Friday, April 27, 2012

Fabergé Friday

Imperial Easter Egg number thirty seven: The "Alexander Palace Egg", from 1809!


This egg is carved from Siberian nephrite. The surface has then been divided by five diamond studded lines, which are connected to each other by gold garlands inlaid with rose and ruby flowers. Between the vertical lines are five oval miniature portraits of Tsar Nicholas II's children, framed by rose-cut diamonds. Over each of them is also a diamond-set monogram. On the inside of the egg are written the names and birth dates (based on the Old Style calendar) on the back of each child's portrait: "Olga" - November 3, 1859, "Tatiana" - May 29, 1897, "Maria" - June 14, 1899, "Anastasia" - June 5, 1901, "Alexei" - July 30, 1904. On top and bottom of the egg are set triangular diamonds, bearing the initials "A.F." (Alexandra Feodorovna). The original stand has been lost, and the present one was made at the Moscow experimental jewelry factory in 1989.


When opened up, the egg reveals the surprise - a tiny replica of the Imperial family's favorite residence at Tsarskoye Selo, the Alexander Palace!


As usual when it comes to Fabergé's work, the miniature is extremely detailed. It is made out of tinted gold, with a green enamel roof and rock crystal windows. 


The replica stands on a round "table" with five narrow legs. The inscription "The Palace at Sarskoye Selo" is engraved on the base.


The Alexander Palace was built in 1769, by the Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi., for Catherine the Great's favorite grandson, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, who would become Tsar Alexander I. Later the palace became the principal residence of Tsar Nicholas II and his family.


Ok. Just had to show you this picture too! This is Alexander I's bedroom in the palace. Sweet dreams...

The "Alexander Palace Egg" never left Russia, and is one of ten Imperial Easter Eggs which are held at the Kremlin Armory in moscow. 









6 comments:

  1. It's marvelous!! And I enjoy the eggs with little buildings inside :) It would be wonderful to go there and see the place for real, he had a fantastic bedroom if I do say so myself, I wouldn't mind having that and filling it with clothes and what not ;) Stunning. I hope you have a wonderful Friday & weekend darling! xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. P.S. Fellow Art History student ;) The rose was his signature mark..you can find them everywhere in his works, I quite like them myself!! And the music room would have been perfect as a dance studio too, as the light was wonderful and the doors open out to a little patio area :)) xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi. It's interesting. Those who make them have alot of time, I think it's hard to make such eggs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello. There are a lot of Fabergé replica creators out there. THEY might have a lot of eggs, but not of the ones I write about here. These are the original Imperial Easter Eggs, created only for the Russian Tsar - only one of each. It took about a year to create each of them, and if you want one today, you'll have to pay millions of dollars for it - if you can actually find one that is for sale... :) xo

      Delete
  4. The inside of these eggs are just awesome as always Miss Meadows, it's hard to believe something so intricate could be crafted like this, have a great weekend as well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That egg is so beautiful and the intricacies on the inside are amazing. I love the green color. Alexander's bedroom looks so romantic.

    ReplyDelete