Rothschild (Fabergé egg)
Encyclopedia
The Rothschild egg is a jewelled
, enameled
decorated egg
made under the supervision of the Russia
n jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé
in 1902 by the workshop of Michael Perchin, for Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild
, who presented the egg to Germaine Halphen upon her engagement to Béatrice's younger brother, Édouard Alphonse James de Rothschild.
cockerel pops up from the top of the egg, flaps its wings four times, nods his head three times, crowing all the while. This lasts fifteen seconds, before the clock strikes the hour on a bell.
.
since 1905.
It was one of the most expensive eggs that Fabergé had ever made and sold.
auction house on November 28, 2007, for £8.9 million (including commission). The price achieved by the egg set three auction records: it is the most expensive timepiece, Russian object, and Fabergé object ever sold at auction, surpassing the $
9.6 million sale of the 1913 Winter egg
in 2002.
The egg was bought by Alexander Ivanov
, the director of the Russian National Museum. "It's one of the most beautiful, valuable and most intricate Fabergé eggs ever," Ivanov said, as well as adding that "We didn't have investors, and this egg will go into the private museum which we are building in downtown Moscow. We will not resell it.". The Rothschild egg was eventually displayed at Ivanov's Faberge Museum
in Baden-Baden
, Germany.
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...
, enameled
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
decorated egg
Fabergé egg
A Fabergé egg is any one of the thousands of jeweled eggs made by the House of Fabergé from 1885 to 1917. Most were miniature eggs that were popular gifts at Eastertide...
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 jeweller 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 1902 by the workshop of Michael Perchin, for Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild
Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild
Charlotte Béatrice de Rothschild was a French socialite, art collector, and a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France.- Biography :...
, who presented the egg to Germaine Halphen upon her engagement to Béatrice's younger brother, Édouard Alphonse James de Rothschild.
Surprise
Upon the hour, a diamond setDiamond
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...
cockerel pops up from the top of the egg, flaps its wings four times, nods his head three times, crowing all the while. This lasts fifteen seconds, before the clock strikes the hour on a bell.
Similarities with Kelch Chanticleer egg
As one of only four eggs with an ornamentation surprise and a clock, similarities have been drawn with the 1904 Kelch Chanticleer eggKelch Chanticleer (Fabergé egg)
The Kelch Chanticleer egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by Michael Perchin under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1904, for the Russian industrialist Alexander Ferdinandovich Kelch, who presented the egg to his wife, Barbara Kelch-Bazanova.-Surprise:Upon the...
.
History
It is one of the few eggs that was not made for the Russian Imperial family, and had been in the Rothschild familyRothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
since 1905.
It was one of the most expensive eggs that Fabergé had ever made and sold.
2007 sale
It was sold by Christie'sChristie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auction house on November 28, 2007, for £8.9 million (including commission). The price achieved by the egg set three auction records: it is the most expensive timepiece, Russian object, and Fabergé object ever sold at auction, surpassing the $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
9.6 million sale of the 1913 Winter egg
Winter (Fabergé egg)
The 1913 Winter Egg is one of a series of fifty-two Russian jeweled Easter eggs and was designed by Alma Pihl, a designer who worked for Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé. The tsar Nicholas II had a standing order of two easter eggs every year, one for his mother, and one for his wife. The...
in 2002.
The egg was bought by Alexander Ivanov
Alexander Ivanov (art collector)
Alexander Ivanov is a Russian art collector who lives in Moscow. He is best known for the Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden, which is the first private Russian-owned museum outside of Russia. Ivanov has no business holdings or interests, but the value of his massive art collection makes him a...
, the director of the Russian National Museum. "It's one of the most beautiful, valuable and most intricate Fabergé eggs ever," Ivanov said, as well as adding that "We didn't have investors, and this egg will go into the private museum which we are building in downtown Moscow. We will not resell it.". The Rothschild egg was eventually displayed at Ivanov's Faberge Museum
Fabergé Museum
Fabergé Museum was opened in by Russian art collector Alexander Ivanov in the German spa city of Baden-Baden.-Description:The most significant item in the museum's collection is the Rothschild Fabergé egg, that was made as an engagement gift from Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild to her brother's...
in Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
, Germany.