Lilies of the Valley (Fabergé egg)

Lilies of the Valley Fabergé egg
Year delivered 1898
Customer Tsar Nicholas II
Recipient Tsaritsa Alexandra Fyodorovna
Current owner
Individual or institution The Link of Times Foundation, Russia
Year of acquisition 2004
Design and materials
Materials used enamel, gold, diamonds, rubies, pearls
Height 15.1 centimetres (5.9 in) when closed, 19.9 centimetres (7.8 in) when opened
Surprise portraits of Tsar Nicholas II and Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana

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 the Art Nouveau style (the other is the Pansy Egg). It was presented on April 5 to Tsar Nicholas II, who gave it as a gift to his wife, the Tsarina, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. The egg is part of the Victor Vekselberg Collection, owned by The Link of Times Foundation and housed in the Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Craftsmanship

The egg is covered in pearls and topped with rose pink enamel on a guilloché field. The egg is supported by cabriolet legs of green-gold leaves with rose-cut diamond dewdrops. The gold-stemmed lilies have green enameled leaves and flowers made of gold set with rubies, pearls, and diamonds. [1]

Surprise

This egg's surprise is 'elevated' out of the egg by twisting a gold-mounted pearl button. When fully raised, three portraits are visible under the Imperial crown set with a ruby: Tsar Nicholas II and his two oldest daughters, Grand Duchess Olga and Grand Duchess Tatiana, painted on ivory by Johannes Zehngraf. The portraits are framed in rose diamonds and backed with gold panels engraved with the presentation date of July 31, 1898.

The Lilies of the Valley Fabergé egg made an appearance in the cellar scene in the Peaky Blinders Season 3 Episode 5 where Alfie Solomons was inspecting a collection of jewels for Tommy Shelby making up a 70,000 GBP package, specifically at the 35:10 mark.

References

  1. ↑ "Mieks Fabergé Eggs".
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