There are not many things that leave me speechless, at my age. I've seen a substantial amount of what the world has to offer, but this incredible confection of an Egg has me searching for words that will describe it adequately. I have been staring at it for over a week now, looking at it from every angle and still, I am finding it difficult to get down to the task of writing about it. Even taking into consideration that it was made in a period of enormous opulence, it is opulence beyond even that of the Russian Court in the early 1900's.

The Egg, to be presented as the Easter gift in 1907 from Tsar Nicholas II to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna, was created as a commemoration of the birth of his son and heir, the Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaievich. Always the vehicle used, the egg formed a natural cradle when turned on it's side and Henrik Wigstrom, the workmaster/designer of this piece, clearly employed his decorative skills to their fullest resulting in this almost indescribable confection.

The base on which the Egg rests is white onyx and it is stepped, each step decorated with variations of the garlands of roses. The third step has four column supports that are linked and encircled with dimensional rose garlands of enamel guilloché set with diamonds in the original, crystals in our reproduction. The Egg rests on these supports.

The Egg itself is enamel guilloché in the softest blue, the guilloché design in a basket weave that is perfection seen through the soft blue color. The lid is crowned with a gold plated basket of roses done in enamel guilloché and diamonds, in ours, crystals, with ropes of roses circling it and part way down the lid a garland of roses in relief and beneath that, at the opening of the Egg, a border of tiny pearls set in gold.

Inside the Egg is lined in cream velvet and holds the surprise: a 32 inch long gold plated chain from which hangs an oval frame studded with crystals surmounted by the Imperial Crown. It holds a photograph of one of the children which can be replaced with a photograph of your own choosing.

All of my efforts to describe the Egg are for naught because nothing I have said really enables you to see the positively stunning beauty of this piece.

Retail: $5000.00. Our price: $4499.90.

NOTE: This Egg is privately owned and has not been displayed publicly since 1992 when it was purchased at auction for in excess of $3,000,000.00 in New York City. Some one made a marvelous investment which is now valued at well over $24,000,000.00.

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