Fabergé Friday

Imperial Easter Egg number twenty three is...the "Basket of Wild Flowers Egg" or the "Basket of Flowers Egg", from 1901!

This egg looks a bit different from the "normal" Fabergé eggs. It is designed to look like a flower basket, made out of silver covered with opalescent oyster enamel. Over this a trelliswork of rose-cut diamonds spread out over the the surface of the egg. The date, 1901, is also set with rose-cut diamonds. In an old photograph from 1902 you can see that the base also was white from the beginning. Now though, the foot is covered in dark-blue enamel. It is assumed this change was made during a restoration after the Russian Revolution.

On top of the egg sits a beautiful bouquet of wild flowers in green gold thread moss. The flowers are made of gold and then covered in different colored enamel. The basket is then finished with a diamond-set handle. 

It is not known what the surprise of this egg was, but the original Fabergé invoice mentions "pearls", and since there are no pearls on the egg they were probably part of the surprise.

In 1933 the "Basket of Wild Flowers Egg" was acquired by Queen Mary (UK), and then, in 1953, inherited by Queen Elizabeth II (UK). It still remains in the Royal Collection.