Faberge eggs. How much does a Faberge egg cost? Faberge eggs - exhibition
Good evening, dear readers of the Sprint-Answer website. Today on Channel One there is a TV game called "Who want to be a millionaire?" for October 7, 2017. Review of the game, as well as all the questions and answers in the game "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" for 10/07/2107 can be viewed by following the link above.
And in this article we will take a closer look at the thirteenth question for the players of the first part of today’s TV game. The players refused to answer this question and decided to take the money.
What was inside the first Easter egg made by Carl Faberge?
The correct answer to the question about the first Easter egg, which was made by the famous Carl Faberge, is highlighted in blue and in bold font. In the meantime, some information from Wikipedia.
Faberge eggs are a series of jewelry from the Carl Faberge company. The series was created between 1885 and 1917. for the Russian imperial family and private buyers. In total, seventy-one copies are known to have been created, of which fifty-four are imperial.
Carl Faberge and his company's jewelers created the first egg in 1885. It was ordered by Emperor Alexander III as an Easter surprise for his wife Maria Feodorovna. The so-called “Chicken” is covered on the outside with white enamel, imitating a shell, and inside, in a “yolk” made of matte gold, there is a chicken made of colored gold. Inside the chicken, in turn, hidden is a small copy of the imperial crown made of gold with diamonds and a chain with a ruby pendant.
- ring with emerald
- portrait of the empress
- wheat grain
- golden chicken
The correct answer to the game show question is: golden chicken.
Easter, Great Day, is the most significant and important holiday in the calendar of the Eastern and Western Slavs, while among the Southern Slavs it is the spring St. George's Day. Traditionally Easter celebrated for three days; however, Easter motifs are widely represented in the mythology and rituals of the entire Bright Week, the Holy Week preceding it (when preparations for the holiday were made) and the Radonitskaya week following it.
And all thanks to the precious eggs that were produced by this jewelry house for the Russian imperial family. Today, these works of art are extremely rare, shrouded in mystery, and their value reaches tens of millions of dollars.
This review contains little-known facts about the world's most famous eggs.
1. Imperial Easter traditions
An egg given by Alexander III to his wife in 1885.
The tradition of painting Easter eggs has existed in Russia since ancient times. The imperial family also followed it. But in 1885, Tsar Alexander III, without suspecting it, somewhat transformed this tradition.
Deciding to surprise his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, he gave her a special gift - an egg with a secret. It was a precious egg, covered in white enamel, with a gold stripe running across it. It opened, and inside was a golden “yolk”.
In it, in turn, sat a golden hen, inside of which there was a ruby crown and pendant. The Empress was delighted with such a gift, and Alexander III presented his wife with a new precious egg every Easter.
This tradition was continued by the son of Alexander III, Nicholas II, who gave precious eggs to his mother and wife during the Easter holidays.
2. The main rule is surprise inside
Surprise inside.
The author of the Easter eggs that Russian emperors ordered was the jewelry master Peter Carl Faberge. He was given complete creative freedom; he could create precious eggs on any theme. But there was still one rule: every egg should have a surprise.
Therefore, each Faberge egg contained a tiny miracle: a tiny diamond copy of the royal crown, a miniature ruby pendant, a mechanical swan, an elephant, a gold miniature of the palace, 11 tiny portraits on an easel, a model of a ship, an exact working replica of the royal carriage and much more.
3. Peter Carl Faberge - Russian jeweler with European roots
Peter Carl Faberge is a Russian jeweler with European roots.
The famous jeweler was born in Russia in St. Petersburg on May 30, 1846. His father, Gustav Faberge, was from Pärnu (Estonia) and came from a German family, his mother, Charlotte Jungstedt, was the daughter of a Danish artist. In 1841
Faberge Sr. received the title of “Jewelry Master” and in 1842 founded a jewelry company in St. Petersburg on Bolshaya Morskaya Street at number 12.
The young man's talent was so bright and extraordinary that at the age of 24, in 1870, he was able to take over his father's company.
In 1882, the All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition was held in Moscow. It was there that Emperor Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna noticed the works of Peter Carl Fabergé.
So Faberge Jr. received the patronage of the royal family and the title of “Jeweler of His Imperial Majesty and Jeweler of the Imperial Hermitage.”
Faberge's products were also famous in Europe. Numerous royal and princely relatives of the Russian Imperial Family in Great Britain, Denmark, Greece, and Bulgaria received jewelry as a gift, valued it very much and passed it on to inheritance.
The revolution of 1917 forced Faberge to close the company. He emigrated to Switzerland, where he died in 1920.
4. The Bolsheviks, unwittingly, saved the Faberge eggs
The Bolsheviks, unwittingly, saved the Faberge eggs.
After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks, trying to replenish the treasury of the “world's first communist state,” sold off Russian artistic treasures.
They plundered churches, sold paintings by old masters from the Hermitage Museum and took over the crowns, tiaras, necklaces and Faberge eggs that belonged to the Emperor's family.
In 1925, a catalog of valuables of the imperial court (crowns, wedding crowns, sceptres, orbs, tiaras, necklaces and other jewelry, including the famous Faberge eggs) was sent to all foreign representatives in the USSR.
Part of the Diamond Fund was sold to the English antiquarian Norman Weiss. In 1928, seven “low-value” Faberge eggs and 45 other items were removed from the Diamond Fund.
Peacock. Faberge egg.
However, it was thanks to this that the Faberge eggs were saved from being melted down. . Thus, one of Faberge's most incredible creations, the Peacock Egg, was preserved.
Inside the crystal and gold masterpiece was an enameled peacock. Moreover, this bird was mechanical - when it was removed from the golden branch, the peacock raised its tail like a real bird and could even walk.
5. The missing egg-toy bag
Egg travel bag.
In total, 50 precious eggs were made for the Russian imperial family. The fate of seven of them is unknown today; most likely, they are in private collections.
The fate of the toilette egg, created in the Faberge workshop in 1889, is also shrouded in mystery. The last time this egg was allegedly seen in a London store was in 1949.
According to rumors, it was sold to an unknown person for $1,250. Today the cost of Faberge eggs reaches $30 million.
6. One egg was purchased as scrap precious metal
One egg was purchased as scrap precious metal.
One of the lost imperial Easter eggs was found in a completely surprising way. An American bought a golden egg studded with precious stones for $14,000 for scrap and wanted to resell it at a better price.
But when there were no buyers, he decided to look for an outlandish souvenir on the Internet and was surprised to discover that it was the work of Faberge.
After examination, it was confirmed that this was one of the long-lost imperial Easter eggs. Instead of a $500 profit, the dealer made about $33 million by selling the egg to a private collector.
7. Queen Elizabeth II Owns Three Imperial Fabergé Eggs
Queen Elizabeth II owns three Imperial Fabergé eggs.
The British Royal Family's collection includes three Imperial Faberge Easter eggs: Colonnade, Basket of Flowers and Mosaic.
Particularly noteworthy is the “Flower Basket”, the flowers in which look fresh and surprisingly realistic.
The British collection of Fabergé products is one of the largest in the world. In addition to the legendary eggs, it contains several hundred jewelry masterpieces: boxes, frames, animal figurines and personal jewelry of members of the Imperial Houses of Russia, Great Britain and Denmark.
Despite the size of the British collection, it is only a small part of the 200,000 pieces produced by the Fabergé jewelery house.
8. Eggs of the Kelkh family
Eggs of the Kelch family.
When the Kelch couple divorced, the entrepreneur's ex-wife took her Faberge collection with her to Paris. Six eggs eventually ended up in the United States.
Initially, the eggs were mistaken for items from the imperial collection, and only in 1979 it was established that all seven eggs belonged to the Kelch collection.
9. Return of Faberge
Return of Faberge.
After the revolution, the Faberge brand was resold several times. Unfortunately, the big name was used by a toilet cleaner, shampoo and cologne company.
The last company to acquire the brand, Pallinghurst Resources, decided to restore it to its former glory by relaunching jewelry in 2007.
Two years later, through the efforts of Peter Fabergé's granddaughters Sarah and Tatiana, the world saw new Faberge jewelry for the first time since 1917.
These products are clearly far from those that were made at the beginning of the 20th century, but, nevertheless, today you can buy jewelry from Faberge at a price of $8,000 - $600,000.
Luxury, brilliance and splendor are the words that can accompany a conversation about Faberge eggs. An amazing collection created by eminent jewelers for the imperial court is today known throughout the world. The history of Faberge eggs, dating back more than 100 years, is shrouded in mystery and contains many facts, secrets and mysteries.
Who is Faberge?
He was born in 1846 in St. Petersburg. At a young age, he moved with his family to Germany, where he found his calling. He received lessons in jewelry making from the most famous masters in Germany, England and France. At the age of 26, Fabergé returned to his homeland, where he married and began working in the family jewelry company. At that time, his company was engaged in the restoration of various exhibits from the Hermitage. Karl decided to expand the activities of his company and decided to make original jewelry. In 1882, he made cufflinks to order, and three years later - the first egg, which made him famous throughout the world. In 1918, fearing arrest, the master fled from Russia, first to Riga, and then to Germany. The great jeweler was unable to recover from the shocks that he had to endure, and in 1920 he died of heart disease.
How did the famous collection come about?
The Fabergé egg collection began with the creation of the first model in 1885. In those days, it was customary to give expensive gifts on the day of Christ's resurrection. And, of course, the rulers of the Russian Empire gave royal gifts to their spouses. The first work was commissioned by Alexander III as an Easter gift to his wife Maria Feodorovna. The performer of the work was Carl Faberge, a famous St. Petersburg jeweler of German origin at that time. The charming egg with a gold yolk, inside which was hidden a chicken with a ruby crown, pleased the empress, and Faberge was left at court as a court jeweler. Since then, every year the master made a new egg with a surprise. After the death of Alexander III, the tradition of Easter gifts continued, and until 1917, Nicholas II gave Faberge eggs to his wife and mother every spring. To this day, many such products have been preserved in the treasuries of various private collections and museum funds. According to various documentary sources, a total of 71 copies of these original relics were made. Of these, 52 are for members of the imperial family. However, how many there actually are remains a mystery. The fact is that works commissioned by the emperor were included in official documents. Products made for private collections were kept unreported. Therefore, many of the author’s works remained unknown for a long time. A similar story is associated with the “Rothschild egg”, which has been stored for more than 100 years among the family property of customers. The whole world learned about the new work of the famous master only in 2007, when it was put up for sale.
Where are the rarities today?
Of the 71 models, only 62 have survived to this day. The remaining works, known from old photographs, are considered lost. Most of the famous eggs are kept in state museums around the world: the USA, Monaco, Switzerland. After the execution of the royal family, many of Faberge's works were resold and ended up in private collections. The American billionaire Forbes managed to buy the largest number of jewelry works over the years of his life. Later, in 2004, the collection of eggs collected by the tycoon was acquired by the Russian Vekselberg. Today Faberge eggs in Russia can be seen in Moscow, in the Kremlin Armory. Here you can find not only Easter gifts from the emperor, but also other products created by Faberge: jewelry, watches, cigarette cases and various miniature figurines. Also waiting for you with an exhibition of works by the famous master in St. Petersburg is the Shuvalov Palace. The Faberge eggs presented here are part of Mr. Vekselberg's private collection. The series of famous eggs bought from Forbes is replenished annually by the oligarch.
The most famous products
The works of the famous master are kept in museums in various countries, as well as by private individuals. Collectors around the world are watching auctions of the popular jeweler's works, while treasure hunters dream of finding the lost imperial jewels. Let's see which works by Faberge are considered the most famous today.
"Hen"
The egg, made of gold, with an original surprise - a chicken and a ruby crown - was ordered by Alexander III as a gift for Easter 1885 to the queen. Faberge created a copy of the model that Maria Fedorovna herself saw at an early age. The Danish egg was made of ivory and had a ring inside as a surprise. In memory of these childhood memories, a new work was completed. This unique Faberge chicken figurine has a complex mechanism that allows access to surprises hidden inside the product. The first is a miniature imperial crown, and the second is a chain with a pendant. To date, the second surprise is considered lost. After the death of the imperial family, the egg wandered around France, Germany, and America. Today, the work of the famous master is in the Vekselberg collection, which he bought from Forbes. Thus, a unique rarity returned to its homeland.
"Egg with a Rosebud"
Another work of the famous master. It was made in a style unusual for that time - neoclassicism. Hidden inside the egg The work was carried out by Faberge commissioned by Nicholas II for his wife, Alexandra Fedorovna, a native of Darmstadt. Her hometown was famous for its wonderful rose garden, which the young empress missed. In good memory of images close to the heart, an original Easter gift was conceived. Hidden in the petals of the bud was a miniature crown and a ruby pendant. Both surprises are considered lost. The egg, along with the rest of the Forbes collection, was bought by Vekselberg for almost $100 million.
"Lilies of the valley"
The egg, made in Art Nouveau style from pink enamel, on a gold stand, with lilies of the valley made of pearls and gold, was presented to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in 1898 as an Easter present. Like all the works of the popular master, it has its own original surprise. When you click on the pearls, medallions with the image of Nicholas II and his sisters appear from the egg: Princess Olga and Princess Tatiana. The emperor's medallion is crowned with a crown set with rubies and diamonds. The egg, which ended up in the Forbes collection, was also bought by Viktor Vekselberg. Today, “lilies of the valley” and other Faberge eggs, the exhibition of which was organized by the oligarch, can be viewed by anyone in St. Petersburg.
"Moscow Kremlin"
The largest of the Faberge eggs. Commissioned by Nicholas II as a gift to his wife in 1906. The Easter figure is covered with white enamel on the bottom and decorated with a gold dome on top. The stand is made in the shape of the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower, and through the windows you can see the interior of the cathedral. The surprise egg is made of gold, which plays Easter melodies. The emperor himself really liked this music. “The Moscow Kremlin” is one of several works by the great master that never left Russia. Today the masterpiece can be seen in the Kremlin Armory.
"Alexandrovsky Palace"
Decorated with gold, precious stones, and miniature portraits of the children of Nicholas II, it was presented to the emperor’s wife in 1908. Above each portrait are the capital letters of the names of the crown princes in diamonds. The surprise of the gift is a miniature model of the Alexander Palace, the country residence of Nicholas II. A palace made of gold, silver and mounted on a golden table. Today the work is kept in the Kremlin Armory.
How much does a Faberge egg cost?
The works of the famous master are constantly becoming more expensive. Over the more than 100-year history of jewelry masterpieces, their price has “jumped” by an average of 1000 - 3000 times. For example, it is known from documentary sources that the “Rothschild egg” in 1902 was valued at 6,500 rubles. 106 years later, in 2008, it was purchased for $12 million. The Coronation Egg is considered the most expensive today. Made of gold and diamonds, with a surprise in the form of a miniature imperial carriage, it was made for the wife of Nicholas II in 1896. Then its cost was 6,700 rubles. In 2004, the egg was sold to Vekselberg for $24 million. The Russian oligarch bought other Faberge eggs from the Forbes family, the price of which totaled $100 million.
How much do replica Faberge eggs cost?
There are many handicrafts made by the famous company. Some of them are made by talented craftsmen. However, only the Fabergé signature mark increases the market value of the product. In 1990, an exhibition of fake jewelry works by the author was even organized in New York. One of these copies, the Kelha Hen egg, was also acquired by Malcolm Forbes. Only many years later were researchers able to prove the true authorship of the work. Today, copies of the famous master’s works can be purchased in many online stores. Visually, such models exactly repeat the works of Faberge. In this case, eggs, photos of which are presented here, can be purchased much cheaper. The cost of copies of “The Hen,” “Lilies of the Valley,” or “The Moscow Kremlin,” depending on the material and complexity of the work, ranges from 1,000 to 10,000 rubles. Another interesting fact is that in 2008 it was decided to restore the Faberge company and begin production of new collections of the famous eggs. At the moment, new products under the famous brand are produced by the talented French master Frederic Zaavi. Today, Faberge eggs are examples of high art and are valued by collectors all over the world.
Faberge is still perhaps one of the most famous jewelry brands today. And all thanks to the precious eggs that were produced by this jewelry house for the Russian imperial family. Today, these works of art are extremely rare, shrouded in mystery, and their value reaches tens of millions of dollars. In our review, little-known facts about the world's most famous eggs.
1. The first egg was made in 1885 by order of Alexander III
The tradition of painting Easter eggs has existed in Russia since ancient times. The imperial family also followed it. But in 1885, Tsar Alexander III, without suspecting it, somewhat transformed this tradition. Deciding to surprise his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, he gave her a special gift - an egg with a secret.
It was a precious egg, covered in white enamel, with a gold stripe running across it. It opened, and inside was a golden “yolk”. In it, in turn, sat a golden hen, inside of which there was a ruby crown and pendant. The Empress was absolutely delighted with such a gift.
2. The first egg had a prototype
Actually, Faberge did not come up with this Easter nesting doll himself. As conceived by Alexander III, the Easter egg with a secret was supposed to be a free interpretation of an egg made at the beginning of the 18th century, 3 copies of which are still known today.
They are located: in Rosenborg Castle (Copenhagen); in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna) and in a private collection (formerly in the Green Vaults art gallery, Dresden). In all the eggs mentioned above, there is a chicken hidden, and when you open it, you can find a crown, and in it - a ring. It is believed that the emperor wanted to please his wife with a surprise that would remind her of a well-known item from the Danish royal treasury.
3. All Faberge eggs have a surprise in them.
The Empress was so fascinated by the gift that Faberge, who made the egg, instantly turned into a court jeweler and received a lifetime order. He had to make an egg every year. There was only one condition - the egg must contain some kind of surprise. The fact that it should be made in a single copy was not even discussed.
Since then, Alexander III presented his wife with a new precious egg every Easter. This tradition was continued by the son of Alexander III, Nicholas II, who gave precious eggs to his mother and wife during the Easter holidays.
Each Faberge egg contained a tiny miracle: a miniature replica of the royal crown, a ruby pendant, a mechanical swan, an elephant, a miniature gold replica of the palace, 11 tiny portraits on an easel, a model of a ship, an exact working replica of the royal carriage, etc.
4. The Bolsheviks underestimated the Faberge eggs and thereby saved them
After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks, trying to replenish the treasury of the “world's first communist state,” sold off Russian artistic treasures. They plundered churches, sold paintings by old masters from the Hermitage Museum and took over the crowns, tiaras, necklaces and Faberge eggs that belonged to the Emperor's family.
In 1925, a catalog of valuables of the imperial court (crowns, wedding crowns, sceptres, orbs, tiaras, necklaces and other jewelry, including the famous Faberge eggs) was sent to all foreign representatives in the USSR. Part of the Diamond Fund was sold to the English antiquarian Norman Weiss.
In 1928, seven “low-value” Faberge eggs and 45 other items were removed from the Diamond Fund.
However, it was precisely thanks to this unflattering assessment for the creator of jewelry masterpieces that the Faberge eggs were saved from being melted down.
Thus, one of Faberge's most incredible creations, the Peacock Egg, was preserved. Inside the crystal and gold masterpiece was an enameled peacock. Moreover, this bird was mechanical - when it was removed from the golden branch, the peacock raised its tail like a real bird and could even walk.
5. The fate of several eggs is unknown
In total, Faberge produced 52 eggs for the Russian Imperial Court, 19 others were commissioned by private individuals. After the 1917 revolution, many were lost. 62 eggs have survived to this day, 10 of which are in the Kremlin collection, some belong to the Fabergé jewelry house, and the rest are in museums and private collections.The location of several imperial eggs is not known for certain. For example, the fate of the toilette egg, created in the Faberge workshop in 1889, is shrouded in mystery.
The last time this egg was allegedly seen in a London store was in 1949. According to rumors, it was sold to an unknown person for $1,250.
6. One of the imperial eggs was bought by a scrap buyer for £8,000.
One of the lost imperial Easter eggs was found in a completely surprising way. This egg, which belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna and then disappeared without a trace for more than 90 years, was purchased at a flea market in the United States by a buyer of precious scrap.
The last time this Faberge product was seen was in 1922 in Moscow. The egg, made of gold and decorated with diamonds and sapphires, 8.2 cm high, was confiscated by the Bolsheviks. Its further fate remained unknown for a long time, until in 1964 a unique piece of jewelry went under the hammer at a New York auction under the name “gold watch in the shape of an egg” - for $2,450.
An American who bought a golden egg for 8 thousand pounds ($14,000) could not know its true value. For several years he tried to sell the egg, storing it in his kitchen. Tired of unsuccessful attempts, he tried to find out something about the manufacturer and typed the name engraved on the built-in clock into the search engine. That's how he came across an article by Kieran McCarthy, director of the royal jewelry house Wartski. He called McCarthy and then came to London with photographs of his purchase.
The expert immediately recognized them as one of the eggs created by a famous jeweler for members of the Russian imperial family.
“Indiana Jones probably experienced similar feelings when he found the lost ark,” this is how the head of the jewelry house described his emotions to journalists.
7. Queen Elizabeth II Owns Three Imperial Fabergé Eggs
The British Royal Family's collection includes three Imperial Fabergé Easter eggs: Colonnade, Basket of Flowers and Mosaic. The flower basket is the most famous masterpiece of this trio. This miniature bouquet of flowers is incredibly realistic!
The British collection of Fabergé products is one of the largest in the world. In addition to the legendary eggs, it contains several hundred jewelry masterpieces: boxes, frames, animal figurines and personal jewelry of members of the Imperial Houses of Russia, Great Britain and Denmark. Despite the size of the British collection, it is only a small part of the 200,000 pieces produced by the Fabergé jewelery house.
Peter Carl Gustavovich Faberge
(May 30, 1846, St. Petersburg - September 24, 1920, Lausanne - Switzerland)
Peter Carl Faberge was born in Russia in St. Petersburg, of Russian German origin. His father, Gustav Faberge, came from a German family and was originally from Estonia, and his mother, Charlotte Jungstedt, was the daughter of a Danish artist. In 1842, Fabergé Sr. founded a jewelry company in St. Petersburg. Peter Faberge traveled throughout Europe and initially studied in Dresden, and then began to master jewelry making from the Frankfurt master Joseph Friedmann. At the age of 24 in 1870, he took over his father's company. In 1900 in Paris, Faberge received the title of “Master of the Paris Guild of Jewelers”, and was also awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor. Over thirty-two years of work, Carl Faberge made fifty eggs for the royal family. Their exact number was determined from accounts in the Imperial Cabinet. Faberge sent another egg to the palace and at the same time a bill for payment. 42 eggs have survived to this day, the rest disappeared during the revolutionary years.
