Fabergé Friday

Just noticed I now have 100 followers! Yay! A big welcome to my new followers, and a big thank you to the old faithful ones! Let's celebrate with an egg!

The next Imperial Easter Egg in line - the "Alexander III Commemorative Egg", from 1909, has been missing since the Russian Revolution. A picture from a pre-revolution photo catalog exists of it.

This egg is made of platinum, completely covered in matt white enamel with gold lines. Around the egg lozenge-shaped diamonds sits in clusters, each with diamond-set baskets, flowers and ribbons. As this egg was made to commemorate Alexander III, the surprise was a miniature gold bust of him.

The next egg, from 1910 - the "Colonnade Egg", is still in existence though!

This clock egg - designed as a temple of love - was created to commemorate the birth of Alexei, the long awaited heir to the throne, in 1904. A silver-gilt cupid, representing the tsarevich, sits on top of the gold, opalescent pink enamel-covered egg. Around the egg runs a dial of white enamel, set with numerals in rose-cut diamonds. Originally the little cupid held a twig in one of his hands, pointing at the hour.

The base and the six columns are made out of pale-green bowenite. The four silver-gilt cherubs sitting in the base represent the four Romanov daughters - Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. Within the circle of the columns two platinum doves are perched. 

There doesn't seem to have been a surprise accompanying this egg.

The "Colonnade Egg" was confiscated by the provisional government at the imprisonment of the Imperial Family in 1917. Eventually it was sold to Queen Mary of Tech and inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It still remains in the Royal Collection.