SEE ORIGINAL & NEW FABERGÉ EGGS HAPPENING NOW

FABERGÉ EGGS THEN &  NOW

The most elaborate extravagant eggs ever made, Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs are getting some new attention this Spring, with new exhibitions, new technology window displays, and even a new egg.

Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé made just 50 bejeweled Imperial Easter Eggs for the Russian tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II between 1885 to 1916. 

They were given as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers. Only 43 of the eggs have survived. Two more were planned for Easter 1918, but the Russian Revolution got in the way.

Each Egg was named. The first one, was called Hen, was crafted from gold, with an opaque white enamelled shell, opening to a matte yellow gold yolk, opening further to reveal a gold hen, and further for a miniature replica of the Imperial Crown.

The last one, Constellation, was never finished.

The most expensive was the 1913 Winter Egg, which was invoiced at 24,600 rubles (then £2,460 or £1.87 million in today’s money), is made of carved thin rock crystal set with platinum and diamonds, to resemble frost. The surprise inside is a platinum basket of anemones made from white quartz, nephrite, gold and demantoid garnet.

Fabergé was commissioned to make similar eggs for a few private clients, including the Duchess of Marlborough and the Rothschild family.

NEW FABERGÉ PEARL EGG

Fabergé recently unveiled a new Imperial Egg -- the first in 99 years -- at Baselworld, the world’s largest watch and jewelry show.

The new Fabergé Pearl Egg was hand-crafted with precious and rare materials, just as the original Imperial Eggs were. It is set with 3,300 diamonds and 139 natural pearls, with carved rock crystal and mother-of-pearl inlays, on white and yellow gold. The egg opens to reveal a rare 12.17-carat grey pearl, harvested from from the Arabian Gulf.

The Pearl Egg was commissioned in association with the Gulf-based Al Fardan Jewellery Group, which is renowned for its pearls.

KELCH ROCAILLE EGG

The 1902 Kelch Rocaille Egg by Fabergé. All seven Kelch eggs were created by Michael Perchin, Faberge's second head workmaster, in St. Petersburg. Given by Alexander Kelch to his wife Barbara Kelch-Bazonova.

VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts owns one of the finest Fabergé collections in existence.

It is the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, and includes five of the thirteen Russian imperial Easter eggs that are in the United States.

Check out VMFA’s current exhibition, Fabergé Revealed, on now through May 25, 2015.

It is a rare opportunity to view more than 200 Faberge eggs, once owned by Russian Czars Alexander III and his son, Nicholas II, including four Imperial Easter Eggs. 

Future Fabergé Exhibits include:

VIRTUAL FABERGÉ

Head to London this month to see virtual eggs for Faberge’s Harrods Easter window, created by Projection Artworks, developed with window designer Stuart Henry and his team at JUSTSO.

Check out the 360-degree projection mapped luxury egg in the five-window display. It is the world’s brightest projection mapping show.

The daylight visible projection uses proprietary DisplayMapper technology. It is 14,500 lumens/sqm, or 200 times brighter than average. An interactive touch-screen lets you dive into Faberge’s precious jewelry designs.

Read more about Beautiful Eggs, as they relate to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact  including A Magnificent Clutch of New Egg Books Now, Watch Eggs Hatching New Beautiful Birds Now!, Extraordinary Fine Art Chocolate Eggs Now and Incredible Egg Art Happening Right Now.

Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Eggs in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 04.05.15. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: Courtesy of The Fabergé Museum. Fabergé Lilies of the Valley Imperial Easter Egg.
2. Image: Courtesy of The Fabergé Museum. Fabergé Orange Tree Imperial Easter Egg.
3. Image: Courtesy of The Fabergé Museum. Fabergé Rosebud Imperial Easter Egg.
4. Image:  Courtesy of The Fabergé Museum.  Fabergé Hen Imperial Easter Egg.
5. Image: Courtesy of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Fabergé Diamond Trellis Imperial Easter Egg.
6. Image: Courtesy of  Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland. Fabergé Gatchina Palace Imperial Easter Egg.
7. Image: Courtesy of Al Fardan Jewellery Group. New Fabergé Pearl Imperial Easter Egg.
8. Image: Courtesy of Al Fardan Jewellery Group. New Fabergé Pearl Imperial Easter Egg.
9. Image: Courtesy of Virginia Museum of Fine Art.  Fabergé Czarevitch Imperial Easter Egg.
10. Image: Courtesy of Virginia Museum of Fine Art.  Fabergé Peter the Great Imperial Easter Egg.
11. Image: Courtesy of Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Fabergé Revealed Exhibition. Fabergé Cesarevich Imperial Easter Egg.
12. Image: Courtesy of JUSTSO Ltd. Fabergé Interactive Egg Installation at Harrod’s.
13. Image: Courtesy of JUSTSO Ltd. Fabergé Interactive Egg Installation at Harrod’s.
14. Video: Courtesy of Projection Artworks. Fabergé Interactive Egg Installation at Harrod’s.
15. Image: Courtesy of Houston Museum of Natural Science. 1902 Kelch Rocaille Egg by Fabergé.
16. Image: Courtesy of Houston Museum of Natural Science. 1902 Kelch Rocaille Egg by Fabergé.
17. Image: Courtesy of The Fabergé Museum. Fabergé Coronation Imperial Easter Egg.
18. Image: Courtesy of The Fabergé Museum. Fabergé Lilies of the Valley Imperial Easter Egg.