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Fabergé egg

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Fabergé's Moscow Kremlin Egg, 1906

A Fabergé egg is one of 50 jewelry Easter eggs made by Peter Carl Fabergé of the Fabergé company for the Russian Tsars between 1885 and 1917. The eggs are among the masterpieces of the jeweller's art.

Fabergé (or more accurately, his goldsmiths) made the first egg in 1885. It was commissioned by Tsar Alexander III of Russia as an Easter surprise for his wife Maria Fyodorovna. On the outside it looked like an simple egg of white enamelled gold, but it opened up to reveal a golden yolk. The yolk itself had a golden hen inside it, which in turn had a tiny crown with a ruby hanging inside, reminiscent of the matryoshka nesting dolls.

The tsarina was so delighted by this gift that Alexander appointed Fabergé a "Court Supplier" and commissioned an Easter gift each year thereafter, stipulating only that it be unique and contain a surprise. Nicholas II continued the tradition, expanding it to include an annual gift for his wife Alexandra Fedorovna as well as his now-widowed mother.

As the House of Fabergé prospered (due to in no small part to the cachet of imperial patronage), the preparation of the eggs came to take up an entire year; once a concept was chosen, dozens of artisans worked to assemble the project.

Memory of Azov Egg

The themes and appearance of the eggs varied wildly. For instance, on the outside, the Trans-Siberian railway Egg of 1900 was dominated by a dull metallic gray band with a map of the railway's route, but inside it had an entire tiny train in gold.

Fifty eggs were produced in all. The Order of St. George Egg left Russia with Maria Federovna in 1918, but the rest remained, forgotten in the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. Several disappeared in the looting, and the rest were boxed up in the vaults of the Kremlin. In and after 1930, Stalin had 14 sold in western art auctions to raise cash, some for as little as US$400. Many of these were bought by Armand Hammer.

As of 2003, just 10 eggs were still in Russia, all on display at the Kremlin Armory Museum. Another nine were purchased by Viktor Vekselberg in February 2004 from the Forbes family in New York city. The Vekselberg collection arrived in Russia in July 2004. Smaller collections are in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, New Orleans Museum of Art, and other museums around the world. Four eggs are in private collections, and eight are still missing.

In the modern day, a number of companies, including Victor Mayer, the inheritor of the Fabergé brand, offer "Fabergé eggs" whose designs are inspired by the originals.


Bouquet of Lilies or Madonna Lily Egg

See also

List of Fabergé eggs

Alexander III Equestrian Egg
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