Winter (Fabergé egg)

The Winter Egg is a Fabergé egg, one of a series of fifty-two jewelled Easter eggs created by Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé. It was an Easter 1913 gift for Tsarina Maria Feodorovna from Tsar Nicholas II, who had a standing order of two Easter eggs every year, one for his mother and one for his wife. It was designed by Alma Pihl.

Winter Fabergé egg
Year delivered1913
CustomerNicholas II
RecipientMaria Feodorovna
Current owner
Individual or institutionPrivate collection (Qatar)
Year of acquisition2002
Design and materials
WorkmasterAlma Pihl
Materials useddiamond, quartz, platinum, orthoclase, gold, demantoid
Height10.2 cm
Surpriseflower basket

The price in 1913 was 24,700 rubles, the most expensive Easter egg ever made. The egg left Russia after the Revolution, and ended up in the collection of Mr. Brian Ledbrooke, Esq. It was first sold at auction in 1994 at Christie's in Geneva for $5.6 million, the world record at that time for a Faberge item sold at auction.[1] The egg sold for US$9.6 million in an auction at Christie's in New York City in 2002.[2] It was reported that the buyer was Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.[3]

Design

The exterior of the egg resembles frost and ice crystals formed on clear glass. It is studded with 1,660 diamonds, and is made from quartz, platinum, and orthoclase. The miniature surprise flower basket is studded with 1,378 diamonds and is made from platinum and gold, while the wood anemones are made of white quartz and the leaves are made of demantoid. The flowers lie in gold moss. The egg is 102 millimeters high.

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gollark: Yes, the UK government is often fairly bees.
gollark: The solution is obviously to erase the concept of gender from everyone's brain using orbital mind control lasers, which would have no* negative consequences.
gollark: Ah yes, those are also often quite terrible.
gollark: Children are quite terrible for various reasons.

References
  1. Winship, Frederick M. (April 17, 2002). "Faberge egg sold for record $9.58 million". UPI. UPI. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  2. Varoli, John (28 November 2007). "Rothschilds' Faberge Egg Fetches Record $16.5 Million (Update2)". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
  3. Nikkhah, Roya (16 March 2008). "Worth hunting for, the ultimate Easter eggs". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
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