Did you ever participate is an Easter egg hunt when you were a kid? Towns often organize them for children or sometimes parents hide little plastic eggs around their house on Easter Sunday for their kids to find. Eggs filled with toys, candy and money. It’s a fun childhood tradition, but did you know about another egg hunt? This one isn’t about hunting plastic eggs; instead it’s a hunt for the missing Faberge eggs of past imperial Russia.
What are Fabergé eggs? The Fabergé eggs were custom treasures made by the Russian goldsmith Peter Karl Fabergé between 1885 and 1917. His impressive work earned him the title “Supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty”, an honor which was bestowed upon him by Tsar Alexander III. Each egg was made with precious metals and gemstones, often along with a “surprise” inside the egg. The surprise inside was always different and carefully crafted into something far more intricate. The first egg he made in 1885 was enameled white and opened to reveal a golden yoke that contained a golden ruby-eyed hen, along with a diamond imperial crown that featured a ruby pendent.
How many Fabergé eggs are there? There are a total of sixty-nine eggs made by Peter Karl Fabergé. Fifty were made for the last two tsars of Imperial Russia: Alexander III and his son Nicholas II of house Romanov. Alexander III would give a Faberge egg to his wife annually every Easter (excluding the years 1904-1905) and once he passed away, Nicholas II continued the tradition of giving a Fabergé egg to his wife on Easter along with giving one to his mother.
(above: The 1898 Lilies of the Valley Egg owned by The Link of Times Foundation in Russia. Photo credit goes to “Mieks Fabergé Eggs.” See sources below.)
What happened to the Fabergé eggs? The fate of the Romanov family was sealed in 1918 when Nicholas II, his wife and their five children were assassinated by the Bolsheviks. With the imperial family gone, the production of the Fabergé eggs ceased. The ones that belonged to the Romanov family were scattered about and lost in the chaotic aftermath of the Bolshevik revolution. Most have been recovered and exist in museums all over the world or are the possession of private collectors. As of 2018, seven of the Imperial Fabergé eggs are still missing.
What Fabergé eggs are missing?
The following list states the missing eggs and what is known about them. The dates next to the eggs signify when it was presented to the imperial family.
Hen Egg with Sapphire Pendant 1886- Almost nothing is known about this Fabergé egg other then the surprise, which was a golden hen with rose-cut diamonds. In the beak of the hen was a small sapphire egg. It disappeared in Russia after 1922. (No authentic images of the egg exist.)
Cherub with Chariot Egg 1888- A sapphire cherub is said to pull a small two-wheeled vehicle (possibly covered in silver) and containing a golden egg. There is a possibility it was taken out of Russia and sold in the 1930’s to Armand Hammer who then sold it at an exhibition in New York in 1934. If that’s true, the egg may be located somewhere in the United States.
(above: A drawing by Greg Daubney based off the reflection on a showcase containing the Cherub and Chariot Egg. Photo credit goes to Greg Daubney and to “Mieks Fabergé Eggs.” See sources below.)
Nécessaire Egg 1889- This gold egg was decorated with diamonds, emeralds and rubies. At the top was a diamond with a sapphire on its point. Inside the egg was a thirteen-piece manicure set. Its last known location was in London in 1952 where the firm Wartski sold it to an unidentified buyer.
(above: The missing Nécessaire Egg. Photo is from Wartski. See sources below.)
Mauve Egg 1897- Also known as the Mauve Egg with three miniatures, this egg was possibly made of gold and Mauve enamel. It was not mentioned in the items confiscated from the imperial property in 1917 or 1922. It’s possible the egg was removed before 1917, perhaps by Maria Feodorova (the mother of Nicholas II). The surprise inside is a heart with diamonds that opens into a clover of three leaves with portraits of Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra and Grand Duchess Olga. Although the egg is missing, the surprise was found. It was sold in Geneva in 1978 to the Forbes Collection who then sold it to collector Viktor Vekselberg in 2004.
(above: The opened three-leaf clover surprise found from the Mauve Egg. Photo credit goes to “Mieks Fabergé Eggs.” See sources below.)
Empire Nephrite Egg 1902- Also known as the Alexander III Medallion Egg, this egg was probably made of nephrite, gold, diamonds and possibly watercolor on ivory or mother of pearl. There have been suggestions that this egg has been found, but its possible finding has been dismissed by most Fabergé scholars. It’s possible that the surprise inside, a framed miniature of Alexander III, was shown in London in 1935. However, there are no images of the surprise and its current whereabouts remain unknown. (No authentic images of the egg exist.)
Royal Danish Egg 1903- Also known as the Danish Silver Jubilee Egg, was one of the largest eggs ever made measuring over nine inches in height on its pedestal stand. It’s made of gold, light-blue and opalescent white enamel and probably watercolor on ivory. A Royal Danish Elephant is located on top of the gold egg and the egg is supported by three Danish heraldic lions. The surprise inside are portraits of the late King Christian IV of Denmark and his wife, Queen Louise. The portraits are back to back with each surmounted by a diamond crown and initial. It stands apart from the other missing eggs because of its particular attention to the origin of Maria Feodorova. Before she married Alexander III, she was Princess Dagmar of Denmark. With an elephant being the symbol of absolute rule in Denmark at the time, the reason for the elephant on top of the egg becomes clearer. The reason for the portraits becomes clear as well, considering the fact that King Christian IV and Queen Louise were the parents of Maria Feodorova. She received the egg from Nicholas II when she was in Copenhagen, Denmark. She may have left it there or took it with her when she returned to Russia.
(above: An early photograph of the Royal Danish Egg. Photo credit goes to “Mieks Fabergé Eggs.” See sources below).
Alexander III Commemorative Egg 1909- This platinum egg was covered with white enamel and gold lines. Diamond clusters are set in a rhombus shape and placed around the middle of the egg. Inside the shapes were diamond sets of baskets, flowers and ribbons. At both ends are more diamonds that likely cover the monogram of the Dowager Empress and the date. The surprise inside was a tiny gold bust of Alexander III on a lapis lazuli pedestal. This egg has not been seen since before the October Revolution of 1917.
(above: Black and white photo of the Alexander III Commemorative Egg. Photo credit belongs to “Faberge’s Imperial Easter Eggs.” See sources below.)
What would an original Fabergé egg be worth today? In 2014, the missing 1887 Third Imperial Egg was found by an American scrap dealer in the Mid-West. He purchased it at a flea market for $14,000. Thinking it was some sort of gold ornament, he figured he could sell it for a decent price. When no one showed an interest, he considered melting it down. Luckily for him, he researched its markings and discovered it to be an authentic Fabergé egg. This gold egg was found with its pedestal that was decorated with precious stones. The surprise inside was a gold watch with white enamel and diamond set gold hands. This particular egg was worth 20 million pounds, but the ones still missing could be worth up to 30 million pounds (be sure to check the current exchange rate between the British Pound and the American Dollar).
What surprises are missing?
Here is a list of the known missing Fabergé egg surprises:
1885 First Hen Egg – Crown and ruby egg pendant
1895 Rosebud Egg – Crown and ruby egg pendant
1896 Alexander III 12 Monogram Egg – Miniatures of Alexander III
1897 Coronation Egg – Emerald pendant egg in coach
1899 Madonna Lily Clock Egg – Ruby pendant egg
1900 Cockerel Egg – Pearl decorating the swag of the dial
1902 Clover Leaf Egg – Four-leaf clover with 4 miniatures
1907 Love Trophies Egg – Miniatures of Imperial children
1907 Rose Trellis Egg – Diamond necklace with medallion of heir
1914 Catherine the Great Egg – Sedan chair
The last surprise found was in 2015 and was already located in the Royal Collection in London. The markings that connected it to its egg were only discovered in that year. Since then, the surprise (a wind-up elephant made of ivory, gold and diamonds) has been reunited with its egg. Just as with the Fabergé eggs, the surprises can also be a valuable find. However, most surprises contained small jewels that were worn as jewelry and are unlikely to be identified as belonging to a Fabergé egg.
Since the discovery of the Third Imperial Egg in 2014, treasure hunters have put even more work into finding the remaining seven Fabergé eggs. If they survived the Revolution of 1917, they could be located anywhere at any time. Happy hunting!
Blog post written by: Kristina Ferrone
Sources for Fortunes of the Tsars
Disclaimer: I am NOT a historian. All information was provided from the source document linked above.
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originally published on 3/31/18. on my previous blog, https://losttreasuresofhistory.blogspot.com/ (now deleted)
Lost Treasures Of History 