AFabergé egg (Russian:яйцо Фаберже,romanized: yaytso Faberzhe) is a jewelledegg first created by thejewellery firmHouse of Fabergé, inSaint Petersburg, Russia. As many as 69 eggs were created during the Czarist era, of which 61 are currently known to have survived.[1] Virtually all of the original first edition eggs were manufactured under the supervision ofPeter Carl Fabergé between 1885 and 1917.[2][3] The most famous of the firm's creations are the 50 delivered Imperial Easter eggs,[4][5] of which 44 are currently known to be in complete or partial physical existence, leaving the fate of those remaining unknown.
These eggs were commissioned for the Russian tsarAleksandr III (10 eggs) and tsarNikolai II (40 eggs) as Easter gifts for Alexander's wife and Nicholas's mother EmpressMaria Feodorovna, and Nicholas's wifeTsaritsaAlexandra Feodorovna.[6] Fabergé eggs are worth large sums of money and have become symbols of opulence.[7]
Two more of Fabergé Easter Imperial eggs (bringing the total to 52) were designed but were unable to be delivered. One egg known as the Karelian Birch Egg, has confirmed sketches but is not confirmed to have actually been made, and the other, the Blue Tsesarevich Constellation Egg, only partially completed due to the Russian Revolution of 1917.[5]
More recently,Theo Fabergé, grandson of Peter Carl Fabergé, has created a series of eggs as part of theSt. Petersburg Collection.[6]
TheHouse of Fabergé was founded byGustav Fabergé in 1842 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Fabergé egg was a later addition to the product line by his son,Peter Carl Fabergé.
Prior to 1885,Emperor Alexander III gave his wife EmpressMaria Feodorovna jeweledEaster eggs.[8] For Easter in 1883, before his coronation, Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna were given eggs, one of which contained asilverdagger and twoskulls.[9] The egg came with messages including "Christ is risen" and "You may crush us—but weNihilists shall rise again!"[9]
BeforeEaster 1885, Alexander III's brotherGrand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich suggested thatPeter Carl Fabergé create a jeweled egg.[10] This type of egg is believed to have been inspired by an ivory hen egg made for the Danish Royal Collection in the 18th century.[11] Known as theHen Egg, it has a 2.5-inch outer enamel shell and a golden band around the middle.[12] The egg opens to reveal a golden "yolk" within, which opened to reveal a goldenhen sitting on goldenstraw.[12] Inside the hen lay a miniature diamond replica of the Imperial crown and a rubypendant,[12] though these two elements have been lost.[13] It was given to thetsarina on 1 May 1885.[11] The egg cost 4,151 rubles.[8] Six weeks later, the emperor made Fabergé the supplier to the Imperial Court.[14]
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 to design future imperial Easter eggs, and their designs became more elaborate. According to Fabergé family lore, not even the emperor 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 themMichael Perkhin,Henrik Wigström, andErik August Kollin.[citation needed]
After Alexander III's death on 1 November 1894, his son, Nicholas II, presented a Fabergé egg to both his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, and his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. 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 theRusso-Japanese War.[15]
The imperial eggs enjoyed great fame. Fabergé was commissioned to make similar eggs for a few private clients, including theDuchess of Marlborough, theRothschild family, and theYusupovs. Fabergé was also commissioned to make twelve eggs for the industrialistAlexander Kelch, though only seven appear to have been completed.[16][17] Another notable patron was the oil baronEmanuel Nobel, nephew ofAlfred Nobel. In 1913, he commissioned an 'Ice Egg' from Fabergé.[18]
Following the revolution and thenationalization of the Fabergé workshop in St. Petersburg by theBolsheviks 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 Fabergé name. From 1998 to 2009, theVictor Mayer jewelry company produced limited-edition Fabergé eggs authorized underUnilever's license. The trademark is now owned by Fabergé Limited, which makes egg-themed jewelry.[19]
In 2023, Fabergé debuted Journey in Jewels on Seven Seas Grandeur, a luxury cruise ship fromRegent Seven Seas Cruises. The egg will remain on the cruise ship, making it the first ever Fabergé to live at sea.[20]
Below is a chronology of the 52 eggs made for the imperial family. The dating of the eggs has evolved. An earlier chronology dated the Blue Serpent Clock Egg to 1887 and identified the egg of 1895 as the Twelve Monograms Egg. The discovery of the previously lost Third Imperial Easter Egg confirms the chronology below.[21]
| Date | Egg | Image | Description | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | First Hen |  | Also known as the Jewelled Hen Egg, it was the first in a series of 54 jewelled eggs made for the Russian Imperial family under Fabergé's supervision. It was delivered to Alexander III in 1885. TheTsarina and the Tsar enjoyed the egg so much that Alexander III ordered a new egg from Fabergé for his wife every Easter thereafter. | Viktor Vekselberg |
| 1886 | Hen with Sapphire Pendant |  | Also known as the Egg with Hen in Basket, it was made in 1886 for Alexander III, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna. This 1902 photograph shows Fabergé Imperial Easter eggs belonging to the dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. It is possible that Hen with Sapphire Pendant (Fabergé egg) is among the Fabergé eggs in this picture. | Lost |
| 1887 | Third Imperial |  | A jewelled and ridged yellow-gold egg with Vacheron & Constantin watch stands on its original tripod pedestal, which has chased lion paw feet and is encircled by coloured gold garlands suspended from cabochon blue sapphires topped with rose diamond set bows. After being discovered in an Americanflea market, in 2014 it was purchased by London-based jewellerWartski on behalf of an unidentified private collector.[22] | Private collection[23] |
| 1888 | Cherub with Chariot |   | Also known as the Angel with Egg in Chariot, crafted and delivered in 1888 to Alexander III. This is one of the lost imperial eggs. Few details are known about it. The second image is computer-generated based on available descriptions of the egg. | Lost |
| 1889 | Nécessaire |  | Crafted and delivered to Alexander III, who presented it to his wife, Maria Feodorovna, on Easter 1889. Sold 1952 | Private collection, details unknown |
| 1890 | Danish Palaces |  | Alexander III presented it to his wife, Maria Feodorovna, on Easter 1890. | Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, until 2021[24] |
| 1891 | Memory of Azov |  | Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia | |
| 1892 | Diamond Trellis |  _(cropped).jpg) | The surprise, an elephant automaton thought to have been lost for many years, was identified in 2015 as being in the collection of the BritishRoyal Collection Trust.[25] | Dorothy and Artie McFerrin collection, US |
| 1893 | Caucasus |  | Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation, displayed in theMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York City | |
| 1894 | Renaissance |   | One theory is that the surprise is another Fabergé egg, theResurrection, which perfectly fits the curvature of the Renaissance egg's shell and has a similar decoration in enamel on the base. | Viktor Vekselberg |
| 1895 | Rosebud |  | Viktor Vekselberg | |
| 1895 | Blue Serpent Clock | %2c_2016_by_shakko.jpg) | Before March 2014, it was mistaken for theThird Imperial egg. | Albert II of Monaco collection,Monte-Carlo, Monaco |
| 1896 | Rock Crystal | _(39923872531)_(cropped).jpg) | Also known as the Revolving Miniatures Egg. | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, US |
| 1896 | Twelve Monograms | .jpg) | Also known as theAlexander III Portraits egg.[26] Surprise is missing. | Hillwood Museum, Washington, D.C., US |
| 1897 | Imperial Coronation | | Viktor Vekselberg | |
| 1897 | Mauve | _(cropped).jpg) | Only the egg's surprise (pictured) has been found. | Lost Viktor Vekselberg |
| 1898 | Lilies of the Valley |  | Made under the supervision of Fabergé in 1898 by Fabergé ateliers. The supervising goldsmith was Michael Perchin. The egg is one of two in theArt Nouveau style. It was presented on 5 April to Tsar Nicholas II and given to his wife, Alexandra Fyodorovna. | Viktor Vekselberg |
| 1898 | Pelican | .jpg) | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, US | |
| 1899 | Bouquet of Lilies Clock |  | Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia | |
| 1899 | Pansy | Also known as the Spinach Jade Egg, made by Fabergé in 1899 for Tsar Nicholas II and given to Empress Maria Feodoronova as a gift. The egg has a mechanism which when pressed will allow the heart inside to open up as a pendant containing pictures of family members. Made of nephrite, silver-gilt, diamonds, white, red, green and opaque violet enamel. Heart surprise made of varicolored gold, diamonds, pearls, enamel, and mother of pearl. | Matilda Gray Stream, US | |
| 1900 | Trans-Siberian Railway |  | Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia | |
| 1900 | Cockerel |  | Viktor Vekselberg | |
| 1901 | Basket of Flowers | .jpg) | Royal Collection, London, United Kingdom | |
| 1901 | Gatchina Palace |  | Walters Art Museum,Baltimore, Maryland, US | |
| 1902 | Clover Leaf |  | Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia | |
| 1902 | Empire Nephrite |  | Probably aFauxbergé[27][28][29][30][31] | Private collection, New York City[32] |
| 1903 | Peter the Great |  | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, US | |
| 1903 | Royal Danish |  | Lost | |
| 1906 | Moscow Kremlin | | Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia | |
| 1906 | Swan |  | Edouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Switzerland | |
| 1907 | Rose Trellis |  | Walters Art Museum,Baltimore, Maryland, US | |
| 1907 | Cradle with Garlands | Also known as the "Love Trophies" egg | Private collection, Robert M. Lee, US | |
| 1908 | Alexander Palace |  | Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia | |
| 1908 | Peacock | The Peacock egg is a jewel and rock crystal Easter egg made by Dorofeiev under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1908. It was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the Fabergé 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. | Edouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation, Switzerland | |
| 1909 | Standart Yacht | _02_by_shakko.jpg) | Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia | |
| 1909 | Alexander III Commemorative |  | Lost | |
| 1910 | Colonnade |  | Royal Collection, London, UK | |
| 1910 | Alexander III Equestrian |  | Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia | |
| 1911 | Fifteenth Anniversary |  | Viktor Vekselberg | |
| 1911 | Bay Tree |  | Also known as the Orange Tree egg. | Viktor Vekselberg |
| 1912 | Tsarevich | _and_surprise.jpg) | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, US | |
| 1912 | Napoleonic | .jpg) | Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation. Displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City | |
| 1913 | Romanov Tercentenary |  | Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia | |
| 1913 | Winter | Designed byAlma Pihl, the only female and one of the best knownFabergé workmasters, as a gift to Maria Feodorovna by her son Nicholas II. The exterior of the egg resembles frost and ice crystals formed on clear glass. It is studded with 1,660 diamonds and is made fromquartz,platinum, andorthoclase. The surprise is a miniature flower basket studded with 1,378 diamonds and is made from platinum and gold, while the flowers are made of white quartz and the leaves ofdemantoid. The flowers lie in gold moss. The egg is 102 millimeters high. | It was reported that the buyer wasHamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, theEmir of Qatar.[33] | |
| 1914 | Mosaic |  | Royal Collection, London, UK | |
| 1914 | Catherine the Great | .jpg) | Also known as the "Grisaille". The egg was made by Henrik Wigström, "Fabergé's last head workmaster". It was given to Maria Feodorovna by her son Nicholas II. Its surprise (now lost) was "a mechanical sedan chair, carried by two blackamoors, with Catherine the Great seated inside".[34] | Hillwood Museum, Washington, D.C., US |
| 1915 | Red Cross with Triptych |  | Cleveland Museum of Art,Cleveland, Ohio, US | |
| 1915 | Red Cross with Imperial Portraits | -crop.jpg) | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, US | |
| 1916 | Steel Military | .jpg) | Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, Russia | |
| 1916 | Order of St. George |  | Made duringWorld War I, the Order of St. George egg commemorates theOrder of St. George that was awarded to EmperorNicholas and his son, the Grand DukeAlexei Nikolaievich.[35] The Order of St. George Egg and its counterpart, theSteel Military Egg, were of modest design, in keeping with the austerity of World War I,[36] and Fabergé billed 13,347 rubles for the two.[35] The Order of St. George egg leftBolshevik Russia with its original recipient, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.[37] | Viktor Vekselberg |
| 1917 | Karelian Birch |  | Because of the 1917 February Revolution and subsequent events, this egg was never finished or presented to Nicholas's mother, Maria Feodorovna. | Lost |
| 1917 | Constellation | _original_sketch.jpeg)  | Because of the 1917 February Revolution andsubsequent events, this egg was never finished or presented to Nicholas's wife, Alexandra Feodorovna. | Fersman Mineralogical Museum, Moscow, Russia |
Faberge was also commissioned to make eggs forAlexander Ferdinandovich Kelch, a Siberian gold mine industrialist, as gifts for his wife Barbara (Varvara) Kelch-Bazanova. Though still "Fabergé eggs" by virtue of having been produced by his workshop, these seven eggs were not as elaborate as the imperial eggs, and were not unique in design. Most are copies of other eggs.
| Date | Egg | Image | Description | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | Kelch Hen | .jpg) | Viktor Vekselberg | |
| 1899 | Twelve Panel | .jpeg) | Royal Collection, London, UK | |
| 1900 | Pine Cone | Private collection | ||
| 1901 | Apple Blossom |  | Liechtenstein National Museum | |
| 1902 | Rocaille |  | Dorothy and Artie McFerrin collection | |
| 1903 | Bonbonnière | Estate of the lateKerry Packer[38] | ||
| 1904 | Chanticleer |  | Viktor Vekselberg |
| Date | Egg | Image | Description | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885–1889 | Resurrection | | Almost certainly the surprise from the 1894 Renaissance Egg[39] | Viktor Vekselberg |
| 1885–1891 | Blue Striped Enamel [ru] | Private collection | ||
| 1885–1890 | Lapis Lazuli | .jpg) | Possibly aFauxbergé, however, the two surprises most likely belong to the Rosebud egg.[40] | Cleveland Museum of Art |
| 1899 | Rose Quartz | Private collection | ||
| 1899–1903 | Spring Flowers |  | Possibly aFauxbergé | Viktor Vekselberg |
| 1899–1903 | Scandinavian |  | Viktor Vekselberg | |
| 1902 | Duchess of Marlborough |  | Viktor Vekselberg | |
| 1902 | Rothschild |  | Hermitage Museum,Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| 1903 | Clock [hy] | Private collection | ||
| 1907 | Yusupov [ru] | Louis XVI style. Given toZinaida Yusupova (7th princess of Yusupovs) by Felix Felixovich Sumarokov-Elston. The egg was left vaulted in Russia when the princess fled the bolshevik revolution, but it was found and sold by Russian officials. Maurice Yves Sandoz bought it in 1953 (hence the "M, Y, S" engraved in the egg's medallions).On display at theMusée d'Horlogerie du Locle.[41] | Sandoz Foundation (since 1995) | |
| 1914 | Nobel's Ice Egg | .jpg) | Dorothy and Artie McFerrin collection | |
| 1917 | Twilight [ru] | Private collection |
Of the 52 known Fabergé eggs,[note 1] 46 have survived to the present day. Ten of the imperial Easter eggs are displayed at Moscow'sKremlin Armory Museum.[42] Of the 50 delivered[43] imperial eggs, 44 have survived, and there are photographs of three of the six lost eggs: the 1903Royal Danish Egg, the 1909Alexander III Commemorative Egg, and theNécessaire Egg of 1889.[32] The previously lostThird Imperial Easter Egg of 1887 has since been found in the US and bought byWartski for a private collector.[44] All six of the missing Imperial Eggs belonged toMaria Feodorovna.[45]
After theRussian Revolution, theBolsheviks nationalized theHouse of Fabergé, and the Fabergé family fled to Switzerland, wherePeter Carl Fabergé died in 1920.[42] Theimperial family's palaces were ransacked and their treasures moved to theKremlin Armoury on order ofVladimir Lenin.[42]
In a bid to acquire more foreign currency,Joseph Stalin had many of the eggs sold in 1927, after their value had been appraised byAgathon Carl Theodor Fabergé. Between 1930 and 1933, 14 imperial eggs left Russia. Many of the eggs were sold toArmand Hammer (president ofOccidental Petroleum and a personal friend of Lenin, whose father was founder of theUnited States Communist Party) and toEmanuel Snowman of the London antique dealers Wartski.
After the collection in the Kremlin Armoury, the largest gathering of Fabergé eggs was assembled byMalcolm Forbes, and displayed in New York City. Totaling nine eggs, and approximately 180 other Fabergé objects, the collection was to be put up for auction atSotheby's in February 2004 by Forbes' heirs. However, before the auction began, the collection was purchased in its entirety by theoligarchViktor Vekselberg.[46] In a 2013BBC Four documentary, Vekselberg revealed he had spent just over $100 million purchasing the nine Fabergé eggs.[47] He claims never to have displayed them in his home, saying he bought them as they are important to Russian history and culture, and he believed them to be the best jewelry art in the world. In the same BBC documentary, Vekselberg revealed he plans to open a museum that will display the eggs in his collection,[47] which was built as a privateFabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia on 19 November 2013.[note 2][48]
In November 2007, a Fabergé clock, named byChristie'sauction house as theRothschild Egg, sold at auction for £8.9 million ($16.5 million) (including commission).[49] The price achieved by the egg set three auction records: it is the most expensivetimepiece, Russian object, and Fabergé object ever sold at auction, surpassing the $9.6 million sale of the 1913Winter Egg in 2002.[50][51]
In 1989, as part of the San Diego Arts Festival, 26 Fabergé eggs were loaned for display at the San Diego Museum of Art, the largest exhibition of Fabergé eggs anywhere since the Russian Revolution.[52] The eggs included eight from the Kremlin,[note 3] nine from the Forbes collection,[note 4] three from the New Orleans Museum of Art,[note 5] two from the Royal Collection[note 6] one from the Cleveland Museum of Art[note 7] and three from private collections.[note 8]
| Location/Owner | Number of eggs | Eggs in collection |
|---|---|---|
| Viktor Vekselberg's Link of Times foundation, Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia | 2 | Kelch Hen,Chanticleer |
| Royal Collection, London, UK | 1 | Twelve Panel |
| Liechtenstein National Museum | 1 | Apple Blossom |
| Dorothy and Artie McFerrin collection | 1 | Rocaille |
| Separate private collections | 2 | Pine Cone,Bonbonnière |
| Location/owner | Number of eggs | Eggs in collection |
|---|---|---|
| Viktor Vekselberg's Link of Times foundation, Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia | 4 | Duchess of Marlborough,Resurrection,Spring Flowers,Scandinavian |
| Cleveland Museum of Art | 1 | Lapis Lazuli |
| Dorothy and Artie McFerrin collection | 1 | Nobel Ice |
| Edouard and MauriceSandoz Foundation,Lausanne, Switzerland | 1 | Yusupov [ru] |
| Hermitage Museum,Saint Petersburg, Russia | 1 | Rothschild |
| Separate private collections | 4 | Blue Striped Enamel [ru],Clock [hy],Rose Quartz,Twilight [ru] |
 | This sectionmay containirrelevant references topopular culture. Please helpimprove it by removing such content and addingcitations toreliable,independent sources.(December 2023) |
Fabergé eggs have acquired acult status in the art world and popular culture. Featured in exhibitions, films, TV series, documentaries, cartoons, publications, and the news, they continue to intrigue. They have become symbols of the splendor, power and wealth of theRomanov dynasty and theRussian Empire, priceless treasures to hunt, steal, etc.
As such, they have been part of the plot in several films and television series, includingOctopussy (1983),Mr. Belvedere ("Strike" episode, 1985),Love Among Thieves (1987),Murder She Wrote episode "An Egg to Die For" (1994),The Simpsons episode"'Round Springfield" (1995) (in which jazz musician Bleeding Gums Murphy talks about his addiction to buying Fabergé eggs),Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997),Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century (1999),The Order (2001),Relic Hunter episode "M.I.A." (2001),Ocean's Twelve (2004), The Simpsons episode "The Last of the Red Hat Mamas" (2005), SpongeBob SquarePants episode "What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?" (2008),Thick as Thieves (2009), multiple episodes ofWhite Collar (2009–2014), a 2010 episode of the TV seriesLeverage ("The Zanzibar Marketplace Job"), theAmerican Dad! episode "A Jones for a Smith" (2010),The Intouchables (2011),Hustle episode "Eat Yourself Slender" (2012), many episodes of "Riverdale" belonging to Veronica Lodge,Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode "The House of the Nightmare Witch" (2012),[53]An Easter Bunny Puppy (2013),Person of Interest episode "Search and Destroy" (2015),Imperial Eight (2015),[54] the British crime drama seriesPeaky Blinders ("Lilies of the Valley" egg, season 3, episode 6, 2016) and s3e5,Hooten & the Lady episode "Moscow" (2016),[55]Game Night (2018),Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019),Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020),Lupin (2021),Bhamakalapam (2022).[56] andThe Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (2023)
In Danielle Steele's 1988 novelZoya, a Fabergé egg is a keepsake of the last two remaining members of a noble family. The 2011 digital card gameCabals: Magic & Battle Cards features Fabergé egg as a collectible card. In 2017, visual artistJonathan Monaghan exhibited a series of digital prints re-interpreting Fabergé eggs in humorous and surreal ways atThe Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.[57]
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