A dazzling relic of Russia\u2019s imperial past is returning to the spotlight as Christie\u2019s prepares to auction one of the world\u2019s rarest Faberg\u00e9 eggs, with an estimated value exceeding \u00a320 million ($26.4 million).<\/p>\n
The Winter Egg a 4-inch masterpiece carved from rock crystal and adorned with 4,500 diamonds is one of only seven imperial Faberg\u00e9 eggs still held in private collections. It will go under the hammer on Tuesday at Christie\u2019s London headquarters, marking one of the most anticipated decorative arts sales in years.<\/p>\n
Described by Christie\u2019s Russian art department head Margo Oganesian as the \u201cMona Lisa\u201d of decorative arts, the egg features a platinum snowflake motif and opens to reveal a jeweled basket of quartz flowers symbolizing the arrival of spring. Oganesian humorously compared the intricate reveal to a \u201cluxurious Kinder Surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n
The egg was designed in 1913 by Alma Pihl one of only two female designers in Faberg\u00e9\u2019s history and commissioned by Czar Nicholas II as an Easter gift for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. Pihl\u2019s only other imperial egg now belongs to the British royal family.<\/p>\n
Crafted under the direction of famed jeweller Peter Carl Faberg\u00e9, imperial eggs were produced between 1885 and 1917 for Russia\u2019s ruling Romanov dynasty. Each piece contained a unique surprise, a tradition begun by Czar Alexander III and carried on by Nicholas II.<\/p>\n
The Winter Egg\u2019s history mirrors Russia\u2019s turbulent past. Sold for just \u00a3450 in the 1920s when Soviet authorities liquidated imperial treasures, it later vanished from public knowledge for nearly 20 years before Christie\u2019s auctioned it in 1994 for more than 7 million Swiss francs. It changed hands again in 2002 for $9.6 million.<\/p>\n
Its upcoming sale is expected to break the standing record of $18.5 million, set in 2007 for another Faberg\u00e9 egg created for the Rothschild family.<\/p>\n
Of the original imperial collection, 43 are known to survive most housed in museums worldwide. The Winter Egg remains one of the few still attainable by private collectors, adding to the intense global interest surrounding Tuesday\u2019s auction.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A dazzling relic of Russia\u2019s imperial past is returning to the spotlight as Christie\u2019s prepares to auction one of the world\u2019s rarest Faberg\u00e9 eggs, with an estimated value exceeding \u00a320 million ($26.4 million). The Winter Egg a 4-inch masterpiece carved from rock crystal and adorned with 4,500 diamonds is one of only seven imperial Faberg\u00e9<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_1160854738579181570_1160854738579181570":"","facebook_3558452337540614_100649324928663":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,238],"tags":[2322,1122,2326,1867,2321,2327,2328,2325,2324,2323],"class_list":{"0":"post-14590","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-uk","9":"tag-christies-auction","10":"tag-cultural-heritage","11":"tag-decorative-arts","12":"tag-diamonds","13":"tag-faberge","14":"tag-london-auctions","15":"tag-rare-collectibles","16":"tag-romanov-dynasty","17":"tag-russian-imperial-history","18":"tag-winter-egg"},"yoast_head":"\n