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Imperial Easter Egg
Mosaic of gold, platinum, enamel, rose and brilliant diamonds,
rubies, emeralds, topaz, quartz, sapphires, garnets, moonstone
1914 Fabergé
Designed by Alma Theresia Pihl
Purchased for Queen Mary, 1933
Crown Copyright
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
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| Crown Coyright The Royal Collection Images Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Click on images to enlarge. |
This imperial Easter egg features five oval medallions filled with a repeating design of miniature flowers. The intricate design was by Alma Theresia Pihl, the granddaughter of August Holmström, Fabergé's principal jeweler. By 1914, August Holmström had retired and his workshop was taken over by his nephew Albert Holmström who acted as the work-master responsible for the production of this egg.
The skill needed to produce this complicated design is almost unfathomable. Each gemstone had to be precisely cut to fit into its proper place in the platinum framework which supports the piece. The dimensions of each stone had to be carefully calculated in advance.
This egg, like the other Imperial Easter Eggs, bears a hidden “surprise” inside of it. When opened, an enamel medallion surmounted by the imperial crown is held in place by two gold clips. One side of the medallion features the profiles of the five imperial children while the reverse shows their names and the dates of their births. An added surprise is the initials of the Tsarina beneath the moonstone at the base of the egg.
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| Crown Coyright The Royal Collection Images Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Click on images to enlarge. |
Perhaps one of the most difficult of designs produced by The House of Fabergé, the egg was dedicated to Fabergé’s father, Gustav whose initials are included on the reverse of the medallion.
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| Crown Coyright The Royal Collection Images Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Click on images to enlarge. |
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