diamonds encircles the Egg at its widest part. Each end of the Egg is finished with concentric circles of diamonds, gold and green enameled leaf motifs and pink enamel. the top end is centered with a medallion bearing the initials B.T.K. in script under a portrait diamond.; the other end has a similar, though smaller medallion showing the date "1899". The surprise has been lost.[2]

Ownership This is the only Kelch Egg that was not part of the lot bought by the Paris jeweler Morgan. The Egg was purchased sometime in the 1920's and bought by A La Vieille Russie in Paris, likely from Barbara Kelch. In 1933 sold by A La Vieille Russie, Paris. Presented at Christmas 1933 by King George V of the United Kingdom as a gift for his wife Queen Mary of Teck, and remains a part of the Royal Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.[2] Other Fabergé Eggs in the Royal Collection include: 1. Basket of Wild Flowers, 1901, Gift of Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. 2. Colonnade, 1910, Gift of Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. 3. Mosaic, Gift of Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Twelve Panel (Fabergé egg) 80

See also • Fabergé egg

External links • A detailed article on the Twelve Panel egg from mieks.com [3]

References

[1] Royal Collection - Twelve Panel Egg (http:/ / www. royalcollection. org. uk/ default. asp?action=article& ID=17)

[2] Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ Kelch-Eggs/ Kelch-1899-12-Panel-Egg. htm)

[3] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ Kelch-Eggs/ Kelch-1899-12-Panel-Egg. htm

Pine Cone (Fabergé egg)

The Pine Cone egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1900.[1] The egg was made for Alexander Kelch, who presented it to his wife, Barbara (Varvara) Kelch-Bazanova.[1]

Craftmanship The egg was created by Peter Carl Faberge's workmaster, Mikhail Perkhin (Russian, 1860-1903) and is crafted of gold, silver, rose-cut diamonds, brilliant diamonds and translucent royal blue enamel. The miniature elephant is made of silver, gold, ivory, rose-cut diamonds and red and green enamel. One end of the pine cone, a symbol of resurrection, is set with four petal-shaped portrait diamonds, forming a quatrefoil enclosing the date "1900". The opposite end is set with a rose-cut diamond star, enclosing a portrait diamond over a later miniature of a young woman. The Egg originally bore the monogram B.K.(for Barbara Kelch) beneath the portrait diamond, probably similar to that of the 1899 Kelch Twelve Panel egg. The egg shell opens to reveal, in a fitted velvet compartment, a surprise, an oxidized silver Indian elephant automaton with ivory tusks supporting an enameled turbaned mahout seated upon a gold fringed red and green guilloche enamel saddle cloth. Each side is set with three rose-cut diamond collets, one covers a keyhole. When wound with the original gold key, the tiny elephant, lumbers forward, shifting its weight from one side to the other, all the while turning its head and flicking its tail. The egg has a height of 9.5 cm.[1]

Ownership One of the six Kelch Eggs sold sold to Morgan in Paris, a La Vieille Russie, Paris. The Egg was sold in 1929 to a private United States collector.[1] Sold in 1989 by Christie's Geneva to Joan Kroc (widow of Ray Kroc, former chairman of McDonalds Corporation) of San Diego, California for $3.1 million. Daniel Grossman, a New York art dealer, represented Joan Kroc at the sale and he stayed on the telephone with her throughout the bidding. Mrs. Kroc later told the New York Times "I was thrilled when I was told I had bought the egg." She had recently pledged $1 million to San Diego's 1989 three week arts festival "Treasures of the Soviet Union" and the Egg was the 26th Faberge egg at the festival.[2] In 1997 the egg was offered by Christie's in New York from the collection of Joan Kroc, but did not sale with the highest bid of $2.8 million. The presale estimate was $3.5 to 4.5 million.[1] Pine Cone (Fabergé egg) 81

See also • Fabergé egg

External links • A detailed article about the Pine Cone Faberge Egg [3] • A New York Times article "ANTIQUES; Not Imperial, but Still Faberge", May 28, 1989 [4]

References

[1] Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ Kelch-Eggs/ Kelch-1899-12-Panel-Egg. htm)

[2] New York Times (http:/ / query. nytimes. com/ gst/ fullpage. html?res=950DEEDA143EF93BA15756C0A96F948260& sec=travel& spon=& pagewanted=1)

[3] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ Kelch-Eggs/ Kelch-1900-Pine-Cone-Egg. htm

[4] http:/ / query. nytimes. com/ gst/ fullpage. html?res=950DEEDA143EF93BA15756C0A96F948260& sec=travel& spon=& pagewanted=1 82

Other Fabergé Eggs

Duchess of Marlborough Egg

The Duchess of Marlborough egg (also known as the Pink Serpent egg[1] ) is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by Michael Perchin under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1902.[2] The Duchess of Marlborough egg is the only large Fabergé Easter egg to have been commissioned by an American, and is inspired by a Louis XVI clock with a revolving dial. It is similar to the 1887 Blue Serpent Clock egg.[2]

History The egg was made for Consuelo Vanderbilt, who became the Duchess of Marlborough when she married Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough in 1895.[2] In 1902 the Duchess and her husband travelled to Russia, where they dined with Nicholas II of Russia, and visited his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna at the Anichkov Palace. During this visit the Duchess would have almost certainly seen the Dowager Empress' large collection of Fabergé, which perhaps inspired her to order this egg.[2] The egg is believed to have cost over 5,000 rubles.[2] After her divorce from the Duke of Marlborough, Vanderbilt donated the Duchess of Marlborough egg to a charity auction in 1926. The egg was bought by Ganna Walska, the second wife of Harold Fowler McCormick, chairman of the International Harvester Company of Chicago.[2] At the 1965 Parke-Bernet auction of her property, it was bought by Malcolm Forbes. It was the first Fabergé Easter egg that Forbes purchased.[2] In 2004 it was sold as part of Forbes Collection to Viktor Vekselberg. Vekselberg purchased some nine Imperial eggs, as part of the collection, for almost $100 million.[3]

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the 'Duchess of Marlborough' egg [4], from treasuresofimperialrussia.com

References

[1] Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / mieks. com/ Faberge2/ Other-Eggs/ Duchess_of_Marlborough_Egg. htm)

[2] Faberge - Treasures of Imperial Russia (http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap15_duchess. html)

[3] Energy Tribune (http:/ / www. energytribune. com/ articles. cfm?aid=681)

[4] http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap15_duchess. html Nobel Ice (Fabergé egg) 83 Nobel Ice (Fabergé egg)

The Nobel Ice Egg, sometimes also referred to as the Snowflake egg, is a jewelled enamelled Fabergé Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé, for the Swedish-Russian oil baron and industrialist Emanuel Nobel between 1913 and 1914.

History

The egg was made between 1913 and 1914 for Emanuel Nobel, the Swedish-Russian oil Baron, son of Ludvig Nobel, and one of Fabergé's

best customers. Franz Birbaum, Fabergé's head workmaster, recalls The Nobel Ice Egg by Peter Carl Fabergé that Emanuel Nobel "was so generous in his presents that at times it seemed that this was his chief occupation and delight. Orders were constantly being made for him in the workshops and from time to time he came to have a look at them. Often he only decided for whom the present should be when the work was finished."

After the Russian Revolution, it was sold to the Parisian dealer A. A. Anatra, whom subsequently sold it to Mr. Jacques Zolotnitzky, of A la vieille Russie, in Paris. It was later sold to a North-American collector. In 1994 it was sold at Christie's, in Geneva, for several hundred thousand dollars.

See also • Fabergé egg • Emanuel Nobel • Nobel family • Peter Carl Fabergé

References • H.C. Bainbridge, Peter Carl Fabergé (London, 1949) p.58 • Birbaum, Franz, Memoirs, in St. Petersburg, The State Hermitage Museum, Fabergé: Imperial Jeweller (1993) p.454) • Habsburg-Lothringen, Geza von, and Solodkoff, Alexander von, Fabergé Joaillier à la Cour de Russie (Fribourg, 1979) pp.108, 118, 158, pl.141, p.120, cat.69 • Snowman, A. Kenneth, The Art of Carl Fabergé (London, 1964) p.113, pl.387 • Solodkoff, Alexander von, 'History of the House of Fabergé', Masterpieces from the House of Fabergé (New York, 1984) p.36 • Solodkoff, Alexander von, Fabergé (London, 1988) p.47 Nobel Ice (Fabergé egg) 84

External links

• Miek's Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ faberge-en/ Other-Eggs/ Nobel-Ice-Egg. htm) Retrieved on 2009-04-28

• Vivian Swift, Alma Pihl's Designs for Fabergé in Magazine Antiques (Jan 1996) (http:/ / 74. 125. 47. 132/

search?q=cache:zIss_NlljIUJ:findarticles. com/ p/ articles/ mi_m1026/ is_n1_v149/ ai_17942751/ + "noble+ ice+

egg"& cd=5& hl=pt-BR& ct=clnk& gl=br) Retrieved on 2009-04-28 Resurrection Egg 85 Resurrection Egg

Resurrection Fabergé egg Current owner

Individual or Institution Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts

Year of acquisition 2004

Design and Materials

The Resurrection egg is a jewelled enameled and rock crystal Easter egg made by Michael Perchin under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé before 1899 [1] . Long considered a Fabergé egg, it does not bear an inventory number. It has been postulated that the Resurrection egg is the missing surprise from the Renaissance egg [1] . The egg depicts Jesus rising from his tomb, and is the only Fabergé egg to explicitly reference the Easter story [2]

Surprise There is no surprise in this egg, possibly because it is a surprise itself [2] .

History The Resurrection egg bears the mark of Michael Perchin, and assay marks indicating that it was made in St. Petersburg before 1899 [1] . Long considered a Fabergé Imperial egg, and recognised as such by leading Fabergé experts, it does not bear an inventory number. It has been postulated by Christopher Forbes that the Resurrection egg is the missing surprise from the Renaissance egg, as it perfectly fits the curvature of the Renaissance Egg's shell, has a similar decoration in enamel on the base, and features a pearl, which is mentioned on the invoice for the Renaissance egg but not present on that egg. [1] The Resurrection egg was bought in 1922 by a London art dealer, and sold at Christie's, in 1934. Owned by Lord Grantchester, it was bought from his estate by Manhattan art dealers A La Vieille Russie. In 1978 A La Vieille Russie negotiated a private sale of the Resurrection egg and the Hen egg to the Forbes Collection. In 2004 it was sold as part of Forbes Collection to Viktor Vekselberg. Vekselberg purchased some nine Imperial eggs, as part of the collection, for almost $100 million [3] Resurrection Egg 86

See also • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the 'Resurrection' egg [4], from treasuresofimperialrussia.com

References

[1] Faberge - Treasures of Imperial Russia (http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap3_resurrection. html)

[2] Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / mieks. com/ Faberge2/ Other-Eggs/ Imperial-Resurrection-Egg. htm)

[3] Energy Tribune (http:/ / www. energytribune. com/ articles. cfm?aid=681)

[4] http:/ / www. treasuresofimperialrussia. com/ e_chap3_resurrection. html

Rothschild (Fabergé egg)

The Rothschild egg is a jewelled enameled decorated egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1902,[1] for Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild, who presented the egg to Germaine Halphen, due to the latter's engagement to Béatrice's younger brother, Édouard Alphonse James de Rothschild.[2]

Similarities with Kelch Chanticleer egg As one of only four eggs with an ornamentation surprise and a clock, similarities have been drawn with the 1904 Kelch Chanticleer egg.[2]

History It is one of the few eggs that was not made for the Russian Imperial family, and had been in the Rothschild family since 1905.

2007 sale It was sold by Christie's auction house on November 28, 2007, for £8.9 million (including commission).[4] The price achieved by the egg set three auction records: it is the most expensive timepiece, Russian object, and Fabergé object ever sold at auction, surpassing the $9.6 million sale of the 1913 Winter egg in 2002.[4] [5] The egg was bought by Alexander Ivanov, the director of the Russian National Museum. "It's one of the most beautiful, valuable and most intricate Fabergé eggs ever," Ivanov said, as well as adding that "We didn't have investors, and this egg will go into the private museum which we are building in downtown Moscow. We will not resell it."[5] Rothschild (Fabergé egg) 87

See also • Rothschild family • Fabergé egg • Egg decorating

External links • A detailed article on the 'Rothschild' Egg [6], from mieks.com • Comparison with the Kelch Chanticleer egg [7], from mieks.com • Archive article showing Rothschild egg in Perchin's workshop.Wartski, London [27]

References

[1] Christie's - Russian Works of Art Including The Rothschild Fabergé Egg (http:/ / www. christies. com/ features/ nov07/ 7461/ overview. asp)

[2] Mieks Fabergé Eggs (http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ Other-Eggs/ 1902-rothschild-egg. htm)

[3] The Rothschild Fabergé Egg - Russian Works of Art, 28 November 2007, London (http:/ / www. news-antique. com/ ?id=782995& keys=Rothschild-Faberge)

[4] http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ uk_news/ 7116956. stm Fabergé egg sold for record £8.9m, BBC News, 28 November 2007

[5] Bloomberg.com: Muse Arts (http:/ / www. bloomberg. com/ apps/ news?pid=20601088& sid=aKbQV1ZgI44A& refer=home)

[6] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ Faberge2/ Other-Eggs/ 1902-rothschild-egg. htm

[7] http:/ / www. mieks. com/ two-eggs. html Article Sources and Contributors 88 Article Sources and Contributors

Fabergé egg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=361557006 Contributors: ALargeElk, Alensha, Alsandro, Altenmann, Ams80, Andrewpmk, Andycjp, Angela, Annemiek Wintraecken, Audionaut, BasilRazi, Bbpen, Beantwo, Berniedexter, Besselfunctions, Bihco, Blanchardb, BraneJ, Brettstout, BrownHairedGirl, BryanD, Bundin, Byorzinski, Cadsuane Melaidhrin, Cameron, Carmet, Casadosgambas, Casliber, Charles Gaudette, CherryFlavoredAntacid, Chris 73, CommonsDelinker, Conorchurch, DTjendradjaja, Dale Arnett, Daniel Olsen, Dante Alighieri, Danthemankhan, Dar-Ape, David Fartwood, Deror avi, Dimadick, Dismas, Dkawooya, Dlyons493, Donarreiskoffer, Dreamafter, Eaefremov, Eguitaut, Eric 324, Everyking, Faithlessthewonderboy, Fingers-of-Pyrex, Fsemmig, Gaius Cornelius, Gareth E Kegg, Gchang6, Ghirlandajo, Goblin, Goldenrowley, Grane, Greyhood, Gurch, Gzornenplatz, Hackstar18, Hektor, HorsePunchKid, HstryQT, Huw Powell, Ingolfson, JIP, JMK, JQF, Janderk, Jeysaba, Jfwg22, Jmlk17, John Prattley, JohnPearson99, Jonathan.s.kt, Kirkt, KnightRider, Kpalion, LIS632-07S-avr, Lawikitejana, Legis, LeoDV, Lord Bodak, Loren.wilton, MGTom, Mack2, Marcus Brute, Mattis, Misterkillboy, Mitts61, Mjmcb1, Morenooso, Moviesounds, Mr. G. Williams, Nagy, NickPenguin, Niteowlneils, Norhelt, NuclearWinner, Nv8200p, Officiallyover, Olga Raskolnikova, Olivier, Ortonmc, Ossmann, Peter Isotalo, Petzi1969, PhilKnight, Philip Trueman, Pied beauty, Pigman, Pigsonthewing, Pinethicket, Piotrus, Pmaccabe, Pragmatist, Quietust, Rackstraw, Ragzouken, Raymond Gorissen, RealGrouchy, Recurring dreams, Requestion, Reylinadottir1292, Rich Farmbrough, Richerman, Rjwilmsi, Rune.welsh, SDC, Seeleschneider, Shadowjams, Shakko, Sir, Solarcoast, Sotakeit, Speed Air Man, Squiddy, Stan Shebs, Steveprutz, Stpetersburger, Stylus Happenstance, Switchercat, Symane, Taco325i, Tavix, The man in the mask, Themfromspace, Theseeker4, Tilefish, Tocharianne, Vegaswikian, Vladyurin, Wereon, Wetman, Wiki alf, Woohookitty, Worobiew, Yath, Zepheus, Zoicon5, 340 anonymous edits

House of Fabergé Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=356589283 Contributors: 2help, Ahuskay, Aldis90, Alex.muller, Alsandro, Alvr, Annemiek Wintraecken, Aprel, Atgnclk, Auntof6, BD2412, Belovedfreak, Bramo, Burnhamandroot, Chris the speller, Cj1977, Cosprings, Dcutter, Discospinster, Dorange, Elonka, FabergeArts, Fanoftheworld, Gareth E Kegg, Geoeeee, Gilliam, GrAfFiT, Haveronjones, Jfwg22, John Prattley, JohnPAndrew, Johnbod, Jon1984, K1Bond007, KolyaFrankovich, LordOfPuppets, Materialscientist, MaxSem, Mervyn, Metaring, Misterx2000, Mr Mulliner, Nwbeeson, P1415926535, Petri Krohn, Piano non troppo, Plumento, Quasar13579, Revolving Bugbear, Rjensen, Robert K S, SDC, Seangilbertson, ShellyT123, Stormbay, Tocharianne, Trevimedia, Wrelwser43, 168 anonymous edits

Peter Carl Fabergé Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=359159682 Contributors: AJR, Al Silonov, Alex Bakharev, AlexKazakhov, Allissonn, Altenmann, BD2412, Belovedfreak, Bjankuloski06en, Blankfaze, Bobo192, Candis Rochelle, Caponer, Cj1977, Clarityfiend, Coccyx Bloccyx, Curps, D6, DabMachine, Dance-dance-dance-love, Dpeck, EdBever, Felicity4711, Fruggo, Gabbe, Garret Beaumain, Gene Nygaard, Geoeeee, Ghirlandajo, Goldenrowley, Good Olfactory, Greyhood, Hede2000, Isis, JLaTondre, Jack1956, Jeandré du Toit, JillandJack, Jj137, JohnPearson99, Karen Johnson, LordOfPuppets, Mamlsmds, Maralia, Marc Venot, Marcus Brute, Mathiasrex, Metaring, Mike409, Mitts61, Octahedron80, Olga Raskolnikova, Olivier, OneVeryBadMan, Ospalh, Petri Krohn, Pied beauty, Pseudomoi, Raymond Gorissen, Rjwilmsi, Rmhermen, Ronstew, Ruhrjung, Russavia, Serein (renamed because of SUL), Sfrandzi, ShowMaster17, Solarcoast, Sparkit, Squamate, Stan Shebs, Storkk, Stpetersburger, Ted Wilkes, Tierlieb, Tocharianne, Travelbird, Trevimedia, Trusilver, Tsemii, Txomin, Wsiegmund, Wwwwolf, Yaan, Zippy, Zoicon5, Zzuuzz, 118 anonymous edits

Alexander III Commemorative (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331843209 Contributors: Astanhope, Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, Jason Quinn, Jpbowen, 2 anonymous edits

Alexander III Equestrian (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331843372 Contributors: Belathus, DabMachine, Gareth E Kegg, Ghirlandajo, HstryQT, MakeRocketGoNow, Neddyseagoon, Rune.welsh, ShakingSpirit, Switchercat, Vladyurin, Zigger, 5 anonymous edits

Alexander III Portraits (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331717246 Contributors: Gareth E Kegg, Grane, HstryQT, Jpbowen, 2 anonymous edits

Alexander Palace (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=356994692 Contributors: Blair Bonnett, Fatidiot1234, Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, Lelavr, Retired username, Richie Campbell, Sandstein, Tabletop, WRK, Woohookitty, 3 anonymous edits

Basket of Wild Flowers (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331718137 Contributors: Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, Rotational, 1 anonymous edits

Bay Tree (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=326308174 Contributors: Cybercobra, Gareth E Kegg, GregorB, HstryQT, Rich Farmbrough, 2 anonymous edits

Blue Serpent Clock Egg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=333168590 Contributors: Calliopejen1, Fatidiot1234, FeanorStar7, Gareth E Kegg, GrAfFiT, Grane, HstryQT, Lmaltier, M-le-mot-dit, Theseeker4, Tim!, Tocharianne, WODUP, Xenus, 13 anonymous edits

Bouquet of Lilies Clock (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=354029185 Contributors: Colonies Chris, Deror avi, Gareth E Kegg, GeiwTeol, Ghirlandajo, Grane, HstryQT, Insanephantom, MakeRocketGoNow, Rune.welsh, Smalljim, Switchercat, Tocharianne, Weetjesman, 12 anonymous edits

Caucasus (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331716727 Contributors: Bonadea, Grane, HstryQT, Owain.davies, Pragmatist, Russavia, Woohookitty, 5 anonymous edits

Cherub with Chariot Egg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=354026321 Contributors: Fatidiot1234, Gareth E Kegg, Gareth Jones, Grane, HstryQT, Jpbowen, Theseeker4, 6 anonymous edits

Clover Leaf (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=355108380 Contributors: Anna reg, Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, 2 anonymous edits

Colonnade (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=336919475 Contributors: CWY2190, Fatidiot1234, FeanorStar7, Gareth E Kegg, Glenfarclas, Hailey C. Shannon, HstryQT, Johnbod, Lelavr, Rockfang, 5 anonymous edits

Constellation (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331848048 Contributors: Benea, Fatidiot1234, Gareth E Kegg, Haddison, Herostratus, HstryQT, Interiot, Vladyurin, 13 anonymous edits

Danish Palaces Egg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=348095714 Contributors: Elmindreda, Gareth E Kegg, Grane, HstryQT, KnowlegeKey, Mentifisto, Nn123645, Pragmatist, Theseeker4, Vilding1, 5 anonymous edits

Diamond Trellis Egg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=333168028 Contributors: FeanorStar7, Grane, HstryQT, Lelavr, Theseeker4

Empire Nephrite (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331718370 Contributors: Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, Jpbowen, 4 anonymous edits

Gatchina Palace (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331718226 Contributors: Chris the speller, Gaston28, Gene93k, Grago5225, HstryQT, Ksk2875, 5 anonymous edits

Hen with Sapphire Pendant Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=355074573 Contributors: Angusmclellan, Coemgenus, Darkwind, FeanorStar7, Gareth E Kegg, Grane, HorsePunchKid, HstryQT, Jpbowen, LeoNomis, Lmaltier, Paul Haymon, Renata3, Switchercat, Theseeker4, Tocharianne, Xezbeth, 8 anonymous edits

Imperial Coronation Egg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=353028856 Contributors: AJ24, CommonsDelinker, Dhartung, Dismas, Dr. Sunglasses, Gareth E Kegg, Ghirlandajo, Grane, Gwern, HstryQT, Illnab1024, Jeff G., John, Johnbod, Kameraad Pjotr, Latulla, MakeRocketGoNow, MishaPan, Nevermore27, Norhelt, Rjwilmsi, Sandstein, Smalljim, SonicAD, Switchercat, Theseeker4, Tocharianne, Vladyurin, Zhekaby, 52 anonymous edits

Karelian Birch (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=353677769 Contributors: Andy Smith, CrispinFlowerday, Fatidiot1234, Hemlock Martinis, HstryQT, Kpalion, Lelavr, Lx 121, Maralia, Meredyth, Numero4

Lilies of the Valley Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331717627 Contributors: Afasmit, Grane, HstryQT, Neelix, RobertVanH, Tktktk, Tocharianne, Vladyurin, 8 anonymous edits

Mauve (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331717555 Contributors: Fragglet, Gareth E Kegg, Grane, HstryQT, Jpbowen, 3 anonymous edits

Memory of Azov Egg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=361784705 Contributors: Aiko, Ala.foum, Angus, Angusmclellan, Chitown charmer, Chris the speller, Conorchurch, Fatidiot1234, Fetofs, Gareth E Kegg, Ghirlandajo, Grane, HstryQT, JamesAM, Jogloran, Jpatokal, Kameraad Pjotr, Ketiltrout, Koveras, Lmaltier, MakeRocketGoNow, Rmhermen, Rune.welsh, Switchercat, Theseeker4, 8 anonymous edits Article Sources and Contributors 89

Mosaic (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=338519178 Contributors: FeanorStar7, Giraffedata, Hintswen, HstryQT, Ksk2875, Rotational, 7 anonymous edits

Moscow Kremlin (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331727430 Contributors: Appraiser, Deror avi, Fatidiot1234, Gareth E Kegg, Ghirlandajo, Grane, HstryQT, I do not exist, MakeRocketGoNow, Neutrality, Odedee, Rune.welsh, Smalljim, Switchercat, Tocharianne, Vladyurin, Zigger, 11 anonymous edits

Napoleonic (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=333496475 Contributors: Hemlock Martinis, HstryQT, Pragmatist, Woohookitty, 2 anonymous edits

Nécessaire Egg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331716280 Contributors: Gareth E Kegg, Grane, HstryQT, Jpbowen, Theseeker4, 3 anonymous edits

Order of St. George (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331847416 Contributors: Angusmclellan, Benea, Dreamafter, Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, Michael Hardy, 3 anonymous edits

Peacock (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331842929 Contributors: Gareth E Kegg, Gedvondur, HstryQT, 3 anonymous edits

Pelican (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=332862391 Contributors: Debresser, HstryQT, Ksk2875, LilHelpa, Themfromspace, 3 anonymous edits

Peter the Great (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=336620439 Contributors: Canterbury Tail, Dale Arnett, Fatidiot1234, Gareth E Kegg, Grane, HstryQT, Ksk2875, LilHelpa, Lmaltier, Narayan, Oreo Priest, Smalljim, Switchercat, Testing times, Tocharianne, WikHead, 11 anonymous edits

Red Cross with Imperial Portraits Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331911984 Contributors: Art LaPella, Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, Jonjames1986, Renata3, The Duke of Waltham, 3 anonymous edits

Red Cross with Triptych (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331846079 Contributors: HstryQT, Ksk2875, Otisjimmy1

Renaissance (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331716823 Contributors: Gareth E Kegg, Grane, Hailey C. Shannon, HstryQT, Marjaliisa, Ms2ger, Rjwilmsi, Rosenknospe, 3 anonymous edits

Rock Crystal (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=349336767 Contributors: Fatidiot1234, Grane, HstryQT, Ksk2875, LilHelpa, Moonraker2, Theseeker4, 3 anonymous edits

Romanov Tercentenary (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=352522985 Contributors: Drbreznjev, Fatidiot1234, Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, JB82, John Dalton, Rock4arolla, Tabletop, TheFeds, Theseeker4, WRK, Woohookitty, 2 anonymous edits

Rose Trellis (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331727641 Contributors: CyrilleDunant, Debresser, Fabrictramp, Gene93k, HstryQT, Ksk2875, 7 anonymous edits

Rosebud (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=333613282 Contributors: Alekjds, Biruitorul, Gareth E Kegg, Haddison, HstryQT, Pifactorial, Rome1453, Wetman, 2 anonymous edits

Royal Danish (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331718939 Contributors: DrKiernan, Gareth E Kegg, Gary2863, HstryQT, Ian Rose, JayHenry, Jpbowen, Leandrod, Lightmouse, 2 anonymous edits

Standart Yacht (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=343391249 Contributors: B, Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, Ingolfson, Kameraad Pjotr, Knealy2, ShaunMacPherson, The Anome, Vladyurin, 9 anonymous edits

Steel Military (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331847185 Contributors: 4twenty42o, Axeman89, Dreamafter, Fatidiot1234, Gareth E Kegg, Hailey C. Shannon, HstryQT, The Anome, Vladyurin, 19 anonymous edits

Swan (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=361786194 Contributors: Davidnbourne, Flabrisola, Fortdj33, Hemlock Martinis, HstryQT, JamesAM

Trans- Siberian Railway (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=356633019 Contributors: Abc that's the key, Caladon, Fatidiot1234, Gareth E Kegg, Hailey C. Shannon, HstryQT, Lelavr, Norhelt, Oreo Priest, Sdornan, Stephhzz, Vladyurin, Zappa711, 15 anonymous edits

Tsarevich (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=359969825 Contributors: FeanorStar7, Hemlock Martinis, HstryQT, Kakofonous, Ksk2875, Kyle1278, Nihiltres, Orlady, Wetman, 4 anonymous edits

Twelve Monograms (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331717005 Contributors: Angus, Angusmclellan, CommonsDelinker, Fatidiot1234, Ferritecore, Gareth E Kegg, Grane, Hailey C. Shannon, HstryQT, Kameraad Pjotr, Kerowyn, Lmaltier, Switchercat, Valentinian, 5 anonymous edits

Winter (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331843640 Contributors: Allissonn, Curero, Gareth E Kegg, Hailey C. Shannon, HstryQT, Ingolfson, Interiot, TerraFrost, Tocharianne, Vladyurin, 11 anonymous edits

Kelch Chanticleer (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331848823 Contributors: Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, 2 anonymous edits

Twelve Panel (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331848699 Contributors: Hailey C. Shannon, HstryQT, Ksk2875, Rotational, 2 anonymous edits

Pine Cone (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=333162045 Contributors: ChildofMidnight, FeanorStar7, Ksk2875, 13 anonymous edits

Duchess of Marlborough Egg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=331848902 Contributors: Benea, Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, Iridescent, Lightmouse, Ms2ger, Theseeker4, 3 anonymous edits

Nobel Ice (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=333516620 Contributors: Belovedfreak, Casadosgambas, Docu, Gonzonoir, HstryQT, 4 anonymous edits

Resurrection Egg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=345097135 Contributors: Gareth E Kegg, HstryQT, Montrealais, Rjwilmsi, Theseeker4, 2 anonymous edits

Rothschild (Fabergé egg) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=337961286 Contributors: Alsandro, Ardicius Greenknight, Brettstout, Gareth E Kegg, Graham87, HstryQT, Mervyn, Ms2ger, Spud Gun, TerraFrost, Turgidson, 14 anonymous edits Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 90 Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

Image:Moscow Kremlin Egg.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Moscow_Kremlin_Egg.jpg License: unknown Contributors: User:Stan Shebs Image:Madonna Lily Egg.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Madonna_Lily_Egg.jpg License: unknown Contributors: User:Stan Shebs Image:Equestrian Egg.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Equestrian_Egg.jpg License: unknown Contributors: User:Stan Shebs Image:Memory of Azov Egg.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Memory_of_Azov_Egg.jpg License: unknown Contributors: User:Stan Shebs Image:peterthegreategg.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Peterthegreategg.JPG License: unknown Contributors: Original uploader was Sotakeit at en.wikipedia Image:Karl Gustavovich Faberge.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Karl_Gustavovich_Faberge.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Jack1956 Image:Faberge store.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Faberge_store.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Alex Bakharev, Kaganer, Sergey kudryavtsev File:Kuz most 26.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Kuz_most_26.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: ? Image:Equestrian_Egg.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Equestrian_Egg.jpg License: unknown Contributors: User:Stan Shebs Image:Alexandrovsky.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Alexandrovsky.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Ghirlandajo, Kaganer File:Basket of Wild Flowers (Fabergé egg)00.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Basket_of_Wild_Flowers_(Fabergé_egg)00.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Elonka, Rotational File:Cloveregg2.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Cloveregg2.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Contributors: greenacre8 File:Walters Faberge Eggs 001.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Walters_Faberge_Eggs_001.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Ksk2875 Image:Coronation of Nicholas II.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coronation_of_Nicholas_II.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Laurits Tuxen (1853-1927) Image:romanov.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Romanov.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: AJ24, Jusjih Image:Birch egg.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Birch_egg.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Hemlock Martinis Image:Mosaic (Fabergé egg)00.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Mosaic_(Fabergé_egg)00.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Rotational Image:Peterthegreategg.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Peterthegreategg.JPG License: unknown Contributors: Original uploader was Sotakeit at en.wikipedia Image:The Bronze Horseman.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:The_Bronze_Horseman.jpg License: Attribution Contributors: JGHowes, photographer (Canon AE-1 camera) Image:Romanov_Tercentenary_Egg-2.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Romanov_Tercentenary_Egg-2.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Contributors: greenacre8 Image:Faberge Train Egg Kremlin April 2003.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Faberge_Train_Egg_Kremlin_April_2003.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Contributors: greenacre8 Image:Czarevich.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Czarevich.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Hemlock Martinis, HstryQT Image:Alexis.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Alexis.png License: unknown Contributors: David tm, Konstable, 2 anonymous edits Image:Twelve Panel (Fabergé egg)00.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Twelve_Panel_(Fabergé_egg)00.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Rotational File:Nobel Ice.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Nobel_Ice.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Casadosgambas License 91 License

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