LONDON, United Kingdom — A rare crystal and diamond Fabergé egg created for Russia’s imperial family before the 1917 revolution set a new world record on Tuesday after selling for 22.9 million pounds, or $30.2 million, at a London auction.
Known as the Winter Egg, it is one of only seven Fabergé imperial eggs still in private hands, according to Christie’s. It has been likened to a “Mona Lisa” of decorative arts for its extraordinary craftsmanship and historical significance.
The four-inch piece is carved from rock crystal, adorned with a delicate snowflake motif in platinum, and embellished with more than 4,500 tiny diamonds. Inside, it opens to reveal a removable basket of jeweled quartz flowers symbolizing the arrival of spring.
The sale price surpassed the $18.5 million paid in 2007 for another Fabergé egg created for the Rothschild family.
Master craftsman Peter Carl Fabergé and his workshop produced more than 50 eggs for the Russian imperial family between 1885 and 1917, each one unique and containing a hidden surprise. The tradition began with Czar Alexander III, who gifted an egg to his wife every Easter. His successor, Nicholas II, continued the custom for both his wife and mother.
Czar Nicholas II commissioned the Winter Egg in 1913 as an Easter gift for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. It was one of only two imperial eggs designed by Alma Pihl, whose other creation is part of the British royal collection.
The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia for 300 years before being overthrown in the 1917 revolution. Nicholas II and his family were executed the following year.
After the rise of the Communist government, the egg was sold off in the 1920s to raise funds and purchased by a London dealer for 450 pounds. It later changed hands several times and was thought lost for two decades before resurfacing in a 1994 Christie’s auction. It sold again in 2002 for $9.6 million.
Christie’s noted that each time the Winter Egg has been sold, it has set a new world record for a Fabergé item.
Margo Oganesian, head of Christie’s Russian art department, described the egg as “the ‘Mona Lisa’ of decorative arts,” praising its exceptional artistry and design.
There are 43 surviving imperial Fabergé eggs, most now housed in museums.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
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