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I've had a long standing enchantment with Faberge eggs, especially the "Imperial" Faberge eggs made for Czar Alexander III & Czar Nicholas II. The superior craftsmanship with enamels, precious gems & jewels & the fact that only 50 were made, all contribute to their exquisiteness. As an artist of a WAY lessor caliber, I think the creator, jeweler Peter Carl Faberge, was the ultimate craftsman. It's also very intriguing to imagine where the missing eight eggs might be... I nurse a secret hope that someday they will be rediscovered.
Faberge tree with eggs. One of the displays in Faberge: Imperial Jeweler to the Tsars Exhibition, located in Houston Museum of Natural Science.
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The 1902 Kelch Rocaille Egg The surprise of this Egg is very similar to the pedestal with miniatures which may have been the surprise for the missing 1897 Mauve Egg made for Empress Maria Fyodorovna
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1901 Kelch Apple Blossom Egg, also known as "Jade Chest Egg" This is one of the largest eggs made by Faberge. It was also one of the egg initially mistaken as a present for Empress Maria Fyodorovna. The egg's design reflects the contemporary fashions of Art Nouveau and the Japanese style
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ZénaÏde Sapphire Egg Pendant Locket Les Favorites de Fabergé One of a series of three exceptional Fabergé egg locket pendants, designed in the graphic style of traditional Uzbek textiles, and named for the Princess ZénaÏde Yusupov, a favourite of the Imperial family and the mother of Prince Felix, handsome, charming adventurer and heir to the Yusupov fortune. This egg, in white gold, black rhodium-plated to create an antique-style patina.
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The 'Pinecone' Faberge egg, not an Imperial egg. Made for Alexander Kelch to give to his wife in 1900. The surprise inside was a jeweled elephant.
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An example of the missing "Nécessaire" Faberge Egg ~ made in 1889 ~ for Czar Alexander III to give to his wife, Maria Fyodorovna. The egg contained a 13 piece ladies manicure kit. The egg pictured is not the original egg whose whereabouts are currently unknown.
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Drawing of the missing 'Cherub with Chariot' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1888 as a gift from Czar Alexander III to his wife.
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The 'Blue Tsarevich Constellation' Faberge Egg ~ created in 1917 as a gift from Czar Nicholas II to his wife but was never finished or presented to her. The blue glass egg was encrusted with the constellation of the day the heir was born. The egg sat in a pedestal of frosted rock crystal clouds. Inside the egg was a clock with rotating dial. Production of the egg was interrupted by the war and it's whereabouts unknown until it showed up at the Fersman Mineralogical Museum in Moscow in 2001, stored the entire time in its reserves.
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The 'Birch' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1917 ~ as a gift from Czar Nicholas to his Mother but was never presented to her. It was made of Karelian Birch (a birch that grows only in Russia) rather than the usual gold & precious gems. However it contained an expensive surprise ~ a miniature elephant made of gold, silver, rose-cut diamonds & enamel. The elephant surprise has disappeared ~ thought to have been stolen by soldiers ~ though the key to wind it exists. The whereabouts of this egg were not known until 2002 when the Russian National Museum purchased it from an undisclosed seller. The 'Birch' egg came with an invoice (dated after Czar Nicholas II had abdicated on March 15, 1917) requesting payment. The invoice is not made out to the Tsar of All the Russians (as normal) but rather to Mr. Romanov Nikolai Alexsandrovich. The reappearance of the egg after so many years in obscurity gives hope that the other missing eggs may also resurface.
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The 'Steel Military' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1916 as a gift from Czar Nicholas II to his wife. The 'Steel' egg is surmounted by a gold crown and rests on four artillery shells. 1916 was the year Faberge had to close his workshop because all his craftsmen were on the front lines of the war. There were no materials to work with (gold & silver were forbidden to be used by jewelers) so he created the egg from steel and copper. Faberge himself delivered the egg to the Tsarina on Easter Eve ~ it was one of the most simple objects made by him for the Imperial family, although it did contain a surprise. The surprise was a miniature steel easel depicting Czar Nicholas II & his son at the Front. The egg now has a polished silvery appearance rather than the original blackened steel finish. It is one of the ten Imperial eggs that were never sold. It is housed today in the Kremlin Armoury Museum, Moscow.
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The 'Order of Saint George' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1916 ~ as a gift from Czar Nicholas II to his Mother, Maria Fyodorovna. This egg was commissioned to commemorate Czar Nicholas being awarded the Cross of the Imperial Order of St George ~ the highest and most desired military order. Because of wartime austerity, it is made of less expensive silver & given a modest design. There was also no hidden surprise. It is the last Imperial Easter egg that the Dowager Empress received ~ the 1917 'Birch' egg never reached her. It is special in that it's the only egg to leave Russia with it's owner ~ the Dowager Empress took it with her when she fled Russia for Denmark in 1919. After changing hands several times the egg is now back in Russia, purchased by the Vekselberg Foundation in 2004.
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The 'Red Cross Triptych' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1915 ~ as a gift from Czar Nicholas II to his wife. This egg and the 'Red Cross Portraits' egg (also made in 1915) are the only time when Imperial eggs for the two Tsarinas were made as obvious companion pieces. This egg is also one of the few that open vertically (the other is the 1913 'Winter' egg.) It now resides in the Cleveland Museum of Art.
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The 'Red Cross Portraits' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1915 as a gift from Czar Nicholas II to his Mother. The egg pays tribute to the Dowager Empress for her service to the Red Cross (first as Crown Princess) then as President of the organization from the commencement of her reign until the fall of the Romanov dynasty. The surprise inside was five portraits ~ the Czars sister, his two eldest daughters, his wife and his first cousin. They each are wearing the uniform of the Red Cross. The 'Red Cross' egg was sold in 1930 and now resides in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts ~ Richmond.
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The 'Mosaic' Faberge egg ~ made in 1914 as a gift from Czar Nicholas II to his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna. The technique used to create this egg gives it the effect of "petit point" tapestry work. The surprise inside was a jeweled & enameled miniature frame painted with the profiles of the five Imperial children. The top of the frame was surmounted by an Imperial crown. On the reverse side of the frame is the year, a basket of flowers & the names of each child. The 'Mosaic' Egg was the last Imperial Faberge egg created without constraints on luxury. World War I commenced within months and the austerity that followed was reflected in the few future eggs created. The current owner of this egg is HM Queen Elizabeth II.
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The 'Revolving Miniatures' Faberge Egg (aka the 'Rock Crystal' Egg) ~ made in 1896 ~ for Czar Nicholas II to give to his wife. The egg contains 12 miniatures which represent places of significance to the Tsarina. The two halves of the crystal are held together by a narrow gold band culminating at the top with a 27 carat Siberian emerald ~ the biggest gem used in the Imperial Easter Eggs. This egg was sold in 1930, bought by Lillian Pratt (wife of a GM executive) in 1945 and willed to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts upon her death.
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The 'Trans-Siberian Railway' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1900 ~ for Czar Nicholas to give to his wife, Alexandra Fyodorvna. The egg commemorates the construction of the Grand Siberian Railway. A map of Russia, engraved with the route of the Railway, is on the center silver section. The surprise in the egg is a working model of the train which was inserted into the egg section by section. The train was wound up with a golden key. This egg is one of ten eggs that was never sold and has remained in Russia at the Kremlin Armoury Museum (in Moscow.)
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The 'Bay Tree' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1911 ~ for Nicholas II to give to his Mother, Maria Feodorovna. The surprise inside this egg is revealed by turning a tiny lever (disguised as a fruit) hidden among the leaves of the bay tree. Turning the lever activates the hinged top and a feathered songbird rises, flaps its wings, turns its head, opens its beak and sings. The 'Bay Tree' egg has been thru numerous owners (including Malcolm Forbes) but now resides back in Russia.
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The 'Bay Tree' Faberge Egg ~ close up of the songbird that pops up when the top of the topiary is opened
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The 'Cradle with Garlands' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1907 ~ for Czar Nicholas II to present to his Mother. This egg was commissioned to celebrate the birth of Czarevich Alexei Nicholaievich, son of Czar Nicholas II ~ the long awaited heir to the Romanov throne. The surprise inside was the first portrait of the Czarevich in a medallion surrounded by diamonds. This egg is currently in a private collection.
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The 'Nobel Ice' Egg by Faberge, made in 1914 ~ not part of the "Imperial" egg collection. Created from platinum, silver, translucent white enamel and seed pearls . Within is a miniature watch made of platinum, rose cut diamonds and rock crystal.
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The 'Aleksandr Palace' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1908 for Nicholas II as a gift to his wife. It contains five portraits of Czar Nicholas children. Inside the egg is a tiny detailed replica of Aleksandr Palace ~ the Imperial family's favorite residence. The inscription "The Palace at Czarskoye Selo" enclosed in a laurel wreath, is engraved on the base. In 1917 the egg was transferred to the Moscow Kremlin Armoury where it remains today.
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The 'Fifteenth Anniversary' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1911 for Nicholas II to give to his wife. The egg features panels depicting portraits of the Imperial family and highlights of significant occasions from their lives together. One of the most expensive eggs ~ it also had enormous personal significance to the Empress. The egg is currently part of the Viktor Vekselberg collection in Moscow.
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The 'Romanov Tercentenary' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1913 for Tzar Nicholas II as a present to his wife. The egg celebrates the three hundred years of Romanov rule ~ from 1613 to 1913. The outside of the egg contains eighteen portraits of the Romanov Tsars of Russia. Each portrait is bordered by rose-cut diamonds. The egg sits on a pedestal that represents the Imperial double-headed eagle in gold with three talons. The talons hold the Imperial sceptor, orb & Romanov sword. The surprise inside is a detailed rotating globe. On one side of the globe, Russian territory under Tzar Michael in 1613 and the opposite side, Russian territory under Nicholas II in 1913. The egg resides at the Kremlin Armoury.
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The 'Royal Danish' (or Danish Silver Jubilee') Faberge Egg ~ made for Tzar Nicholas to give to his Mother Easter 1903. The egg was made to commemorate her trip to Denmark for the 40th Anniversary of her fathers accession to the throne. The Dowager Empress was born Danish princess Dagmar ~ daughter of King Christian IX. This egg was one of the largest Faberge ever made. The surprise inside is a double sided miniature screen with portraits of both the Dowagers parents. The current whereabouts of this egg are unknown.
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'Catherine the Great' (or 'Grisaille') Fabergé egg ~ made in 1914 for Tzar Nicholas to give to his mother. The surprise is in the form of a sedan chair made of gold & rock crystal. The chair was carried by two African figures that could be wound up so they walked carrying the chair. A wind up figure of Catherine the Great was also included in the surprise. The egg was sold in 1930 and is now in private collection.
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The 'Bonbonniere' Faberge Egg made in 1903 for Alexander Kelch. “Every year from 1898 until 1904 Alexander Kelch ordered an Easter egg from Fabergé, modeled on the Imperial series, as a present for his wife, who no doubt also paid for them. No doubt, too, that the Kelch eggs cost them considerably more than those made for the Imperial family, given the parsimony of the Romanovs and the generosity of the nouveaux riches. The seven Kelch eggs are as fine, if not even more sumptuous, than those in the Imperial series.”
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The 'Lapis-Lazuli 'Hen' Faberge Egg, showing the surprises inside. Made in 1886
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The 'Rosebud' Faberge Egg, made in 1895 for Tsar Nicholas II to give to his wife Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. It was the very first egg that Nicholas presented to her. This egg was made as a reminder of the Rose Garden which the Empress so missed. Yellow roses were the most valued roses in her native Germany.
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The 'First Hen' Faberge Egg also known as the 'Jeweled Hen' Egg was the first in a series of 52 jeweled eggs commissioned by the Russian Imperial Family. The history of Faberge eggs traces back to 18th century Russia. In 1885 Peter Carl Faberge was commissioned by Tsar Alexander III to create a decorative Easter egg as a gift for his beloved wife, the Tsarina. Peter Faberge proceeded to design a work of art unlike anything the world had ever seen before. He fashioned a beautiful and stunning decorative egg that when opened revealed a painstakingly detailed gold hen nestled in a golden yolk. Within the hen was a tiny reproduction of the Imperial Crown which was fashioned from a brilliant diamond. From the Imperial Crown dangled a single dazzling ruby. The Tsar's wife so loved her gift that Faberge was asked to create a new egg each following Easter. In the beginning the Tsar had them designed based upon his own ideas but eventually he granted Faberge complete artistic freedom to design his stunning eggs according to his own artistic ideals. Each subsequent egg's design represented an important historical Russian event. Faberge's workshop continued to create these beautiful works of art until 1917 when the Russian revolution forced him to flee the country.
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The 'Resurrection' Faberge Egg by Faberge ca 1887. Made of yellow gold, rock crystal, rose-cut diamonds, pearls, brilliant diamonds and various colored enamels. It is one of Faberge's masterpieces and the only one to reference the Easter story. It has been postulated the the 'Resurrection' egg is the missing surprise from the 'Renaissance' egg. The theory is supported by not bearing an inventory number.
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The 'Spring Flowers' Faberge Egg ~ not part of the "Imperial" egg collection.
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The 'Danish Palaces' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1890 for Tsar Alexander III. The exterior is pink-mauve, split into twelve sections. The egg was among twelve sold outside of Russia in 1930. Today is resides in the Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art in Nashville, TN.
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The 'Caucasus' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1893 for Alexander III as an Easter gift to his wife. The egg commemorates the Imperial Hunting Lodge where the Grand Duke George spent most of his life after being diagnosed with TB. The four pearl-bordered doors around the egg each bear a diamond encrusted number forming the year 1893. It is the first Imperial egg known to be dated. The hinged top reveals a portrait of the Grand Duke in is Naval uniform. The egg currently resides in TN.
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The 'Swan' Faberge Egg, made in 1906, a gift from Czar Nicholas II to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna. The surprise inside the egg was a miniature gold & silver swan on a "lake" of aquamarine. By winding the gear under one of the wings, the swans neck and wings move. In Russia, the swan is considered a symbol of family life & represents the permanence of the bond of marriage.
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The 'Tsarevich' Faberge Egg, made in 1912 for Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna as a tribute to her son the Tsarevich Alexei.
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The 'Gatchina Palace' Faberge Egg - made in 1901 for Tzar Nicholas. The egg opens to reveal a miniature gold replica of the palace at Gatchina (a village 30 miles sw of St Petersburg.)
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The 'Alexander III Commemorative' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1909 for Tzar Nicholas to give to his Mother. It is one of four that commemorate Alexander III. The surprise inside was a miniature gold bust of Alexander. It is currently missing & one of the two lost eggs for which there is a photo.
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The 'Royal Danish' Faberge Egg (also known as the Danish Jubilee Egg) ~ made in 1903 for Tzar Nicholas II to present to his mother. It is one of the lost eight Faberge eggs, whose existence is known only from a single photograph.
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The 'Moscow Kremlin' Faberge Egg, made in 1906. Gift from Nicholas to his wife. It is the largest of the Faberge eggs. The top removes to reveal a remarkable miniature of the Cathedral of Assumption ~ where all the Tsars of Russia were crowned. It is one of the few eggs that have never left Russia.
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The 'Alexander Palace' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1908 for Tzar Nicholas II. The outside of the egg has five portraits, one of each of their children. Above each childs portrait is their monogrammed initial. On the inside of the egg, the birth date of each child is inscribed behind their photo.
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The 'Cuckoo' or Cockerel' Faberge Egg ~ made in 1900 for the Dowager Empress. To reveal the hidden treasure within, the Empress pressed the button at the top rear of the egg and the cockerel would emerge, crowing and flapping its wings.
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The 'Twelve Panel' Faberge egg made in 1899 for Alexander Kelch (not an "Imperial" egg.)
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The 'Bouquet of Lilies Clock' Faberge egg ~ made in 1899 for Tzar Nicholas II as an Easter gift to his wife. This egg has also never left Russia.
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The 'Twelve Monograms' Faberge egg ~ made in 1895. It was the first egg Tzar Nicholas II gave to his mother. It is decorated with the Imperial Crown & the Imperial Monograms (MF for Maria Fyodorovna & AIII for Alexander III). Each monogram appears six times ~ Marias appear on the top half of the egg and Alexander's appear on the bottom half. It was presented to Maria in memory of Alexander after his death.
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Faberge Egg 'Chanticleer' ~ made in 1904 also not an "Imperial" egg. A twin to 'Rothschild.'
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The "Rothschild" Faberge egg ~ made in 1902, not an "Imperial" egg.
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The 'Standard Yacht' Egg ~ made in 1909 for Tsar Nicholas as an Easter gift to his wife, Czarina Alexandra Fyodovna. One of the few eggs that has never left Russia.
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