By Theo Farrant &AP
Release date
Encrusted with diamonds and commissioned for a dying dynasty, this glittering treasure is about to return to the spotlight.
Created by legendary jeweler Fabergé, the Winter Egg was presented by Russia’s last Tsar Nicholas II to his mother, Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna, on Easter Day in 1913.
Although the imperial family met a tragic end when they were executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918, some of their famous eggs survived. That includes this exceptional case, which will be given the hammer next week.
“The Winter Egg is made of crystal. First of all, it must have been a very difficult task to find such a transparent crystal specimen. Then we carved it into the difficult shape of an egg, and then carved a beautiful snowflake design from the inside without cracking the crystal,” explains Margo Oganesyan, head of Fabergé Russian Works at Christie’s.
“It must have been a really, really challenging job. And of course in 1913, before all the technology that we have now, this was all made by hand.”
The egg and its base are set in platinum mounts in the shape of delicate snowflakes and adorned with 4,500 rose-cut diamonds.
Nicholas II ordered two eggs every Easter. One for my wife and one for my mother. Each took a year to design and build, and the cost seemed small compared to the average laborer’s income.
“The price was 24,600 rubles. This was the most expensive Fabergé item made in 1913. And for comparison, to understand how much it costs, the average worker in Moscow receives 30 rubles a month. So this was an incredibly high amount, and of course an amount that only the Romanov family could afford,” says Oganesyan.
Winter eggs were previously sold in 1994 and 2002, setting world records. The upcoming auction marks the first time in more than 20 years that the Imperial Easter Egg will be available on the public market.
“With only six other Imperial Easter Eggs remaining in private collections, the Winter Egg is without a doubt one of the best Imperial Easter Eggs ever created by Fabergé. Its design, craftsmanship, story and the fact that, like so many of its eggs, it is finished with a sense of wonder all make it incredibly important and rare,” says Oganessian.
The winter egg will be auctioned by Christie’s in London on December 2nd.