For Easter 1901 Tsar Nicholas II gifted his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna, with this superb concoction of diamonds, tiny pearls, delicate streaming ribbons, miniscule leaves and roses all on a ground of moiré engraved enamel guilloché in opalescent oyster white. The tiny pearls delineate the twelve segments into which the egg is divided, each segment displaying a symbol of the arts and sciences to which the Empress lent her support.  Looking at the Egg, one can understand why it is considered one of the greatest of Fabergé’s designs. But, to use the vernacular, you ain’t seen nuthin’yet!

Open the Egg and there, on the gold plinth is a three quarter inch replica of the Gatchina Palace complete in every detail, the whole done in 24 karat gold plate.

Grounds filled with shrubbery, trees and fountains surround this exquisite miniature of the favorite residence of the Dowager Empress. The Palace entrances, windows, the crenelated parapet, the statuary that adorns many of the exterior walls of this extraordinary and magnificent structure, every detail is there to be seen, some so minute that a magnifying glass becomes necessary. A work of art in every sense of the word!  But, there is more to come.

Gently twist the Palace and it lifts off to reveal a miniature of the Dowager Empress in a tiny round footed frame set with pearls and crystals and crowned with a variation of the Romanov Double Headed Eagle.

An astounding creation by any measure.

Retail:  $4000.00. Our price: $3599.90.

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