Gifts of Grandeur: The Fabergé Pelican, 1915

Pelican
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image for larger size.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Among the menagerie of miniature Fabergé animals in Queen Mary’s collection, this pelican stands out. The pelican – a symbol of self sacrifice and maternal love – was a favored emblem of the Tsarina Maria Feodorovna.


Fabergé used the pelican as the theme for the Imperial Easter Egg which he made for the Tsarina in 1898. Of course, Carl Fabergé, is known to have had a keen interest in ornithology which led him to create detailed carvings of a tremendous variety of birds.

This fine pink quartz sculpture is set with ruby eyes and gold feet and was purchased for £20 by Grand Duke Michael from Fabergé’s London branch in November 1915 as a Christmas present for King George V and/or Queen Mary.