Alexander Palace (Fabergé egg)
Encyclopedia
The Alexander Palace Egg is a jewelled
Easter egg
made under the supervision of the Russia
n jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé
in 1908, for the then Tsar
of Russia, Nicholas II
. Nicholas presented it as an Easter gift to his wife, Alexandra Fyodorovna. It is held in the Kremlin Armoury
Museum in Moscow
.
, diamond
s, gold
, rubies
and miniature watercolor painting
s on ivory
. The outside of the egg contains five miniature watercolor portraits of the children of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra: Olga
, Tatiana
, Maria, and Anastasia
and the Tsarevitch Alexis. Above each portrait is a diamond monogrammed initial of each child's first name. On the reverse of each portrait, visible only from the inside of the egg, is the date of birth of each child, including Olga- November 3, 1895, Tatiana- May 29, 1897, Maria- June 14, 1899, Anastasia- June 5, 1901, Alexei- July 30, 1904. The remainder of the egg's surface is divided by five vertical lines, studded with diamonds and connected with one another by gold garlands inlaid with rose and ruby flowers. The dividing line between the upper and lower sections of the egg also have golden leaves, rubies and diamonds, together with two triangular diamonds with Alexandra's initials, AF.
, the Russian Imperial family's favorite residence in Tsarskoye Selo
. The tiny replica also details the adjoining gardens of the palace. The miniature is made of tinted gold and enamel
. The windows are made of rock crystal, the roof of enameled light green. The palace replica is placed on a gold table with five narrow high legs and can be removed from the egg. The base of the replica has an engraved inscription that reads, "The Palace at Tsarkoye Selo."
s. From 1913 until 1916 it remained at the Alexander Palace in Alexandra Fedorovna’s Mauve Sitting Room 1913-1916. In 1917 it was confiscated by Kerensky
's army during the Russian Revolution, along with many other Imperial treasures. It was transported from the Anichkov Palace
to the Kremlin Armoury, where it remained. The Alexander Palace Egg is one of ten Faberge Eggs in the collection at the Kremlin Armoury, Moscow. Others include: Memory of Azov Egg (1881), Bouquet of Lilies Clock egg
(1899), Trans-Siberian Railway egg
(1900), Clover Leaf egg
(1902), Moscow Kremlin egg
(1906), Standart egg
(1909), Alexander III Equestrian egg
(1910), Romanov Tercentenary egg
(1913), Steel Military egg
(1916).
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
Easter egg
Easter egg
Easter eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime.The oldest tradition is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans...
made under the supervision of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé
Peter Carl Fabergé
Peter Karl Fabergé also known as Karl Gustavovich Fabergé in Russia was a Russian jeweller of Baltic German-Danish and French origin, best known for the famous Fabergé eggs, made in the style of genuine Easter eggs, but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more mundane materials.-Early...
in 1908, for the then Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
of Russia, Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
. Nicholas presented it as an Easter gift to his wife, Alexandra Fyodorovna. It is held in the Kremlin Armoury
Kremlin Armoury
The Kremlin Armory is one of the oldest museums of Moscow, established in 1808 and located in the Moscow Kremlin .The Kremlin Armoury originated as the royal arsenal in 1508. Until the transfer of the court to St Petersburg, the Armoury was in charge of producing, purchasing and storing weapons,...
Museum in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Design
The Alexander Palace Egg is made of Siberian nephriteNephrite
Nephrite is a variety of the calcium and magnesium-rich amphibole mineral actinolite . The chemical formula for nephrite is Ca25Si8O222. It is one of two different mineral species called jade. The other mineral species known as jade is jadeite, which is a variety of pyroxene...
, diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, rubies
Ruby
A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
and miniature watercolor painting
Watercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
s on ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
. The outside of the egg contains five miniature watercolor portraits of the children of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra: Olga
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia ; , November 16 after 1900 – July 17, 1918) was the eldest daughter of the last autocratic ruler of the Russian Empire, Emperor Nicholas II, and of Empress Alexandra of Russia....
, Tatiana
Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia
Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia , , was the second daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last monarch of Russia, and of Tsarina Alexandra...
, Maria, and Anastasia
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia, and his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna....
and the Tsarevitch Alexis. Above each portrait is a diamond monogrammed initial of each child's first name. On the reverse of each portrait, visible only from the inside of the egg, is the date of birth of each child, including Olga- November 3, 1895, Tatiana- May 29, 1897, Maria- June 14, 1899, Anastasia- June 5, 1901, Alexei- July 30, 1904. The remainder of the egg's surface is divided by five vertical lines, studded with diamonds and connected with one another by gold garlands inlaid with rose and ruby flowers. The dividing line between the upper and lower sections of the egg also have golden leaves, rubies and diamonds, together with two triangular diamonds with Alexandra's initials, AF.
Surprise
The surprise is a detailed replica of the Alexander PalaceAlexander Palace
The Alexander Palace is a former imperial residence at Tsarskoye Selo, on a plateau around 30 minutes by train from St Petersburg. It is known as the favourite residence of the last Russian Emperor, Nicholas II, and his family and their initial place of imprisonment after the revolution that...
, the Russian Imperial family's favorite residence in Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo is the town containing a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of St. Petersburg. It is now part of the town of Pushkin and of the World Heritage Site Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.-History:In...
. The tiny replica also details the adjoining gardens of the palace. The miniature is made of tinted gold and enamel
Enamel
Enamel may refer to:* Tooth enamel, the hard mineralized surface of teeth* Vitreous enamel, a smooth, durable coating made of melted and fused glass powder-See also:* Enamel organ, a cellular aggregation that functions in the formation of tooth enamel...
. The windows are made of rock crystal, the roof of enameled light green. The palace replica is placed on a gold table with five narrow high legs and can be removed from the egg. The base of the replica has an engraved inscription that reads, "The Palace at Tsarkoye Selo."
History
The Alexander Palace Egg was commissioned by Nicholas II in 1908 and presented to Alexandra. It was purchased for 12,300 rubleRuble
The ruble or rouble is a unit of currency. Currently, the currency units of Belarus, Russia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria, and, in the past, the currency units of several other countries, notably countries influenced by Russia and the Soviet Union, are named rubles, though they all are...
s. From 1913 until 1916 it remained at the Alexander Palace in Alexandra Fedorovna’s Mauve Sitting Room 1913-1916. In 1917 it was confiscated by Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky was a major political leader before and during the Russian Revolutions of 1917.Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government until Vladimir Lenin was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution...
's army during the Russian Revolution, along with many other Imperial treasures. It was transported from the Anichkov Palace
Anichkov Palace
Anichkov Palace is a former imperial palace in Saint Petersburg, at the intersection of Nevsky Avenue and the Fontanka.-History:The palace, situated on the plot formerly owned by Antonio de Vieira, takes its name from the nearby Anichkov Bridge across the Fontanka...
to the Kremlin Armoury, where it remained. The Alexander Palace Egg is one of ten Faberge Eggs in the collection at the Kremlin Armoury, Moscow. Others include: Memory of Azov Egg (1881), Bouquet of Lilies Clock egg
Bouquet of Lilies Clock (Fabergé egg)
The Bouquet of Lilies Clock Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1899, for Tsar Nicholas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna...
(1899), Trans-Siberian Railway egg
Trans-Siberian Railway (Fabergé egg)
The Trans-Siberian Railway Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1900 for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicolas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna...
(1900), Clover Leaf egg
Clover Leaf (Fabergé egg)
The Clover Leaf Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1902 for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicolas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna...
(1902), Moscow Kremlin egg
Moscow Kremlin (Fabergé Egg)
The Moscow Kremlin Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1906 for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicolas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna...
(1906), Standart egg
Standart Yacht (Fabergé egg)
The Standart Yacht Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1909 for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicolas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna...
(1909), Alexander III Equestrian egg
Alexander III Equestrian (Fabergé Egg)
The Alexander III Equestrian Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1910, for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II....
(1910), Romanov Tercentenary egg
Romanov Tercentenary (Fabergé egg)
The Romanov Tercentenary Egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1913, for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicolas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna...
(1913), Steel Military egg
Steel Military (Fabergé egg)
The Steel Military Egg is one of a series of fifty-two Russian jewelled Easter eggs made by Alma Pihl under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1916, for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the egg as an Easter gift to his wife, the Tsaritsa...
(1916).