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. 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.
Known as the Hen Egg, it is crafted from gold. Its opaque white enamelled ‘shell’ opens to reveal its first surprise, a matte yellow gold yolk. This in turn opens to reveal a multi-coloured gold hen, that also opens. It contains a minute diamond replica of the Imperial Crown from which a small ruby pendant was suspended. Unfortunately, these last two surprises have been lost.
Empress Maria was so delighted by this gift that Alexander appointed Fabergé a ‘goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown’. He commissioned another egg the following year. However, after that, Peter Carl Fabergé, who headed the House, was apparently given complete freedom for future Imperial Easter Eggs, as from this date their designs become more elaborate. According to the Fabergé family tradition, not even the Czar knew what form they would take: the only stipulation was that each one should contain a surprise.
Following the death of Alexander III on November 1st 1894, his son presented a Fabergé egg to both his wife, the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna, and to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna.
No eggs were made for 1904 and 1905 because of the Russo-Japanese War. Once an initial design had been approved by Peter Carl Fabergé, the work was carried out by an entire team of craftsmen, among them Michael Perkhin, Henrik Wigström and Erik August Kollin.
The Imperial eggs enjoyed great fame, and Fabergé made some other large eggs for just a few select private clients, such as the Duchess of Marlborough, the Nobels, the Rothschilds and the Yusupovs. Among them is a series of seven eggs made for the industrialist Alexander Kelch.
List of Fabergé Tsar Imperial Easter eggs:
1885 Hen
1886 Hen with Sapphire Pendant†
1887 Blue Serpent Clock
1888 Cherub with Chariot†
1889 Nécessaire†
1890 Danish Palaces
1891 Memory of Azov
1892 Diamond Trellis
1893 Caucasus
1894 Renaissance
1895 Rosebud
1895 Twelve Monograms
1896 Revolving Miniatures
1896 Alexander III Portraits†
1897 Coronation
1897 Mauve†
1898 Lilies-of-the-Valley
1898 Pelican
1899 Bouquet of Lilies Clock
1899 Pansy
1900 Trans-Siberian Railway
1900 Cockerel
1901 Basket of Wild Flowers
1901 Gatchina Palace
1902 Clover Leaf
1902 Empire Nephrite†
1903 Peter the Great
1903 Royal Danish†
1904 No eggs made
1905 No eggs made
1906 Moscow Kremlin
1906 Swan
1907 Rose Trellis
1907 Cradle with Garlands
1908 Alexander Palace
1908 Peacock
1909 Standart Yacht
1909 Alexander III Commemorative†
1910 Colonnade
1910 Alexander III Equestrian
1911 Fifteenth Anniversary
1911 Bay Tree
1912 Czarevich
1912 Napoleonic
1913 Romanov Tercentenary
1913 Winter
1914 Mosaic
1914 Grisaille
1915 Red Cross with Triptych
1915 Red Cross with Imperial Portraits
1916 Steel Military
1916 Order of St. George
1917 Karelian Birch
1917 Constellation (unfinished)
† Indicates missing egg
List of Fabergé Kelch eggs:
1898 Hen
1899 Twelve Panel
1900 Pine Cone
1901 Apple Blossom
1902 Rocaille
1903 Bonbonnière
1904 Chanticleer
Other Fabergé eggs
1885-1891 Blue Striped Enamel
1902 Duchess of Marlborough
1902 Rothschild
1907 Youssoupov
1914 Nobel Ice
1885-1889 Resurrection
1899-1903 Spring Flowers
courtesy: Wikimedia, et. al.
