Faberge

A Fabergé egg is any one of fifty-seven jewelry Easter eggs made by Peter Carl Fabergé of the Fabergé company for the Russian Czars between 1885 and 1917. The eggs are among the masterpieces of the jeweller's art. more...

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Overview

Fabergé and his goldsmiths designed and constructed 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 a 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 Fyodorovna as well as his now-widowed mother.

As the House of Fabergé prospered (due 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.

The themes and appearance of the eggs varied widely. 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-seven eggs were produced in all. The Order of St. George Egg left Russia with Maria Fyodorovna in 1918, but the rest, forgotten in the turmoil of the Russian Revolution, remained. Several disappeared in the looting, and the rest were boxed up in the vaults of the Kremlin. In and after 1930, Stalin had fourteen 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 2006, just twenty-one eggs were still in Russia, most on display at the Kremlin Armory Museum. Nine eggs 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 modern times, a number of companies, such as Victor Mayer, the inheritor of the Fabergé brand, offer "Fabergé eggs" whose designs are inspired by the originals.

List of Fabergé eggs

1885 Hen (Vekselberg Collection, Russia); 1886 Hen with Sapphire Pendant (missing); 1887 Blue Serpent Clock (Prince Rainier III of Monaco Collection, Monaco); 1888 Cherub with Chariot (missing); 1889 Necessaire (missing); 1890 Danish Palaces (New Orleans Museum of Art, USA); 1891 Memory of Azov (Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow); 1892 Diamond Trellis (private collection); 1893 Caucasus (New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA); 1894 Renaissance (Vekselberg Collection, Russia); 1895 Rosebud (Vekselberg Collection, Russia); 1895 Twelve Monograms (Hillwood Museum, Washington, DC, USA); 1896 Revolving Miniatures (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, USA); 1896 Alexander III (missing); 1897 Coronation (Vekselberg Collection, Russia); 1897 Mauve Enamel (missing); 1898 Lilies of the Valley (Vekselberg Collection, Russia); 1898 Pelican (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, USA); 1899 Bouquet of Lilies Clock (Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow); 1899 Pansy (private collection); 1900 Trans-Siberian Railway (Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow); 1901 Basket of Wild Flowers (Royal Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II); 1901 Gatchina Palace (Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA); 1902 Clover (Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow); 1902 Empire Nephrite (missing); 1903 Peter the Great (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, USA); 1903 Danish Jubilee (missing); 1903 Chanticleer (Vekselberg Collection, Russia); 1906 Moscow Kremlin (Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow); 1906 Swan (Edouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Switzerland); 1907 Rose Trellis (Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA); 1907 Cradle with Garlands (private collection); 1908 Alexander Palace (Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow); 1908 Peacock (Edouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Switzerland); 1909 Standart Yacht (Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow); 1909 Alexander II Commemorative (missing); 1910 Alexander III Equestrian (Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow); 1910 Colonnade (Royal Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II); 1911 Bay Tree (Vekselberg Collection, Russia); 1911 Fifteenth Anniversary (Vekselberg Collection, Russia); 1912 Czarevich (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, USA); 1912 Napoleonic (New Orleans Museum of Art, USA); 1913 Romanov Tercentenary (Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow); 1913 Winter (private collection); 1914 Mosaic (Royal Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II); 1914 Grisaille (Hillwood Museum, Washington, DC); 1915 Red Cross with Imperial Portraits (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, USA); 1915 Red Cross with Triptych (Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, USA); 1916 Order of St. George (Vekselberg Collection, Russia); 1916 Steel Military (Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow); 1917 Constellation (Fersman Mineralogical Institute, Moscow); 1917 Birch (Russian National Museum, Moscow);

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