Peter Carl Faberge and his workshop made amazingly intricate Easter eggs for the Russian Imperial Court between 1885 and 1917.
These rare and unique creations had the cover of enameled gold and gem stones, which would open to reveal buried wonders - sometimes golden yolk, sometimes a dexterously sculpted figure, all nestled in many levels like a traditional Russian matryoshka doll. As only fitting for Easter Eggs, every one contained a surprise!
The advent of Bolshevik's Revolution has put stop to the Russian Empire's production of jeweled eggs... among other things. Here is a list of every known Faberge egg in existence, each design uniquely different.
A few eggs had a lovely clock built-in; some were escorted by even more delicate gold gemstones figures, like royal carriage models or bouquet of jeweled flowers. Most had a mechanism of some kind, so it's even more charming to see them in action - a true wonder of smallness.
There were eggs to celebrate the coronation of Czar Nicholas II, the completion of the Trans Siberian Railway, and anniversaries. There were eggs describing the Imperial yacht-Standard, the Uspensky Cathedral, the Gatchina Palace and during the time of war, the Red Cross and the military.
To obtain a feel for the prices commanded by prime Faberge examples, this particular egg is known to have been auctioned at $18 million dollars. It is an unrecorded egg, which makes it even more amazing.
Russian Imperial Faberge Eggs Pictures
Note the level of miniaturization in this example: Gatchina Palace Egg, 1901:
The Regis Galerie inside the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas boasts a few Faberge Eggs on display:
Some jewelry that accompanied the eggs was also worth mentioning:
Even today the style and workmanship of Russian Imperial Court jewelers continue to inspire artists and architects: see for example The Grand Lisboa structure in Macau, China -
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