Fabergé egg crafted for Russian royalty expected to sell for more than $26 million
LONDON — An exquisite Winter Egg, a rare creation by Fabergé for Russia’s ruling family, is set to be auctioned for a staggering value of over 20 million pounds ($26.4 million).
Christie’s auction house has announced that the Winter Egg, one of only seven remaining in private hands, will be up for sale at their London headquarters on Tuesday.
Crafted from finely carved rock crystal adorned with a snowflake motif in platinum and 4,500 diamonds, this 4-inch tall egg opens to reveal a delicate basket of jeweled quartz flowers symbolizing spring.
Described by Margo Oganesian, head of Christie’s Russian art department, as a luxurious version of a Kinder Surprise chocolate, the Winter Egg is hailed as a masterpiece of craft and design.
Commissioned by Czar Nicholas II in 1913 as an Easter gift for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, the Winter Egg is one of two designed by Alma Pihl, with the other egg owned by Britain’s royal family.
Peter Carl Fabergé and his company created over 50 eggs for Russia’s imperial family between 1885 and 1917, each with a unique surprise hidden inside. The tradition of presenting these eggs on Easter was started by Czar Alexander III and continued by Nicholas II.
Following the Russian revolution in 1917, the imperial Romanov family was overthrown, leading to the execution of Nicholas II and his family in 1918.
The Winter Egg, purchased for 450 pounds in the 1920s after being sold by Communist authorities, has had a tumultuous history of changing ownership. It was auctioned by Christie’s in 1994 for over 7 million Swiss francs and again in 2002 for $9.6 million.
With expectations to surpass the record set by another Fabergé egg at a 2007 auction, the Winter Egg is poised to make history once again.
Out of the 43 surviving imperial Fabergé eggs, most are now housed in museums.
