Fabergé egg

The Imperial Coronation Egg, one of the most famous and iconic of all the Fabergé eggs.
The Moscow Kremlin egg, 1906.

A Fabergé egg (Russian: Яйца Фаберже́, yaytsa faberzhe) is a jeweled egg (possibly numbering as many as 69, of which 57 survive today) created by the House of Fabergé, in St. Petersburg, Imperial Russia. Virtually all were manufactured under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé between 1885 and 1917, the most famous being the 50 "Imperial" eggs, 43 of which survive, made for the Russian Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers.

History

The first Fabergé egg was crafted for Tsar Alexander III, who had decided to give his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna, an Easter egg in 1885, possibly to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their betrothal. Although there is no official record of the Tsar's inspiration for it, many believe that he was moved by an egg owned by the Empress's aunt, Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark, which had captivated Maria's imagination in her childhood and of which the Tsar was well aware. Known as the Hen Egg, the very first Fabergé egg is crafted from a foundation of gold. Its opaque white enameled "shell" opens to reveal a matte yellow-gold yolk. This in turn opens to reveal a multicolored gold hen that also opens. The hen contained a minute diamond replica of the imperial crown from which a small ruby pendant was suspended, but these last two elements have been lost.[1]

Maria was so delighted by the gift that Alexander appointed Fabergé a "goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown" and commissioned another egg the next year. After that, Peter Carl Fabergé was apparently given complete freedom for the design of future imperial Easter eggs, and their designs became more elaborate. According to Fabergé family lore, not even the Tsar knew what form they would take—the only requirements were that each contain a surprise, and that each be unique. Once Fabergé had approved an initial design, the work was carried out by a team of craftsmen, among them Michael Perkhin, Henrik Wigström and Erik August Kollin.

After Alexander III's death on 1 November 1894, his son, Nicholas II, presented a Fabergé egg to both his wife, Alexandra Fedorovna, and his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna. Records have shown that of the 50 imperial Easter eggs, 20 were given to the former and 30 to the latter. Eggs were made each year except 1904 and 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War.[2]

The imperial eggs enjoyed great fame, and Fabergé was commissioned to make similar eggs for a few private clients, including the Duchess of Marlborough, the Rothschild family and the Yusupovs. Fabergé was also commissioned to make twelve eggs for the industrialist Alexander Kelch, though only seven appear to have been completed.

Following the revolution and the nationalization of the Fabergé workshop in St. Petersburg by the bolsheviks in 1918, the Fabergé family left Russia. The Fabergé trademark has since been sold several times and several companies have retailed egg-related merchandise using the Fabergé name. The Victor Mayer jewelry company produced limited edition heirloom quality Fabergé eggs authorized under Unilever's license from 1998 to 2009. The trademark is now owned by Fabergé Limited, which makes egg-themed jewellery.[3]

In 2015 the owners of this trademark announced the creation of a new "Fabergé" egg, one styled by them as belonging to the "Imperial Class" of eggs and therefore the first Imperial-Class egg in 100 years: the Fabergé Pearl egg is to be sold in Qatar following a five-day exhibition some time in 2017. A spokesperson for the brand said it expected the egg to fetch at least two million US dollars, possibly much more. Despite its designation as "Imperial", it has no connection to Imperial Russia and instead has become closely tied to wealthy Arab ruling families of various Gulf Nations.[4] Its motif has been described as "scalloped", but the patterns of its curves and lines are also clearly derived from the girih and arabesque of Islamic interlace patterns, and each of its six vertical segments includes a stylized pointed dome and associated pendentives reminiscent of the onion dome and ceiling of an Arabic mosque.

List of eggs

List of Fabergé imperial Easter eggs

Below is a chronology of the eggs made for the imperial family. The dating of the eggs has evolved over time. An earlier chronology dated the Blue Serpent Clock Egg to 1887 and identified the egg of 1895 as the Twelve Monograms Egg. The discovery of the previously lost Third Imperial Easter Egg confirms the chronology below.[5]

DateEggImageDescriptionOwner
1885HenAlso known as the Jeweled Hen Egg, it was the first in a series of 54 jeweled eggs made for the Russian Imperial family under Fabergé's supervision. It was delivered to Alexander III in 1885. The Tsarina and the Tsar enjoyed the egg so much that Alexander III ordered a new egg from Fabergé for his wife every Easter thereafter.Viktor Vekselberg
1886Hen with Sapphire PendantAlso known as the Egg with Hen in Basket, it was made in 1886 for Alexander III, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna.Lost
1887Third ImperialA jewelled and ridged yellow gold Egg with Vacheron & Constantin watch stands on its original tripod pedestal, which has chased lion paw feet and is encircled by coloured gold garlands suspended from cabochon blue sapphires topped with rose diamond set bows. After being discovered in an American flea market, in 2014 it was purchased by London-based jeweler Wartski on behalf of an unidentified private collector.[6][7]Private collection
1888Cherub with ChariotAlso known as the Angel with Egg in Chariot, crafted and delivered in 1888 to Alexander III. This is one of the lost imperial eggs, so few details are known about it.Lost
1889NécessaireCrafted and delivered to Alexander III, who presented it to his wife, Maria Feodorovna, on Easter 1889.Lost
1890Danish PalacesCrafted and delivered to Alexander III, who presented it to his wife, Maria Feodorovna, on Easter 1890.Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, until 2021[8]
1891Memory of AzovKremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia
1892Diamond TrellisThe surprise, an elephant automaton thought to have been lost for many years, was identified in 2015 as being in the collection of the British Royal Collection Trust.Dorothy and Artie McFerrin collection
1893CaucasusMatilda Geddings Gray Foundation,

displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

1894RenaissanceViktor Vekselberg
1895RosebudViktor Vekselberg
1895Blue Serpent ClockBefore March 2014 mistaken for the Third Imperial EggAlbert II of Monaco collection, Monte-Carlo, Monaco
1896Rock CrystalAlso known as Revolving Miniatures EggVirginia Museum of Fine Arts
1896Twelve MonogramsAlso known as the Alexander III Portraits Egg.[9] Surprise is missing.Hillwood Museum, Washington, D.C., US
1897Imperial CoronationViktor Vekselberg
1897MauveOnly the egg's surprise has survived.Lost
Viktor Vekselberg
1898Lilies of the ValleyMade under the supervision of Fabergé in 1898 by Fabergé ateliers. The supervising goldsmith was Michael Perchin. The egg is one of two in Art Nouveau style. It was presented on 5 April to Tsar Nicholas II, and was used as a gift to the tsaritsa, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna.Viktor Vekselberg
1898PelicanVirginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, US
1899Bouquet of Lilies ClockKremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia
1899PansyThe egg's surpriseMatilda Gray Stream, US
1900Trans-Siberian RailwayKremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia
1900CockerelViktor Vekselberg
1901Basket of FlowersRoyal Collection, London, United Kingdom
1901Gatchina PalaceWalters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland, US
1902Clover LeafKremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia
1902Empire NephriteSurprise – miniature portrait of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia and Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg (original lost)Private collection, New York City
1903Peter the GreatVirginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, US
1903Royal DanishLost
1904No eggs made
1905No eggs made
1906Moscow KremlinKremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia
1906SwanEdouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Switzerland
1907Rose TrellisWalters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland, US
1907Love TrophiesAlso known as the "Cradle with Garlands" eggPrivate collection
1908Alexander PalaceKremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia
1908PeacockEdouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Switzerland
1909Standart YachtKremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia
1909Alexander III CommemorativeLost
1910ColonnadeRoyal Collection, London, UK
1910Alexander III EquestrianKremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia
1911Fifteenth AnniversaryViktor Vekselberg
1911Bay TreeAlso known as the Orange Tree EggViktor Vekselberg
1912Czarevich or TsarevichVirginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, US
1912NapoleonicMatilda Geddings Gray Foundation.

Displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

1913Romanov TercentenaryKremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia
1913WinterDesigned by Alma Pihl, the only female and one of the best known Fabergé workmasters, as a gift to Maria Feodorovna by her son Nicholas II. The exterior of the egg resembles frost and ice crystals formed on clear glass. It is studded with 1,660 Diamonds, and is made from quartz, platinum, and orthoclase. The surprise is a miniature flower basket 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. The egg is 102 millimeters high. It was reported that the buyer was Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.[10]
1914MosaicRoyal Collection, London, UK
1914GrisailleAlso known as the "Catherine the Great Egg". The egg was made by Henrik Wigström, "Fabergé's last head workmaster". It was given to Maria Feodorovna by her son Nicholas II. Its surprise (now lost) was "a mechanical sedan chair, carried by two blackamoors, with Catherine the Great seated inside".[11]Hillwood Museum, Washington, D.C., US
1915Red Cross with TriptychCleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
1915Red Cross with Imperial PortraitsVirginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, US
1916Steel MilitaryKremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia
1916Order of St. GeorgeMade 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.[12] 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,[13] and Fabergé billed 13,347 rubles for the two.[12] The Order of St. George egg left Bolshevik Russia with its original recipient, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.[14]Viktor Vekselberg
1917Karelian BirchCreated in 1917, the egg 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 could be delivered, the February Revolution took place and Nicholas II was forced to abdicate on 15 March. On 25 April, Fabergé sent the Tsar an invoice for the egg, addressing Nicholas II not as "Tsar of all the Russians" but as "Mr. Romanov, Nikolai Aleksandrovich". 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 stolen in the wake of the October Revolution later that year.Alexander Ivanov. Displayed at Ivanov's

Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden, Germany.

1917Constellation (unfinished)Because of the Russian Revolution of 1917, this egg was never finished or presented to Nicholas's wife, the Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna. Two eggs have claims to be the Constellation Egg: one held at Fersman Mineralogical Museum in Moscow and the other in the possession of Alexander Ivanov and displayed at Ivanov's Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden, Germany.Fersman Mineralogical Museum, Moscow or the Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden.

List of the Kelch eggs

Faberge was also commissioned to make twelve eggs for Alexander Ferdinandovich Kelch, a Siberian gold mine industrialist, as gifts for his wife Barbara (Varvara) Kelch-Bazanova. Though still "Fabergé eggs" by virtue of having been produced by his workshop, these eggs were not as elaborate as the imperial eggs, and were not unique in design. Most are copies of other eggs.

DateEggImageDescriptionOwner
1898HenViktor Vekselberg
1899Twelve PanelRoyal Collection, London, UK
1900Pine ConePrivate collection
1901Apple BlossomPrivate collection
1902RocailleDorothy and Artie McFerrin collection
1903BonbonnièrePrivate collection
1904ChanticleerViktor Vekselberg

Other Fabergé eggs

DateEggImageDescriptionOwner
1885–91Blue Striped EnamelPrivate collection
1902Duchess of MarlboroughViktor Vekselberg
1902RothschildHermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia
1907YoussoupovEdouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Switzerland
1914Nobel IceDorothy and Artie McFerrin collection
1885–89ResurrectionViktor Vekselberg
1899–1903Spring FlowersPossibly inauthenticViktor Vekselberg
1899–1903ScandinavianViktor Vekselberg
1895 Egg-Stamp Egg-Stamp, made of red gold, surrounding the

upper part of the Egg and bowenite, decorated with 19 diamonds. –

At the top of the Egg six rubies – cabochons

on garlands, and three rubies – cabochons

on the Chest of the cherubs.

 Private collection
2017PearlCovered in 139 fine white pearls and more than 3,000 diamondsHouse of Fabergé

Location of eggs

Of the 65 known Fabergé eggs,[note 1] 57 have survived to the present day. Ten of the imperial Easter eggs are displayed at Moscow's Kremlin Armory Museum. Of the 50 known imperial eggs, 43 have survived, and there are photographs of three of the seven lost eggs: the 1903 Royal Danish Egg, the 1909 Alexander III Commemorative Egg, and the Nécessaire Egg of 1889. The previously lost Third Imperial Easter Egg of 1887 has since been found in the US and bought by Wartski for a private collector.[15]

After the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks nationalized the House of Fabergé, and the Fabergé family fled to Switzerland, where Peter Carl Fabergé died in 1920.[16] The imperial family's palaces were ransacked and their treasures moved to the Kremlin Armoury on order of Vladimir Lenin.[16]

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, 14 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 to 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. Totaling nine eggs, and approximately 180 other Fabergé objects, the collection was to be put up for auction at Sotheby's in February 2004 by Forbes' heirs. However, before the auction began, the collection was purchased in its entirety by the oligarch Victor Vekselberg.[17] In a 2013 BBC Four documentary, Vekselberg revealed he had spent just over $100 million purchasing the nine Fabergé eggs.[18] He claims never to have displayed them in his home, saying he bought them as they are important to Russian history and culture, and he believed them to be the best jewelry art in the world. In the same BBC documentary Vekselberg revealed he plans to open a museum that will display the eggs in his collection,[18] which was built as a private museum Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia on 19 November 2013.[note 2][19]

In November 2007, a Fabergé clock, named by Christie's auction house the Rothschild Egg, sold at auction for £8.9 million (including commission).[20] 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.[21][22]

In 1989, as part of the San Diego Arts Festival, 26 Faberge eggs were loaned for display at the San Diego Museum of Art, the largest exhibition of Faberge eggs anywhere since the Russian Revolution.[23] The eggs included eight from the Kremlin,[note 3] nine from the Forbes collection,[note 4] three from the New Orleans Museum of Art,[note 5] two from the Royal Collection[note 6] one from the Cleveland Museum of Art[note 7] and three from private collections.[note 8]

Location of the imperial eggs

Location/OwnerImageNumber of eggsEggs in collection
Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia10Memory of Azov, Bouquet of Lilies Clock, Trans-Siberian Railway, Clover Leaf, Moscow Kremlin, Alexander Palace, Standart Yacht, Alexander III Equestrian, Romanov Tercentenary, Steel Military
Viktor Vekselberg's Link of Times foundation,
Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia		9Hen, Renaissance, Rosebud, Coronation, Lilies of the Valley, Cockerel, Fifteenth Anniversary, Bay Tree, Order of St. George
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, United States5Revolving Miniatures, Pelican, Peter the Great, Czarevich, Red Cross with Imperial Portraits
Royal Collection, London, UK3Basket of Wild Flowers, Colonnade, Mosaic
Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation. Displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, United States3Danish Palaces, Caucasus, Napoleonic
Edouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Lausanne, Switzerland2Swan, Peacock
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Washington, D.C., United States2Twelve Monograms, Catherine the Great
Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland, United States2Gatchina Palace, Rose Trellis
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, United States1Red Cross with Triptych
Albert II of Monaco collection, Monte-Carlo, Monaco1Blue Serpent Clock
Alexander Ivanov. Displayed at Ivanov's Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden, Germany.1Karelian Birch (the egg was never delivered to the Tsar due to the February Revolution)
The State of Qatar1Winter
Separate private collections4Diamond Trellis, Pansy, Love Trophies, Third Imperial Egg

Location of the Kelch eggs

Location/OwnerImageNumber of EggsEggs in collection
Viktor Vekselberg's Link of Times foundation,
Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia		2Kelch Hen, Chanticleer
Royal Collection, London, UK1Twelve Panel
Separate private collections4Pine Cone, Apple Blossom, Rocaille, Bonbonniére

Location of the other eggs

Location/ownerImageNumber of eggsEggs in collection
Viktor Vekselberg's Link of Times foundation,
Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia		4Duchess of Marlborough, Resurrection, Spring Flowers, Scandinavian
Edouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Lausanne, Switzerland1Youssoupov
Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia1Rothschild
Separate private collections2Blue Striped Enamel, Nobel Ice

Fabergé eggs have become symbols of the splendour, power and wealth of the Romanov dynasty and the Russian Empire, priceless treasures to hunt, steal, etc. As such, they have been part of the plot in several films and television series, such as Octopussy (1983), Love Among Thieves (1987), Murder She Wrote episode "An Egg to Die For" (1994), Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century (1999), The Order (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004), Thick as Thieves (2009), American Dad! episode "A Jones for a Smith" (2010), The Intouchables (2011), Hustle episode "Eat Yourself Slender" (2012), Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode "The House of the Nightmare Witch" (2012),[24], Imperial Eight (2015),[25] Hooten & the Lady episode "Moscow" (2016),[26]and the comedy Game Night (2018).

In Danielle Steele's "Zoya", a Fabergé egg is a keepsake of the last two remaining members of a noble family. The Lilies of the Valley egg was depicted in an episode of the British crime drama, Peaky Blinders, season 3 episode 5 (2016). The digital card game Cabals: Magic & Battle Cards features Fabergé egg as a collectable card.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ the 50 delivered Imperial eggs, the Karelian Birch Egg, the seven Kelch eggs, the Duchess of Marlborough, the Rothschild, the Youssoupov, Nobel, Resurrection, Spring Flowers, and Blue Striped Enamel eggs—total 65
  2. ↑ The foundation supporting the Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg is the Link of Times foundation, which has been repatriated lost cultural valuables to Russia.
  3. ↑ Memory of Azov, Bouquet of Lilies Clock, Trans-Siberian Railway, Alexander Palace, Standart Yacht, Alexander III Equestrian, Romanov Tercentenary, and Steel Military
  4. ↑ Renaissance, Rosebud, Coronation, Lilies of the Valley, Cockerel, Bay Tree, Fifteenth Anniversary, Order of St. George, and Spring Flowers
  5. ↑ Danish Palaces, Caucasus, and Napoleonic
  6. ↑ Colonnade and Mosaic
  7. ↑ Red Cross with Triptych
  8. ↑ Pansy, Love Trophies, and Blue Striped Enamel

References

  1. ↑ "Article on the first Hen egg". wintraecken.nl. 13 November 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  2. ↑ "Current whereabouts of the fifty Fabergé Imperial eggs". pbs.org. 1999. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  3. ↑ Corder, Rob (18 November 2011). "Faberge: A Regal Renaissance". ProfessionalJeweller.com. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  4. ↑ "Faberge unveils first Imperial egg in 99 years". Daily Mail. 24 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Wartski.com Archived 4 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ Singh, Anita (18 March 2014). "The £20m Fabergé egg that was almost sold for scrap". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "How did this £20million royal treasure end up on a bric-a-brac stall?". Daily Mail.
  8. ↑ "Fabergé from the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation Collection November 22, 2011 – November 30, 2021". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  9. ↑ Hillwood Museum have identified the Twelve Monograms Egg previously dated to 1895 as the Alexander III Portraits Egg of 1896, Artdaily.com
  10. ↑ Nikkhah, Roya (16 March 2008). "Worth hunting for, the ultimate Easter eggs". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  11. ↑ Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens – The Catherine the Great Egg
  12. 1 2 "Treasures of Imperial Russia". treasuresofimperialrussia.com.
  13. ↑ "Mieks Fabergé Eggs". May 2016.
  14. ↑ "Faberge". Treasures of Imperial Russia. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  15. ↑ Singh, Anita (18 March 2014). "The £20m Fabergé egg that was almost sold for scrap". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Faberge Eggs – the fate of the eggs". Pbs.org. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  17. ↑ "Buying Putin's Indulgences". Energy Tribune. Archived from the original on 14 November 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  18. 1 2 "The World's Most Beautiful Eggs: The Genius of Carl Faberge" BBC FOUR
  19. ↑ "Home Page". The Link of Times foundation. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  20. ↑ The clock was previously documented and had been published in 1964 in L'Objet 1900 by Maurice Rheims, plate 29
  21. ↑ Fabergé egg sold for record £8.9m, BBC News, 28 November 2007
  22. ↑ Varoli, John (28 November 2007). "Muse Arts". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  23. ↑ "ANTIQUES; Not Imperial, but Still Faberge". The New York Times. 28 May 1989.
  24. ↑ Cook, Victor (31 July 2012), The House of the Nightmare Witch, retrieved 29 March 2016
  25. ↑ "Road's End Films". roadsendfilms.com.
  26. ↑ "Hooten & the Lady". Retrieved 30 August 2017.

Further reading

  • Faber, Tony (2008). Fabergé's Eggs: The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6550-9.
  • Hill, Gerald (2007). Fabergé and the Russian Master Goldsmiths. New York: Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-9970-0.
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