Fabergé Imperial Eggs: How a Romanov Easter Tradition Became Russian History
When Tsar Nicholas II abdicated on March 2, 1917, the imperial Easter eggs were still being crafted, and the following year, Peter Carl Fabergé escaped the Bolsheviks. The tradition originated in 1885 when Tsar Alexander III presented a gold egg to his spouse, Maria Feodorovna, which contained a yolk, a hen, a ruby pendant, and a crown. A total of 52 distinct eggs were produced, with Fabergé emphasizing artistry. Among the remarkable designs were the Winter egg of 1913 by Alma Pihl and the Mosaic egg from 1914. From 1895, Nicholas II increased the number of egg gifts for his mother and wife. Production was halted during the Russo-Japanese War, leading to simpler wartime designs. The Yusupovs and Barbara Kelch were also collectors of these eggs.
Key facts
- Tsar Alexander III gave Maria Feodorovna the first Fabergé imperial egg in 1885
- The First Hen egg contained a gold yolk, a gold hen with ruby eyes, a ruby pendant and a miniature imperial crown
- The design referenced a carved ivory egg from Maria Feodorovna's native Denmark dated to approximately 1720
- 52 imperial Fabergé eggs were made in total
- From 1895, Nicholas II gave an egg each Easter to both his mother and his wife Alexandra
- Alma Pihl designed the 1913 Winter egg and the 1914 Mosaic egg
- Egg production paused in 1904 and 1905 because of the Russo-Japanese War
- Nicholas II abdicated on March 2, 1917, while that year's eggs were still in production
- Peter Carl Fabergé fled the Bolsheviks in 1918
- Barbara Kelch collected seven Fabergé eggs
Entities
Artists
- Peter Carl Fabergé
- Alma Pihl
- Tsar Alexander III
- Maria Feodorovna
- Tsar Nicholas II
- Alexandra
- George
- Barbara Kelch
- Alexander III
- Nicholas II
- Alexandra Feodorovna
- Alexander Ivanov
- Andre Ruzhnikov
- Emanuel Nobel
- Alfred Nobel
Institutions
- House of Fabergé
- Romanov dynasty
- Yusupov family
- British royal family
- The Collector
- Fabergé Museum
- State Hermitage Museum
- Rothschild family
Locations
- Russia
- Denmark
- London
- United Kingdom
- Vladivostok
- Azov
- Moscow
- Baden-Baden
- Germany
- St. Petersburg
- Japan