They are the fabulously bejewelled eggs which entranced the last tsars and tsarinas — and could now sell for up to £25 million each.
Only the Russian Revolution cut short their creation, with goldsmith Carl Faberge’s St Petersburg jewellers seized by the Bolsheviks before he fled to Switzerland and died broken-hearted in 1920.
Now, the largest exhibition in a generation of Faberge imperial eggs, made as unique Easter gifts from the tsar for his tsarina, is being staged in London at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Together with other great masterpieces, fifteen of these amazing creations were gathered.
This is the Diamond Trellis Egg, which Emperor Alexander III gifted to Empress Maria Feodorovna for Easter 1892. This egg is home to an unusual surprise: an ivory automaton from the elephant, which was later lost.
For Easter 1910, Emperor Nicholas II gave the Colonnade Egg to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The eggs decorative elements depict the family of the Emperor: four doves in the center represent their daughters and two inside the egg are his wives. Finally, Tsarevich Alexei is represented by the top cherub.
The Alexander Palace Egg (pictured) was given by Emperor Nicholas II to his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter in 1908. This nephrite egg is jewelled with gold and commemorates Emperor Nicholas II’s children and their home lives. The egg’s shell has five miniature watercolor portraits of Emperor Nicholas II inlaid into it.
The Basket of Flowers (pictured) features a basket containing a colourful abundance of enamelled wildflowers emerging from a bed of gold moss. Originaly, the base was enamelled white in order to match its shell. However, it later suffered damage and was re-enamelled with blue. The egg was purchased by Queen Mary in 1933 for her Faberge collection.
A spokesman for the V&A says: ‘This is the largest collection on public display for more than 25 years.
‘It includes several never before shown in the UK including the largest, the Moscow Kremlin Egg, inspired by the architecture of the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow — and featuring a music box that plays Tsar Nicholas II’s favourite hymn.
‘Also on display for the first time is the Alexander Palace Egg, featuring watercolour portraits of the children of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra — and containing a model of the palace inside.’
Another highlight is the Third Imperial Egg of 1887, found by a scrap dealer in 2011 — one of the elusive ‘missing’ eggs that was lost for many years. You can still find the surprise of its existence, a Swiss pocket-watch made out of gold.
Peacock Egg 1908 includes an enamelled-gold peacock automaton. The exhibition by curators Kieran McCarthy and Hanne Faurby illustrates for the first time the importance of Faberge’s London shop, which opened in 1903.
Three of the eggs on display are from the Royal Collection, owned by the Queen — the Mosaic Egg, Basket Of Flowers Egg and Colonnade Egg.
Cradle with Garlands Egg (pictured), given to Emperor Nicholas II by his mother Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. Since 1890, Imperial Easter Eggs have been used to mark important events in Romanov families. This egg celebrates the joy that the family felt at Tsarevich Alexei’s 1904 birth, a male heir.
The Winter Egg (pictured) was inspired by Russia’s harsh winters. The delicately diamond-mounted, platinum frost patterns are intricately engraved on the body of rock crystal.
The Third Imperial Easter Egg (Pictured) was given by Emperor Alexander III to his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna for Easter in 1887. Seventeen of 50 Imperial Easter Eggs made by Faberge have been lost. The jewelled egg in yellow gold was lost too, until 2012. It was then rediscovered by American researchers.
The V&A spokesman adds: ‘Royalty, aristocrats, American heiresses, exiled Russian grand dukes and maharajas, as well as socialites and financiers with newly made fortunes, all flocked to the London Faberge jewellery shop, the only overseas branch. They bought gifts of unparalleled luxury for each other.’
Alexander III, the Tsar, ordered the Hen Egg in 1885. He and Tsarina Maria were delighted with its white enamel shell, ruby-eyed hen, gold yolk and miniature replica of the tsar’s crown. Faberge is now the imperial crown’s official goldsmith.
Each egg was unique — and after a few years it became established that each contained a glittering ‘surprise’ element.
The Peacock Egg (pictured) contains a surprise of an enamelled gold peacock automaton perched on a coloured gold flowering tree. It can be taken out and placed on a coloured gold flowering tree. The tail feathers of the peacock can then be proudly displayed.
Because the master jeweller delivered his creations hand-in-hand, they were given complete freedom, which allowed them to become more complex.
His Diamond Trellis Egg from 1892 contains a ‘surprise’ of a miniature clockwork elephant, crafted from ivory, which was only discovered lying unidentified in the Queen’s collection six years ago.
Nicholas II, who was made tsar by Nicholas II in 1894, but was executed together with his children and wife in 1918 when Lenin took power, continued this tradition.
Poignantly, the 1915 Red Cross Egg reflects the much-needed battlefield healthcare in Russia’s disastrous involvement in World War I against Germany.
Faberge’s lucrative contract only came to a definitive end in 1918 when the Bolsheviks seized the company, the largest jewellers in Russia.
The Hen Egg (pictured) was given by Emperor Alexander III to his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna for Easter in 1885. This egg was unique and so the Emperor ordered one each year at Easter.
Following the First World War the Imperial Easter Eggs’ designs reflected that conflict. Red Cross with Triptych Egg depicting the Russian Red Cross (pictured) was established in 1915. The Empress Alexandra along with her two oldest daughters, the Grand Duchesses Olga & Tatiana, were already enrolled in nursing school.
The entire stock of the company was confiscated. It is believed that the last two eggs commissioned were unfinished and they weren’t delivered or paid for.
A total of 50 imperial eggs were produced. Initialy, 10 were kept by the Kremlin. Ten were later believed to have been stolen. The Bolsheviks began selling others to American and European collectors.
Seven eggs remain missing — but, as the works of art featured here show, they will for ever be something to treasure.
n Faberge In London: Romance To Revolution at the V&A runs from Saturday, November 20, to Sunday, May 8, 2022.