Thread by @wikivictorian

🥚✨👑 Fabergé eggs (Part one: Imperial eggs): A THREAD 👑✨🥚

A Fabergé egg is a jewelled egg created by the House of Fabergé, in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire. Possibly as many as sixty-nine were created, of which fifty-seven survive today.

Virtually all were manufactured under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé between 1885 and 1917,the most famous being the fifty-two "Imperial" eggs, forty-six of which survive, made for the Russian Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers.

Prior to 1885, Tsar Alexander III gave his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna jeweled Easter eggs. For Easter in 1883, before his coronation, Alexander III and Maria received eggs, one of which contained a silver dagger and two skulls.

The egg came with the messages including "Christ is risen" and "You may crush us–but we Nihilists shall rise again!" Before Easter 1885, Alexander III's brother Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich suggested Peter Carl Fabergé to create the jeweled egg.

The inspiration for the first egg is believed to come from an ivory hen egg made for the Danish Royal Collection in the 18th century. It was given to the tsarina on 1 May 1885.Just six weeks later, the tsar made Fabergé the supplier to the Imperial Court.

Maria was so delighted by the gift that Alexander appointed Fabergé a "goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown" and commissioned another egg the next year.

After that, Peter Carl Fabergé was apparently given complete freedom for the design of future imperial Easter eggs, and their designs became more elaborate.

According to Fabergé family lore, not even the Tsar knew what form they would take—the only requirements were that each contain a surprise, and that each be unique.

Once Fabergé had approved an initial design, the work was carried out by a team of craftsmen, among them Michael Perkhin, Henrik Wigström and Erik August Kollin.

After Alexander III's death on 1 November 1894, his son, Nicholas II, presented a Fabergé egg to both his wife, Alexandra Fedorovna, and his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna.

Records have shown that of the 50 imperial Easter eggs, 20 were given to the former and 30 to the latter. Eggs were made each year except 1904 and 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War.

The imperial eggs enjoyed great fame, and Fabergé was commissioned to make similar eggs for a few private clients, including the Duchess of Marlborough, the Rothschild family and the Yusupovs. (In this thread I will only talk about the imperial ones)

Following the revolution and the nationalization of the Fabergé workshop in St. Petersburg by the bolsheviks in 1918, the Fabergé family left Russia. The Fabergé trademark has since been sold several times and several companies have retailed egg-related merchandise using the name

And now, THE IMPERIAL EGGS:

The First Hen egg or Jeweled Hen egg is an Imperial Fabergé egg. It became the first in a series of more than 50 such jeweled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was delivered to Tsar Alexander III and given to his wife Maria Feodorovna in 1885.

This particular egg is now a part of the permanent collection of the Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Hen with Sapphire Pendant egg or Egg with Hen in Basket is an Imperial Fabergé egg. It was created in 1886 for Alexander III of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna. It is one of six imperial eggs that are currently lost.

The exact design of this egg is not known as there are no known photographs or illustrations of the egg and written descriptions of the egg sometimes conflict with one another.

The present is described as "a hen of gold and rose diamonds taking a sapphire egg out of a nest" in the imperial archive dated February 15, 1886 through April 24, 1886.

The sapphire egg was loosely held in the hen's beak. The hen and the basket were both made of gold studded with hundreds of rose-cut diamonds.

The egg was housed in the Anichkov Palace until the Revolution. The last documented location of the egg is from the archive of the provisional government's inventory in 1922 when the egg was held in the Armory Palace of the Kremlin.

It is not known whether the egg was lost or is currently in private hands.

The Third Imperial egg is an Easter Fabergé egg created in the workshop of Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian tsar Alexander III and presented to his wife, Maria Feodorovna, on Orthodox Easter of 1887.

The egg was created in Louis XVI style and it consists of a solid 18K gold reeded case resting on a gold "annulus" (ring) with waveform decorations held up by three sets of corbel-like legs which end in lion's paws.

Joining these legs are festoons of roses and leaves made in a variety of colored gold alloys and joined in the middle of each side by matching oval cabochon sapphires.

Above each sapphire is a gold bow decorated with a series of tiny diamonds, and the front of the egg has a single much-larger diamond in an old-mine diamond clasp which when pressed releases the egg's lid to reveal its surprise.

The egg was lost for many years, but was rediscovered in 2012. The rediscovery of this egg was announced publicly and covered in many news stories in 2014. It's property of an unidentified private collector.

The Cherub with Chariot egg is a Fabergé egg, made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was crafted and delivered in 1888 to the then Tsar of Russia, Alexander III. This is one of the lost Imperial eggs, so few details are known about it.

The exact design of the Cherub with Chariot Egg is unsure. A single photograph of the egg exists, though it is hidden by another egg and can only be seen in a blurry reflection.

There is a brief description from the imperial records in the Russian State Historical Archives in Moscow which describes the gift as "Angel pulling chariot with egg - 1500 roubles, angel with a clock in a gold egg 600 roubles.

The egg would have been presented to Maria Feodorovna on April 24, 1888 by Alexander III. The egg was kept in the Gatchina Palace in 1891, and was one of 40 or so eggs sent to the Armory Palace of the Kremlin in 1917 after the Revolution by the Provisional Government.

In 1922 it was transferred to the Sovnarkom, after which the exact whereabouts of the egg are unknown. In the 1930s Victor and Armand Hammer may have purchased the egg.

A sales catalog for Armand Hammer's 1934 exhibition at Lord and Taylor in New York City describes a "miniature silver armour holding wheelbarrow with Easter Egg, made by Fabergé, court jeweler" which seems to describe the Cherub with Chariot Egg.

The Nécessaire egg is an Imperial Fabergé egg. On 9 April 1889, Alexander III presented the egg to his wife, Maria Feodorovna. It was housed at the Gatchina Palace and was taken on at least one trip to Moscow, as demonstrated by an invoice for the trip which describes the egg.

The egg is one of the lost Imperial eggs, but is known to have survived the Russian Revolution and was sold by Wartski in London in 1952. The purchaser’s anonymity was safeguarded throughout Wartski’s records and they remain unidentified." Its current whereabouts are unknown.

The Danish Palaces egg is an Imperial Fabergé egg, made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was crafted and delivered to the then Tsar of Russia, Alexander III who presented it to his wife, Maria Feodorovna on Easter day 1890.

The egg is currently owned by the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation and housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New York.

The exterior of this egg is pink-mauve enameled gold split into twelve sections. It measures 102 mm (4 in.) tall by 67 mm (2 5/8 in.) wide. Six vertical lines of rose-cut diamonds and three horizontal lines separate the enameled panels from one another.

There is an emerald at each intersection of the lines separating the panels, and the egg is crowned with a medallion of radiating leaves around a cabochon star sapphire. The opposite end of the egg is chased with additional acanthus leaves.

The egg opens to reveal a 10-panel screen made of multi-color gold with watercolors on mother of pearl. The panels are framed with a design of tangent circles with a multi-color gold wreath at the apex and stand on Greek meander feet.

The watercolors are all signed by Konstantin Krijitski and dated 1889. Alexander III received the Danish Palaces Egg from Fabergé's shop on March 30, 1890 and presented the egg to his wife, Maria Feodorovna on April 1.

The Tsar paid 4,260 silver rubles for the egg. In January 1893 the egg was housed at the Gatchina Palace and remained there until the 1917 revolution. In 1917 it was transferred with the rest of the imperial eggs sent to the Armory Palace of the Kremlin.

Since 1972 the egg has been the provenance of the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation, and is currently on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New York.

The Memory of Azov (or the Azova Egg) is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1891 for Tsar Alexander III of Russia

Carved from a solid piece of heliotrope jasper, also known as bloodstone, the Memory of Azov Egg is decorated in the Louis XV style with a superimposed gold pattern of Rococo scrolls with brilliant diamonds and chased gold flowers.

The broad flute gold bezel is set with a drop ruby and two diamonds that complete the clasp. The egg's interior is lined with green velvet.

The surprise contained within is a miniature replica of the Imperial Russian Navy cruiser Pamiat Azova (Memory of Azov), executed in red and yellow gold and platinum with small diamonds for windows, set on a piece of aquamarine representing the water.

The egg commemorates the voyage made by Tsarevitch Nicholas and Grand Duke George of Russia aboard the Pamiat Azova to the Far East in 1890. The trip was made after a suggestion by their parents to broaden the outlook of the future Tsar and his brother.

At the time, Grand Duke George was suffering from tuberculosis, and the voyage only exacerbated it. Tsarevitch Nicholas was also the victim of an attempted assassination whilst in Japan and sustained a serious head wound.

Although the Tsarina was presented with the egg before these events occurred, it apparently was never one of her favourite eggs. It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

The Diamond Trellis egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by August Holmström under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1892.

It was made for Alexander III of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna.The egg cost 4,750 silver roubles, and contained an automaton of an ivory elephant covered with precious stones.

The egg is made of jadeite, gold, rose-cut diamonds, and is lined with white satin. It is carved from pale green jadeite and is enclosed in a lattice of rose-cut diamonds with gold mounts.

The egg is hinged, and a large diamond sits at its base. Originally it was supported on a base of three silver putti said to represent the three sons of the imperial couple, the Grand Dukes Nicholas, George and Michael.The putti were set on a jadeite base, now lost.

The surprise was an automaton of an elephant in ivory. It was the first automaton made by Fabergé for an Imperial egg.The elephant had special significance; the design resembles the badge of the highest order in Denmark, Empress Maria Feodorovna's homeland.

It was recorded as missing, but had been purchased by George V and was residing in a cabinet in Buckingham Palace, where in 2015 it was identified as Fabergé and the lost surprise by Royal Collection Trust senior curator Caroline de Guitaut.

The Diamond Trellis egg is currently owned by Artie McFerrin, a successful businessman in the Houston chemical and petroleum industry, who with his wife, Dorothy, has collected one of the largest private collections of Fabergé objet d'art in the United States.

The Caucasus Egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by Michael Perkhin under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1893. The egg was made for Alexander III of Russia, who presented it to his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna.

The egg is made of yellow and varicoloured gold, silver, ruby enamel, rose-cut diamonds, portrait diamonds, platinum, ivory, pearls, rock crystal and watercolour on ivory.

It commemorates Abastumani in Caucasus where Grand Duke George spent most of his life after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. Miniatures were done and signed by Krijitski. The miniatures are revealed by opening four pearl-bordered doors around the egg.

Each door bears a diamond-set numeral of the year, forming the year 1893. Behind the hinged cover at the top is a portrait of the Grand Duke in his naval uniform.

Currently the egg is a long term installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New York, as part of the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation.

The Renaissance egg is a jewelled agate Easter egg made by Michael Perchin under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1894. It was the last egg that Alexander presented to Maria.

The surprise is lost, but it has been speculated that the surprise was pearls. Alexander III was billed 4,750 rubles for the Renaissance egg, and it was confiscated by the Russian Provisional Government in 1917.

It was sold alongside nine other eggs for 1,500 rubles to Armand Hammer. Advertised for sale by Hammer in 1937, it was sold to Henry Talbot DeVere Clifton. It had been sold in November 1949 to the Swingline magnates Jack and Belle Linsky.

The egg was then sold to the Manhattan antique dealers A La Vieille Russie, where it was purchased by Malcolm Forbes for his collection on May 15, 1965. The Forbes Collection was sold in 2004 to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. It's in the Fabergé Museum.

The Rosebud egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by Michael Perchin under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1895, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the egg to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

It was the first egg that Nicholas presented to Alexandra. The egg opens like a bonbonnière to reveal a yellow-enamelled rosebud, in which the two surprises were originally contained.

The surprises are missing, but they were a golden crown, with diamonds and rubies, and cabochon ruby pendant. The crown was a reference to Alexandra Feodorovna's new role as Empress of Russia, following the accession to the throne of her husband, Nicholas II of Russia.

The egg embodied Fabergé's embrace of Neo-Classicism, in opposition to the dominance of Art Nouveau in late 19th century contemporary design. Fabergé charged 3,250 rubles for the egg.

In 1917 was confiscated by the Russian Provisional Government and later sold to Emanuel Snowman of the jewellers Wartski around 1927. It was owned by a certain Charles Parsons in the 1930s, and was lost for decades, amid rumours that it had been damaged in a marital dispute

It was this damage that helped Malcolm Forbes identify the egg when he purchased it in 1985 from the Fine Art Society in London. In 2004 it was sold as part of the Forbes Collection to Viktor Vekselberg.

Vekselberg purchased some nine Imperial eggs from the collection, for almost $100 million.The egg is now part of the Victor Vekselberg Collection, owned by The Link of Times Foundation, and housed in the Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Blue Serpent Clock egg is an Imperial Fabergé egg, made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian Imperial Family. It was presented to Maria Feodorovna by Tsar Nicholas II on Easter day, 1895.

The egg stands on a base of gold that is painted in opalescent white enamel. The three panels of the base feature motifs of raised gold in four colors, representing the arts and sciences.

A serpent, set with diamonds coils around the stand connecting the base to the egg and up toward its center.

The serpent's head and tongue point to the hour which is indicated in Roman numerals on a white band that runs around the egg near the top.This band rotates within the egg to indicate the time, rather than the serpent rotating around the egg.

This is the first of the Tsar Imperial Fabergé eggs to feature a working clock.The majority of the egg is enameled in translucent blue and has diamond-studded gold bands and designs ringing the top and bottom of the egg.

The egg was housed in the Anichkov Palace until the 1917 revolution. Along with the other Fabergé eggs in the palace, the Serpent Clock Egg was transferred to the Armory Palace of the Kremlin in mid-September 1917.

In 1922, the egg was likely transferred to the Sovnarkom, where it was held until it was sold abroad to Michel Norman of the Australian Pearl Company.

It was then given in 1974 to Prince Rainier III of Monaco to honor his Silver Jubilee. The Prince was unaware of its imperial provenance until it was lent to an exhibition. Following the death of Rainier III in 2005, it was inherited by his son, Prince Albert II.

The Rock Crystal egg or Revolving Miniatures egg is an Imperial Fabergé egg, made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was created in 1896 for Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

The egg was created by Faberge's workmaster, Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin with miniatures by Johannes Zehngraf. It stands about 248 mm (9 3/4 in) tall on its stand, with a diameter of 98 mm (3 7/8 in.)

The outer shell is rock crystal banded with emerald-green enameled gold studded with diamonds. On the apex of the egg is a 27-carat (5.4 g) Siberian emerald supported by an emerald-green enameled gold mount.

This cabochon-style emerald is one of the largest gemstones Fabergé used in any of the Imperial eggs. The egg's base sits on a plinth of rock crystal. The base consists of a colorfully enameled gold double spheroid which is circled twice with rose-cut diamonds.

It has the monograms of the Tsarina, as the Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt before her marriage, and later as Alexandra Fedorovna, Empress of Russia. Each monogram is surmounted with a diamond crown of the respective royal house

These monograms form a continuous pattern around the base of the egg. Inside the rock crystal egg is a gold support holding twelve miniature paintings. The paintings are of the various palaces and residences that were significant to the Empress.

Each location holds a special memory for Nicholas and Alexandra in the early days of their courtship, as they had just been married two years prior, in 1894.

When the large cabochon emerald on the apex is depressed it engages a mechanism that rotates the miniatures inside the egg. A hook moves down and folds the framed pictures back, like the pages of a book, so two paintings can be fully seen at one time.

The egg was presented by Nicholas II to Alexandra Fedorovna on March 24, 1896. She received it at Eastertide in the same year that the young couple had suddenly ascended the throne.

The egg was seized by the Kerensky Provisional Government and moved to the Armory Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow along with approximately 40 other eggs.

In 1945 the egg became the last of five Imperial Easter Eggs bought by Lillian Thomas Pratt, the wife of a General Motors executive John Lee Pratt. Upon Lillian Thomas Pratt's death in 1947, the egg was willed to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia.

The Twelve Monograms egg, also known as the Alexander III Portraits egg, is an Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1896 for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.

It was presented by Nicholas II to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. The egg was the second Fabergé egg ever given by Nicholas II to his mother as an Easter present.

Each panel of the egg contains a Cyrillic cipher of Alexander III and Maria Fedorovna, set and crowned in diamonds, set against the dark blue enamel with a design of red gold, rose-cut diamonds, portrait diamonds and velvet lining.

It is covered by six panels each divided by bands set with rose-cut diamonds and decorated with the Imperial crown and Imperial monograms (MF) "Maria Fyodorovna" and (AIII) "Alexander III".

Each monogram appears six times, with Maria's monogram appearing on the top half of the egg and Alexander's appearing on the bottom. The 1896 Twelve Monograms Egg is held at the Hillwood Museum in Washington, D.C.

The Imperial Coronation egg is a jewelled Fabergé egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1897 by Fabergé ateliers, Mikhail Perkhin and Henrik Wigstrom.

The egg was made to commemorate Tsarina, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.The egg is made from gold with translucent lime yellow enamel on a guilloché field of starbursts and is in reference to the cloth-of-gold robe worn by the Tsarina at her Coronation.

It is trellised with bands of greenish gold laurel leaves mounted at each intersection by a gold Imperial double-headed eagle enamelled opaque black, and set with a rose diamond on its chest. This pattern was also drawn from the Coronation robe worn by the Empress.

Fitted inside a velvet-lined compartment is a precise replica, less than four inches long, of the 18th-century Imperial coach that carried the Tsarina Alexandra to her coronation at Moscow's Uspensky Cathedral.

The red colour of the original coach was recreated using strawberry coloured translucent enamel and the blue upholstery of the interior was also reproduced in enamels.

The coach is surmounted by the Imperial Crown in rose diamonds and six double-headed eagles on the roof; it is fitted with engraved rock crystal windows and platinum tyres decorated with a diamond-set trellis in gold and an Imperial eagle in diamonds at either door.

The miniature is complete with moving wheels, opening doors, actual C-spring shock absorbers and a tiny folding step-stair.Missing surprises include an emerald or diamond pendant that hung inside the replica coach, a glass-enclosed jadeite stand

for the display of the carriage as well as a stand made of silver-gilt wire.The Egg was first given to Tsarina Alexandra of Imperial Russia on Easter of 1897. The egg was displayed in the Empress' apartment at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, resting in a jewelled carriage.

Upon the fall of the Romanov Dynasty, the egg was confiscated by the Provisional Government in 1917 and was listed among the treasures removed from the Anichkov Palace.

It is currently owned by one of the Russian oligarchs, Viktor Vekselberg, and held in Fabergé Museum.

The Mauve egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1897, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna on April 18, 1897.

One of six eggs which are currently lost, Fabergé billed Nicholas II for the egg, described as a "mauve enamel egg, with 3 miniatures" on May 17, 1897 for 3,250 rubles.

The surprise is a heart shaped photo frame that opened as a three-leaf clover with each leaf containing three miniature portraits of Nicholas II, his wife, the Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, and their first child, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna.

It was made of rose-cut diamonds, strawberry red, green and white enamel, pearls and watercolour on ivory. The surprise is now on display in the Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Lilies of the Valley egg is a jewelled Fabergé egg made under the supervision of 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. 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 covered in pearls and topped with rose pink enamel on a guilloché field. The egg is supported by cabriole 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. 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 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.

The Dowager (or Imperial Pelican) Fabergé egg, is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1898. The egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna on Easter 1898.

The egg was created by Faberge's workmaster, Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin with miniatures by Johannes Zehngraf and is made of red gold, diamonds, pearls, gray, pink and opalescent blue enamel and watercolor on ivory.

The stand is made of varicolored gold and the egg itself unfolds into a screen of eight ivory miniatures. The egg is one of the few Faberge eggs that is not enameled over most of its surface.

It is made of engraved red gold in the Empire style, surmounted by a pelican in opalescent gray, blue and pink enamel. The pelican is feeding her young in the nest, a symbol of maternal care.

The egg is supported on a varicolored gold, four-legged stand and retains its original red velvet case, the only time this color was used for a Tsar Imperial Easter Egg-case. The egg contains eight oval miniature paintings of charitable institutions patronized by the Empress.

The miniatures are painted by court miniaturist Johannes Zehngraf. On the back of each is written the name of the institution portrayed. The ninth "panel" is a stand for the other eight

Between 1936 and 1938 it was purchased by Lillian Thomas Pratt, the wife of John Lee Pratt, from Hammer Galleries. Mrs. Pratt willed the Egg to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, upon her death in 1947. It remains there.

The Bouquet of Lilies Clock egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1899 for Tsar Nicholas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna.

The Bouquet of Lilies Clock egg is one of the larger Fabergé eggs. The egg-shaped clock and its rectangular pedestal are decorated with translucent enamel on a guilloché background. The body of the clock is divided into twelve parts which are outlined in diamond-studded stripes.

The belt of the dial which revolves around the perimeter of the egg is enameled white with twelve Roman numerals set in diamonds. The hours are indicated by a diamond clock hand shaped like the head of an arrow in a drawn bow.

The hand is fixed to an immobile onyx base. The varicolored gold base itself is decorated with rosettes and the date of its manufacture, 1899, is set in diamonds

It is designed as a vase with red-gold scrolls serving as extra supports at either side. A gold key was used to wind the mechanism.The clock is crowned with a bouquet of Madonna lilies, carved from onyx.

The pistils of the flowers are set with three small rose diamonds, and the leaves and stems are of tinted gold. The egg uses the language of flowers which was well known at the time. The roses were symbols of love and the lilies were a symbol of purity and innocence.

The surprise from this egg is currently missing, but from contemporary photographs it is known to have been a ruby pendant with rose-cut diamonds. It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

The Pansy egg or Spinach Jade egg is one of the Imperial Russian Fabergé eggs, and it was commissioned in 1899 by Tsar Nicholas II as an Easter gift for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodoronova

The egg is made of nephrite and has a stand made of gilt silver in the form of branches twisting up about the bottom of the egg (the egg points downward). Around the sides are five pansies with enamelled leaves and petals.

The top of the egg lifts off to reveal the egg's surprise.Within is a gold easel surmounted by a diamond-set Star of Bethlehem inside a wreath over the year; the easel is fluted and embellished with carved gold floral and torch motifs and is set with gems and pearls.

On it rests a heart-shaped plaque enamelled opalescent white on a sun-ray guilloché background and bordered by rose diamonds set in silver and surmounted by the Romanov crown also in diamonds.

Eleven tiny translucent strawberry enamelled gold covers, each bearing its own monogram, are connected by a large diamond ‘M’ to form a decoration for the front of this plaque

This egg is among the 10 Fabergé eggs sold by the Russian Antikvariat in 1930, and it was purchased by the Hammer Galleries of New York. The gallery's owner, Armand Hammer, then sold it to the New Orleans oil heiress Matilda Geddings Gray in 1947.

She in turn gave it to her niece, Matilda Gray Stream as a wedding anniversary present. It is one of the very few Fabergé Imperial Easter eggs to remain in a private collection

The Trans–Siberian Railway egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1900 for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicolas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna.

The exterior of the 1900 Trans-Siberian Railway egg is made of onyx, silver, gold, and quartz, and is decorated with colored vitreous enamel. The lid of the egg is hinged, has an overlay of green enamel, and is decorated with inlaid leaves of acanthus.

On top of the lid is a golden three-headed eagle in gold with the Imperial Crown. The interior is lined with velvet. A route map of the Trans-Siberian Railway is engraved in silver across the face, with major stations marked by a precious stone, forming a belt around the egg.

The egg is supported by three griffins made of gold-plated silver on a stepped triangular base of white onyx. The surprise is a miniature clockwork replica of a steam locomotive made of gold and platinum in three sections, forming a train with a length of one foot.

It has a diamond headlight, and ruby marker lights. The train has five carriages with rock crystal windows, labeled “mail”, “ladies only”, “smoking”, “non-smoking” and “chapel”. The train has a gold key that can be used to wind it up and make it run.

It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

The Cockerel egg (also called the Cuckoo Clock egg) was crafted by Peter Carl Fabergé . The egg was given in 1900 by Tsar Nicholas II to Empress Maria Feodoronova as a gift.

The egg has a mechanism on the top rear that enables its bird to come out and move. The egg is part of the Viktor Vekselberg Collection, owned by The Link of Times Foundation, and housed in the Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Basket of Flowers egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1901. The egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

The egg was executed by one of Fabergé's workmasters, but the name of the workmaster was not recorded and the egg itself bears no maker's marks or other hallmarks of its manufacture, at one point leading to some doubts as to its authenticity.

It is designed as an egg-shaped silver-gilt oyster guilloche basket containing a bouquet of blossoms of mock orange, daisies, pansies, calla lilies, cornflowers, morning glories, and oats, with the date "1901" displayed on the front in diamonds.

The egg stands on a blue enameled pedestal (not its original— the original white enamel was likely damaged during the Russian Revolution and has been replaced/ re-enameled with the current blue seen today), and is surmounted by an arcing basket handle of gold and diamonds.

Base and egg are also decorated in a trellis work of diamonds. Though the existence of the egg has been clear since its manufacture, its authenticity as an "imperial" egg was in doubt for some time.

In 1991 experts finally agreed that this egg was indeed the 1901 Easter gift of Nicholas II of Russia to his wife, and was made by the House of Fabergé for this purpose, officially making it an imperial Fabergé egg.

In 1933, the egg was sold by the Antikvariat probably to Emanuel Snowman of London antique dealers Wartski, and it was acquired by Mary of Teck, and inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It remains in the Royal Collection.

The Gatchina Palace egg is a jewelled, enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1901, for Nicholas II of Russia. Nicholas II presented it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, at Easter in 1901.

The egg was created by Fabergé's workmaster, Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin, and is crafted from gold, enamel, silver-gilt, portrait diamonds, rock crystal, and seed pearls

Detailed work around the palace in the surprise shows cannons, a flag, a statue of Paul I, and elements of the landscape.The egg opens to reveal a miniature gold replica of Gatchina Palace, the Dowager Empress's residence outside Saint Petersburg.

In 1936, the egg was exhibited with the Rose Trellis egg at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, and it has been on permanent display since 1952.

The Clover Leaf egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1902 for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicholas as an Easter gift to his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna.

The Clover Leaf egg is made of an openwork pattern of stems and leaves of clover forming the shape of an egg. The gaps between the metal outline of the leaves are covered with transparent bright green enamel. A very thin golden ribbon paved with rubies curls through the foliage.

At the time, the production of transparent enamel was still a new method, and often suffered from problems while cooling. There are no flaws in the enamel of the Clover Leaf Egg, but it is considered too fragile to travel.

The surprise in the egg has been lost but according to archives it was a four-leaf clover with twenty-three diamonds, and four miniature portraits of the four daughters of the Tsar: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia

It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow, and it is one of the few imperial Fabergé eggs that have never left Russia.

The Empire Nephrite egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1901–1902 for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, at Easter 1902.

The egg reappeared in the mid-1990s and some Fabergé researchers were of the mistaken opinion that this egg featured a portrait medallion of Alexander III of Russia, though the original bill did not refer to a portrait of Alexander III.

This mistake was result of a misinterpretation of the Moscow Armory Chamber valuables selection list. This list noted an "Egg from nephrite, on a golden base, and with portrait of the Emperor Alexander III in a medallion".

Because of this, many researchers were certain that the 1902 Imperial egg featured an Alexander III portrait, though there is no evidence to support this.

However, in 2015, during research by a specially commissioned group of experts, a unique historical document was found – the "List of the personal property of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, located in storage at Gatchina Palace" by 28 July 1917.

This 12-page booklet mentions at least 150 items, including 7 Imperial Fabergé eggs that belonged to the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.

On the second page of this document, as number 10, there is a description "Egg with gold mounts, on two nephrite columns, with portraits of Gr. Dss. Olga Alexandrovna and Duke P.A. Oldenburg inside"

This description is the most accurate that Fabergé researchers have to date concerning the egg of 1902, which was previously mistaken for an "Egg from nephrite, on a gold base and with portrait of the Emperor Alexander III in a medallion".

The egg is currently in a private collection in New York, USA.

The Peter the Great egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1903 for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the egg to his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna.

Made in the Rococo style, the Peter the Great Egg celebrated the two-hundredth anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg in 1703.

It is made of red, green and yellow gold, platinum, rose-cut diamonds, rubies, enamel, rock crystal, and miniature watercolor portraits on ivory .The egg measures 4​1⁄4 by 3​1⁄8 (diameter) inches.

Executed in gold, the curves are set with diamonds and rubies. The body of the egg is covered in laurel leaves and bulrushes that are chased in 14-carat green gold. These symbolize the source of the "living waters". The spiky heads are set with square rubies.

White enamel ribbons inscribed with historical details encircle the egg. On the top of the egg is an enameled wreath which encircles Nicholas II's monogram. The bottom of the egg is adorned with the double-headed imperial eagle, made of black enamel and crowned with two diamonds.

The egg shell features four miniature watercolors painted by B. Byalz. The paintings representing the "before" and "after" of St. Petersburg in 1703 and 1903.

The front painting features the extravagant Winter Palace, the official residence of Nicholas II two hundred years after the founding of St. Petersburg.

Opposite this, on the back of the egg, is a painting of the log cabin believed to be built by Peter the Great himself, representative of the founding of St. Petersburg on the banks of the Neva River.

On the sides of the egg are portraits of Peter the Great in 1703 and Nicholas II in 1903. Each of the miniatures is covered by rock crystal. The dates 1703 and 1903, worked in diamonds, appear on either side of the lid above the paintings of the log cabin and Winter Palace

Below each painting are fluttering enamel ribbons with inscriptions in black Cyrillic letters. The surprise is that when the egg is opened, a mechanism within raises a miniature gold model of Peter the Great's monument on the Neva, resting on a base of sapphire.

The Peter the Great Egg was sold in 1930 to Armand Hammer, an American entrepreneur who had business interests in Russia. It was later bought by A la Vieille Russie, New York City.

In 1944, it was purchased by Lillian Pratt of Fredericksburg, Virginia (1876–1947) and bequeathed to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 1947. It remains on permanent view in their European Decorative Art Collection

The Royal Danish egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1903, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.

One of six Fabergé eggs that are currently lost, it is one of two eggs whose existence is known only from a single photograph.

The egg contains miniature portraits of Christian IX of Denmark and his wife, Louise of Hesse-Kassel, the parents of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna

One of the largest Fabergé eggs at over nine inches (229 mm) in height,[1] the egg is crowned by the symbol of Denmark's ancient Order of the Elephant.

The Uspenski Cathedral egg or Moscow Kremlin egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1906 for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicolas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna.

The Moscow Kremlin egg is by far the largest of the Fabergé eggs and was inspired by the architecture of the Dormition Cathedral, Moscow (Uspenski) in Moscow. This cathedral was where all the Tsars of Russia were crowned, including Nicholas II himself.

The cathedral dome (in white opalescent vitreous enamel) is removable, and the remarkably crafted interior of the church can be seen. Its carpets, tiny enameled icons and high altar on an oval glass plate are made visible through four triple

windows, surmounted by a gold cupola and flanked by two square, two circular stylized turrets, the former based on the Spassky Tower. The tower bears the coat of arms of the Russian Empire and the coat of arms of Moscow, inset with 'chiming clocks'.

It stands on a crenellated gold base and octagonal white onyx plinth designed as a pyramid, and built of more smaller pyramids. The surprise in this egg is music.

The base of the egg contains a gold music box that plays two cherubim chants, traditional Easter hymns can be played when a clockwork mechanism is wound up by a gold key. One of the hymns is the "Izhe Khveruvimy" (Cherubic Hymn #7 by D. Bortnyansky),a favorite hymn of Nicholas II

The egg commemorates the return to Moscow of the royal couple Nicholas II and Alexandra Fyodorovna in 1903.They had tended to avoid the historical capital due to its ill-omened association with a riot during Nicholas’s coronation,where hundreds of Moscovites were crushed to death

The egg itself was supposed to be presented in 1904 as engraved at the foot in white enamel on a round gold plate is the date. But the delivery was delayed because of the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905).

This was followed by the assassination in the Kremlin of Nicholas' favorite uncle and brother-in-law, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. So instead the egg was only presented for Easter, 1906

It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow, and it is one of the few imperial Fabergé eggs that have never left Russia.

The Swan egg is a Fabergé egg, made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. Commissioned in 1906 by Tsar Nicholas II, the egg was presented to the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna on Easter that year for her 40th wedding anniversary.

The egg is made of mauve enamel, with gold trim. On the exterior is a twisted ribbon trellis design of rose-cut diamonds, as well as a portrait diamond on the top inscribed "1906".

Another portrait diamond on the other end once held the Imperial monograph. The "surprise" that came inside the egg is a miniature gold and silver swan on a "lake" of aquamarine.

By winding a gear beneath one of the wings, the swan's mechanical neck and wings move. In Russia, the swan is considered a symbol of family life and the permanence of the bond of marriage.

The miniature swan is modeled after James Cox’s Silver Swan, an automaton dating from the 18th Century, now housed in the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, England.

Purchased by King Farouk of Egypt in 1949, the egg was later sold off by the Egyptian Revolutionary government in 1954 at the tragic Palace Collections Sale. This sale saw the dispersion of hundreds of Fabergé objects collected by the Egyptian Royal family.

The egg was purchased by Wartski’s of London and later sold to the Edouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Rose Trellis egg is a jewelled enameled Imperial Easter egg made in Saint Petersburg, Russia under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé, for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, on Easter 1907.

The egg was created by Faberge's workmaster, Henrik Wigström and is crafted of gold, green and pink enamel in various shades, portrait diamonds, rose-cut diamonds and satin lining.

This egg is enamelled in translucent pale green and latticed with rose-cut diamonds and decorated with opaque light and dark pink enamel roses and emerald green leaves.

A portrait diamond is set at either end of this egg, the one at the base covering the date "1907". Unfortunately the monogram has now disappeared.

The egg contained as a surprise a diamond necklace and an ivory miniature portrait of the tsarevich framed in diamonds which is now lost. Only an impression on the satin lining now remains. The egg is approximately 7.7 cm in height.

Tsar Nicholas II purchased the egg as a gift to his wife, Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna. The April 21, 1907 invoice indicated the egg cost 8,300 rubles.

In 1920, the egg was in the possession of Alexandre Polovtsov, who was a former employee at Gatchina Palace and later started an antique shop in Paris. It is not known how Polovtsov acquired the Egg.

In 1936, the egg was exhibited along with the Gatchina Palace egg at the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland and has been on permanent exhibition since 1952.

The Cradle with Garlands egg (also known as the Love Trophies egg) is an Imperial Fabergé egg, made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé.

It was an Easter 1907 gift for Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna from her son Tsar Nicholas II. It is designed by Henrik Wigström in the Louis XVI style, made of varicoloured golds with translucent pale blue and green enamel, and encrusted with jewels.

The surprise within the egg is missing. According to Fabergé's invoice, the surprise was a miniature of the imperial children.The egg was last exhibited in 1989 in San Diego. It was sold by Sotheby's New York and is thought to be in a private U.S. collection.

The Alexander Palace egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1908, for the then Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Nicholas presented it as an Easter gift to his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna.

The Alexander Palace egg is made of Siberian nephrite, diamonds, gold, rubies and miniature watercolor paintings on ivory. The outside of the egg contains five miniature watercolor portraits of the children of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra:

Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia and the Tsarevitch Alexei. Above each portrait is a diamond monogrammed initial of each child's first name. On the reverse of each portrait, visible only from the inside of the egg, is the date of birth of each child.

The remainder of the egg's surface is divided by five vertical lines, studded with diamonds and connected with one another by gold garlands inlaid with rose and ruby flowers.

The dividing line between the upper and lower sections of the egg also have golden leaves, rubies and diamonds, together with two triangular diamonds with Alexandra's initials, AF

The surprise is a detailed replica of the Alexander Palace, the Russian Imperial family's favorite residence in Tsarskoye Selo. The tiny replica also details the adjoining gardens of the palace. The miniature is made of tinted gold and enamel.

The Alexander Palace egg was commissioned by Nicholas II in 1908 and presented to Alexandra. It was purchased for 12,300 rubles. From 1913 until 1916 it remained at the Alexander Palace in Alexandra Fedorovna’s Mauve Sitting Room 1913-1916.

In 1917 it was confiscated by Kerensky's army during the Russian Revolution, along with many other Imperial treasures. It was transported from the Anichkov Palace to the Kremlin Armoury, where it remained.

The Peacock egg is a jewel and rock crystal Easter egg made by Dorofeiev under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1908. It was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, in 1908

The transparent egg is composed of rock crystal and gilt silver wire, and is quite simple in style. The genius of the egg lay in its surprise. The egg is held together by a clasp at the top, and when opened, falls into two halves, each with a rococo style mount.

Inside the egg sits a small 110 millimetres (4.3 in) long mechanical gold and enameled peacock in the branches of an engraved gold tree with flowers made of enamel and precious stones.

The peacock can be lifted from within the tree and wound up. Placed on a flat surface, it struts around, moving its head and spreads and closes his enamel tail

Bought by a Mr. Hirst in 1935, it was sold to Dr. Maurice Sandoz of Switzerland in 1949 and donated in 1955 to his Foundation Edouard et Maurice Sandoz in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Standart Yacht egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1909 for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicolas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna.

The Standart Yacht Leaf Egg is a transparent hollowed-out rock crystal egg, mounted horizontally, with a gold band with inlaid leaves of green enamel and small diamonds marking the separation point between upper and lower halves, which bears the inscription "Standart 1909".

A crowned lapis lazuli eagle is perched on either side of the egg and a large pear-shaped pearl hangs from each. The shaft consists of two lapis lazuli dolphins with intertwined tails. It is on an ornate stand with classical overtones, made from gold, pearls, and enamel.

The surprise is a golden replica of the Imperial Yacht, the Standart Yacht, made of gold and platinum, and coated in vitreous enamel. The model rests on a carved bed of crystal representing the ocean, but can be removed from the egg.

It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow, and it is one of the few imperial Fabergé eggs that have never left Russia.

The Alexander III Commemorative egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1909, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.

The egg commemorates Alexander III of Russia, who had died fifteen years previously. The egg is one of three to commemorate Alexander, along with the Alexander III Portraits, and Alexander III Equestrian eggs. The surprise was a miniature gold bust of Alexander.

The Alexander III Commemorative egg is one of the six Imperial Fabergé eggs that are currently missing.

The Colonnade egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by Henrik Wigström under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1910. It was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna to celebrate the birth of their only son.

The Colonnade egg is made of Bowenite, four-colour gold, silver-gilt, platinum, guilloché enamel and rose diamonds. It is one of only four Faberge Easter Eggs to include a clock in the design. The Colonnade Egg features a rotary clock made by the Swiss firm Henry Moser & Cie.

The egg symbolizes a temple of love. A pair of platinum doves represent the love of Nicholas and Alexandra. Four silver-gilt cherubs sit around the base of the egg, each representing Nicholas and Alexandra's four daughters: Anastasia, Olga, Maria, and Tatiana.

Alexei is represented by a silver-gilt cupid, which surmounts the egg. The cupid is now missing a silver-gilt staff or twig which was held in his right hand and was used to indicate the hour.

Purchased for 11,600 roubles the Colonnade Egg was presented to Alexandra at Eastertide 1910 to celebrate the 1904 birth of Alexei, the fifth child and only son of Nicholas and Alexandra.

Upon the abdication of Nicholas II and the imprisonment of the family in 1917, the Colonnade Egg was confiscated by the provisional government. In 1929 it was sold to Queen Mary of Teck and inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It remains in the Royal Collection.

The Alexander III Equestrian egg is a jewelled egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1910, for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, who presented the egg to his mother the Dowager Empress, Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III.

The egg itself is carved out of rock-quartz crystal, engraved with two tied laurel leaf sprays, the upper half cloaked with platinum trelliswork and a tasseled fringe, with two consoles shaped as double-headed eagles set with rose-cut diamonds.

A large diamond engraved with the year "1910" surmounts the egg, set in band of small roses, with a rosette border of platinum acanthus leaves. The two platinum double-headed eagles on the sides of the egg have diamond crowns.

The surface of the egg between the eagles is engraved with branching patterns, adjoined at the bottom.The lower part of the egg serves as a platform for a gold model of a statue of Tsar Alexander III on horseback, standing on a nephrite base

embellished with two rose-cut diamond bands, engraved with Fabergés signature, supported by cast platinum cherubs coiled into position on a base of crystal. It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

The Fifteenth Anniversary Egg is an Imperial Fabergé egg, made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was an Easter 1911 gift for Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna from her husband Tsar Nicholas II.

The egg is made of gold, green and white enamel, decorated with diamonds and rock crystal. The surface is divided into eighteen panels set with 16 miniatures.

The egg's design commemorates the fifteenth anniversary of the coronation of Nicholas II on 26 May 1896.There is no "surprise" in the egg— contrary to the Tsar's explicit instructions with regard to these eggs and without explanation, apparently none was ever made.

The egg is now part of the Victor Vekselberg Collection, owned by The Link of Times Foundation and housed in the Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Bay Tree egg is a jewelled nephrite and enameled Fabergé egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé, for Nicholas II of Russia who presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, on 12 April 1911.

Turning a tiny lever disguised as a fruit, hidden among the leaves of the bay tree, activates the hinged circular top of the tree and a feathered songbird rises and flaps its wings, turns its head, opens its beak and sings

Based on an 18th-century French mechanical orange tree, it was incorrectly labeled as an orange tree for some time, but was confirmed as a bay tree after the original invoice from Fabergé was examined. Fabergé charged 12,800 rubles for the egg.

The egg is now part of the Victor Vekselberg Collection, owned by The Link of Times Foundation and housed in the Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Tsarevich egg, also known as the Czarevich egg, is a Fabergé egg, one of a series of jewelled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was created in 1912 for Empress Alexandra Feodorovna as a tribute by Fabergé to her son the Tsarevich Alexei.

The egg is about 5 3⁄4 inches (15 cm) tall on its stand, with a diameter of 4 inches (10 cm).[2] The outer shell is blue lapis lazuli, with architectural, Louis XV-style gold cagework in a design of leafy scrolls.

The gold motifs cover each joint, making the egg look as if it was carved from a single block of lapis. The goldwork includes two Imperial double-headed eagles, as well as cupids, canopies, floral scrolls, flower baskets and garlands.

Two large diamonds, one at top and one at bottom, are encrusted into the egg's surface, showing the initials of Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna, the year 1912 and the Imperial crown

The surprise inside is a Russian double-headed Imperial eagle with a miniature portrait of the Tsarevich Alexei, set in platinum and encrusted with diamonds

Philanthropist Lillian Thomas Pratt (1876–1947) of Fredericksburg, Virginia, purchased the egg in New York from Hammer in 1933–34. The egg was bequeathed by her in 1947 to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, where it remains on permanent view.

The Napoleonic egg, sometimes referred to as the Imperial Napoleonic egg,was made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was created in 1912 for Tsar Nicholas II as a gift to his mother the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.

The egg's design commemorates the centenary of the Battle of Borodino during Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia. The Napoleonic egg is one of only two Imperial Eggs of which the design drawings have been found, the other being the 1907 Standart Yacht egg.

The egg is crafted out of yellow gold, with emerald panels, rubies and diamonds on its exterior. The interior of the egg is lined with satin and velvet. The egg still has its "surprise", a six-panel miniature screen depicting in watercolor six regiments of

which Maria Fyodorovna was an honorary colonel. Each panel has on its reverse side the royal monogram of the Dowager Empress. The screen itself is made from translucent green emeralds, rose-cut diamonds and white enamel

The Napoleonic egg was given to the Dowager Empress by Nicholas II in 1912. The egg was seized by the post-Russian Revolution governments and was sold in 1930 along with ten other eggs to the Hammer Galleries in New York City.

In 2011, the collection moved to become a long term installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New York.

The Romanov Tercentenary egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1913, for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicolas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna.

The Romanov Tercentenary egg is made of gold, silver, rose-cut and portrait diamonds, turquoise, purpurine, rock crystal, Vitreous enamel and watercolor painting on ivory. It is 190 mm in height and 78 mm in diameter.

The egg celebrates the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty, the three hundred years of Romanov rule from 1613 to 1913. The outside contains eighteen portraits of the Romanov Tsars of Russia.

The egg is decorated in a chased gold pattern with double-headed eagles as well as past and present Romanov crowns which frame the portraits of the Tsars. Each miniature portrait, painted by miniaturist Vassily Zuiev, is on ivory and is bordered by rose-cut diamonds.

The inside of the egg is opalescent white enamel.The egg sits on a pedestal that represents the Imperial double-headed eagle in gold,with 3 talons holding the Imperial scepter,orb and Romanov sword. The pedestal is supported by a base that represents the Russian Imperial shield

The surprise is a rotating detailed globe made of dark blue enamel, varicolored gold and steel. The globe portrays one hemisphere showing Russian territory under Tsar Michael in 1613, and on the opposite side the Russian territory under Nicholas II in 1913.

The dark blue enamel colors areas of the ocean while landmasses are portrayed in colored golds.

In 1917, the Romanov Tercentenary Egg was confiscated by the Provisional Government during the Russian Revolution, along with many other Imperial treasures. It was transported from the Anichkov Palace to the Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, where it remained.

The Winter Egg is a Fabergé egg, was made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was an Easter 1913 gift for Tsarina Maria Feodorovna from Tsar Nicholas II. It was designed by Alma Pihl.

The price in 1913 was 24,700 rubles, the most expensive Easter egg ever made.The exterior of the egg resembles frost and ice crystals formed on clear glass. It is studded with 1,660 diamonds, and is made from quartz, platinum, and orthoclase.

The miniature surprise flower basket is studded with 1,378 diamonds and is made from platinum and gold, while the wood anemones are made of white quartz and the leaves are made of demantoid. The flowers lie in gold moss. The egg is 102 millimetres (4.0 in) high.

The egg left Russia after the Revolution, and ended up in the collection of Mr. Brian Ledbrooke, Esq. It was first sold at auction in 1994 at Christie's in Geneva for $5.6 million, the world record at that time for a Faberge item sold at auction

The egg sold for US$9.6 million in an auction at Christie's in New York City in 2002. It was reported that the buyer was Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.

The Mosaic egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1914. The egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

The Egg was crafted by Albert Holmström under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé and is made of yellow gold, platinum, brilliant diamonds, rose-cut diamonds, ruby, emerald, topaz, sapphire, garnet, half-pearls, moonstone, white enamel and opaque pink enamel.

It consists of a series of yellow gold belts which are pavé-set with diamonds and a variety of gems in a floral pattern, providing a look of petit point tapestry work.

The pattern of the egg contains five oval panels bordered by half-pearls set in enamel, with brilliant diamonds placed at each intersection. The technical precision of the design was complemented by platinum that was cut, rather than welded.

At the apex of the egg is a moonstone through which can be seen the year 1914 and Empress Alexandra's initials in Russian characters.

The pedestal surprise is made of gold, pearls, rose-cut diamonds, green garnets, translucent green, opaque white, opalescent pale pink, pale green and pale sepia grisaille enamel.

The surprise is a removable miniature frame with relief profiles of Nicholas and Alexandra's five children in a cameo brooch style. The back of the frame is enameled with a sepia basket of flowers.

The basket is bordered with the year 1914 and the names of each of the Romanov children. The frame rests on a gold stand in the shape of the royal crown and is held in place within the egg by gold clips

The Mosaic Egg was commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II and presented to his wife, Empress Alexandra Fedorovna for Easter 1914. It was later confiscated, along with much of the family's belongings, by the provisional government in 1917 during the Russian Revolution.

On 22 May 1933 it was purchased from Cameo Corner, London, by King George V for 250 pounds "half cost", likely as a gift for Queen Mary's birthday. The Mosaic Egg remains a part of the Royal Collection of Queen Elizabeth.

Catherine the Great egg, also known as Grisaille Egg and Pink Cameo Egg, was made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian Imperial family. It was an Easter 1914 gift for Tsarina Maria Feodorovna from her son Tsar Nicholas II.

The egg was made by Henrik Wigström, "Fabergé's last head workmaster". The egg in gold and diamonds on a claw-foot stand features pink enamel panels painted in cameo style with miniature allegorical scenes of the arts and sciences based on French artist François Boucher.

The egg's surprise, also described as "a mechanical sedan chair, carried by two blackamoors, with Catherine the Great seated inside" has since been lost. It forms part of the Marjorie Merriweather Post collection at Hillwood Museum in Washington, D.C.

The Red Cross with Triptych egg is an enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1915, for Nicholas II of Russia. Nicholas II presented it to his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

The egg was created by Fabergé's workmaster, Henrik Wigström and is made of silver, gold, opalescent white and translucent red enamel, watercolor on gold and glass. The white enamel on this gold-mounted egg is decorated with a translucent red enamel cross on either side.

The egg measures 8.6 by 6.35 centimetres (3.39 in × 2.50 in). The center of each cross is set with a painted miniature of respectively Grand Duchess Olga and Grand Duchess Tatiana in their Red Cross uniforms.

The front cross with the portrait of Tatiana serves as a clasp, securing the double opening doors. The front of the egg divides into two quarters when opened, reveals a triptych within.

The central scene is the Harrowing of Hell, the Orthodox representation of the Resurrection. Saint Olga, the founder of Christianity in Russia is represented on the left wing of the triptych. The martyr Saint Tatiana on the right.

The interior miniatures are executed by Adrian Prachow, who specialized in icons. The remaining two panels of the doors are inscribed with the crown monogram of the tsarina, and the other one with the year "1915".

The two miniature portraits of the two Grand Duchesses are probably by the court painter Vasilii Zuiev, who painted the miniatures for the companion Red Cross with Imperial Portraits Egg. This is one of the few Tsar Imperial Easter Eggs that opens vertically.

Purchased in 1943 by India Early Minshall, widow of the founder of Pocahontas Oil Company, T. Ellis Minshall, at "A La Vieille Russie" in New York. In 1965, she bequeathed her collection to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, United States.

The Red Cross with Imperial portraits egg is a jewelled and enameled Easter egg made by Henrik Wigström under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1915, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.

The Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg is made of silver, with the shell surrounded by a series of horizontal bands edged in gold. The bands each have a different guilloche pattern and are covered in white enamel. Two red crosses, made of enamel, are on either side of the egg.

One includes the date "1914" and the other "1915." Inscribed on the outside of the egg are the words, "Greater Love hath no man than this, to lay down his life for his friends". Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna's monogram is displayed on the top of the shell.

The surprise is a hinged, folding screen of five oval miniature portraits of women from the House of Romanov, each wearing the uniform of the Red Cross. The miniatures were possibly painted by Vasily Ivanovich Zuiev.

The portraits are of the Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, Nicholas II's sister, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia, his eldest daughter, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia,

the Tsar's second daughter, and the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, the Tsar's first cousin. Each portrait is painted on ivory and is situated in a mother-of-pearl and gold screen that folds so that it may fit inside the egg.

The inside of the egg is velvet-lined to secure the enfolded frame. On the back of each portrait is a golden monogram of the sitter.

In 1930, the Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg was sold with nine other Imperial eggs by the Antikvariat to the Armand Hammer Galleries in New York City. It was the first of five Imperial Faberge eggs purchased by Lillian Thomas Pratt, the wife of John Lee Pratt, in 1933.

Her Fabergé collection was willed to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, upon her death in 1947. The Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg is currently on view as part of the European Decorative Art Collection.

The Steel Military egg was created under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. This particular egg was delivered to Alexandra Fyodorovna, the Russian Tsarina, on Easter Eve of 1916 on behalf of the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II.

by Fabergé's son Eugène while Nicholas II was away at the Russian front of World War I; Carl Fabergé was himself busy delivering the other Easter egg for 1916, the Order of St. George Egg, to Nicholas's mother, the Dowager Empress Maria.

It is one of only ten Imperial eggs that were not sold following the Russian Revolution and subsequent execution of the immediate Imperial Romanov family, and is now held in the collection of the Kremlin Armoury.

The exterior of the egg is made of gold and steel— unlike many previous eggs, the exterior had no gemstones set in it anywhere— and was once coated in vitreous enamel, while the interior is made of silk and velvet.

The egg stands on a base of jade and is supported by four steel artillery shells. The "surprise" fitting within it is a miniature painting by Vassilii Zuiev on an easel made of gold and steel.

The easel is coated in vitreous enamel, and the frame of the painting is lined with diamonds

The painting depicts the Tsar and his teenage son, the Tsarevich Alexei, in heavy Russian overcoats poring over maps with eight senior Russian officers next to a tree and a pair of horses at the front of the Great War.

Originally the steel of the egg was blackened all over. Not long after its delivery, however, it began to rust and the black layer deteriorated. As a result, the steel was polished to halt this process, and it is now a mirror-silver color.

It was designed by one of Carl Fabergé's relatives, Gustav Shkilter, and manufactured mostly in the Putilovskii Steel Plant which was well-known for the quality of its steel.

As such Easter gifts between the Tsar and Tsarina went, the Steel Military egg is sometimes considered banal and kitsch in its austere style and comparatively bland, mostly colorless appearance, especially once the blackened surface had been polished to resemble chrome.

Much of this is a reflection not of a shift in Fabergé's artistic style or intent but rather of the dwindling resources and workmen that Fabergé still had at his disposal to create the egg—

it was the last that his workshop successfully created and delivered to the Tsarina before the Tsar was deposed, the Russian government collapsed, and the nation entered financial destitution.

The Order of St. George Egg, also called the Cross of St. George Egg, is an enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1916, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.

This was the last egg that the Dowager Empress received.

Made during World War I, the Order of St. George egg commemorates the Order of St. George that was awarded to Emperor Nicholas and his son, the Grand Duke Alexei Nikolaievich.

The Order of St. George egg, and its counterpart the Steel Military egg were given a modest design, in keeping with the austerity of World War I. Fabergé billed 13,347 rubles for the two eggs.

The Dowager Empress took the Order of St. George egg with her when she traveled to Kiev in May 1916, thus avoiding the October Revolution. The Russian Provisional Government forced her to travel to the Crimea from where she fled in 1919 on board HMS Marlborough.

The Order of St. George egg was inherited by Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia and after her death in 1960 was sold at Sotheby's for the equivalent of $30,910 to the Fabergé Company.

In 2004 it was sold as part of Forbes Collection to Viktor Vekselberg. Vekselberg purchased some nine Imperial eggs, as part of the collection, for almost $100 million. The egg is now housed in the Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Karelian Birch egg, also known as the Birch Egg, is a Fabergé egg, one of two Easter eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1917 for the last Tsar of Russia Nicholas II. It was the second to last Fabergé egg made, before Constellation.

The Karelian Birch egg was considered lost until 2001 when the Moscow collector, Alexander Ivanov, purchased it for his Russian National Museum. Despite the official name, this is a private collection.

In 2009, Ivanov opened the Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden (Germany), and the Birch Egg is now in that museum.

The egg is made out of Karelian birch panels set in a gold frame. This is a departure in design from previous eggs, more ornate and gilded. The change was due to austerity measures taken as a result of World War I, both by the Russian Imperial family, and the House of Fabergé.

A number of the Fabergé Imperial Easter eggs created during the war (those ordered by the Tsar as Easter gifts for members of the Russian Imperial family, as opposed to other eggs produced by Fabergé), utilized unusual and less costly materials.

However, the Karelian Birch egg was the only one to use an organic substance (wood) as a primary construction element. Its "surprise" was a miniature mechanical elephant, covered with tiny rose-cut diamonds, wound with a small jewel-encrusted key.

The Birch Egg was created in 1917, and was due to be completed and delivered to the Tsar that Easter, as a present for his mother, the Empress Maria Feodorovna.

Before the egg was delivered however,the February Revolution took place and Nicholas II was forced to abdicate on March 15. On April 25,Fabergé sent the Tsar an invoice for the egg, addressing Nicholas II not as"Tsar of all the Russians"but as "Mr. Romanov,Nikolai Aleksandrovich"

Nicholas paid 12,500 rubles and the egg was sent to Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich at his palace, for presentation to the Empress, but the Duke fled before it arrived. The egg remained in the palace until it was looted in the wake of the October Revolution later that year.

After the October Revolution the egg was acquired by the Rumyantsev Museum in Moscow. It disappeared once again after the museum closed in January 1927 and was presumed lost.

In 1999 Fabergé's great-granddaughter Tatiana published drawings of the designs for the Birch and Constellation Eggs, but it was assumed that they were both incomplete.

The Birch Egg publicly reappeared in 2001 when a private collector from the United Kingdom, the descendant of Russian emigrants, sold it to Alexander Ivanov, the Moscow collector who owns the Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden.

The "surprise" itself was not in the collector's possession and was likely stolen by soldiers during the October Revolution

The Constellation egg is one of two Easter eggs designed under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1917, for Nicholas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna. It was the last Imperial Fabergé egg designed. It remains unfinished.

Due to the Russian Revolution of 1917, the egg was never finished or presented to Tsar Nicholas' wife, the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna.

The egg, as it is known from a 1917 document, was made of blue glass with a crystal base, and the Leo sign of the zodiac is engraved on the glass. (The heir to the Russian throne, Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia, was a Leo.)

There are stars that are marked by diamonds, and there is a clock mechanism inside the egg. This egg is in the Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden, which houses part of his Fabergé collection.

🥚✨👑 The End 👑✨🥚

I don't know how many people will read the entire thread...but If you're reading this, I want you to know that I want to kiss your forehead🧡 I know this thread is a monster but I wanted to put all the Imperial eggs together! I hope you found it interesting