He commissioned another egg the following year. Unfortunately, these last two surprises have been lost.Įmpress Maria was so delighted by this gift that Alexander appointed Fabergé a ‘goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown’. It contains a minute diamond replica of the Imperial Crown from which a small ruby pendant was suspended. This in turn opens to reveal a multi-coloured gold hen that also opens. Its opaque white enamelled ‘shell’ opens to reveal its first surprise, a matte yellow gold yolk. Known as the Hen Egg, it is crafted from gold. It is believed that the Tsar’s inspiration for the piece was an egg owned by the Empress’s aunt, Princess Wilhelmine Marie of Denmark, which had captivated Maria’s imagination in her childhood. The story began when Tsar Alexander III decided to give his wife the Empress Maria Fedorovna an Easter Egg in 1885, possibly to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their betrothal. The Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs are regarded as the last great series of commissions for objets d’art. The term “Fabergé egg” has become a synonym of luxury and the eggs are regarded as masterpieces of the jeweller’s art. The eggs are made of precious metals or hard stones decorated with combinations of enamel and gem stones. The most famous eggs produced by the House were the larger ones made for Alexander III and Nicholas II of Russia. They would be worn on a neck chain either singly or in groups. The majority of these were miniature ones that were popular gifts at Eastertide. I thought I’d share with you this little bit of history about the history of the Eggs and their place in the history of jewelry:Ī Fabergé Egg is any one of the thousands of jeweled eggs made by the House of Fabergé from 1885 through 1917. I remember back in the late 90s I went to the Forbes Gallery in NYC where they have a stunning collection of them and I was blown away. I’ve always had a deep fascination with the history of the Fabergé Egg.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |