The Twelve Panel is a
jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the
Russian jeweller
Peter Carl Fabergé
Peter Carl Fabergé, also known as Karl Gustavovich Fabergé (russian: Карл Гу́ставович Фаберже́, ''Karl Gustavovich Faberzhe''; 30 May 1846 – 24 September 1920), was a Russian jewellery, jeweller best known for the fam ...
in 1899.
The
Fabergé egg was made for
Alexander Kelch
Alexander Ferdinandovich Kelch was a Russian nobleman who lived in St Petersburg at the end of the 19th century. He is remembered mainly as a patron of Fabergé, having commissioned the Kelch Gothic Revival silver service and seven eggs for his ...
, who presented it to his wife, Barbara (Varvara) Kelch-Bazanova.
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]
Description
The egg was created by Peter Carl Faberge's workmaster, Michael Perkhin
Michael Evlampievich Perkhin (russian: Михаи́л Евла́мпиевич Пе́рхин) (1860-1903) was an Imperial Russian jeweler. Born in Okulovskaya in Olonets Governorate (now Republic of Karelia), he moved to St. Petersburg, he j ...
(Russian, 1860–1903) and is crafted of yellow gold, rose-cut diamonds, portrait diamonds, translucent pink en green enamel and opaque white enamel. The upper and lower sections of the Egg are each divided into six panels by bands of matt-finished gold, overlaid with rows of pink enamel roses with gold stems and translucent green leaves. A band of rose-cut diamonds set at intervals with rosettes of additional diamonds encircles the Egg at its widest part. Each end of the Egg is finished with concentric circles of diamonds, gold and green enameled leaf motifs and pink enamel. the top end is centered with a medallion bearing the initials B.T.K. in script under a portrait diamond.; the other end has a similar, though smaller medallion showing the date "1899". The surprise has been lost.
Ownership
This is the only Kelch Egg that was not part of the lot bought by the Paris jeweller Morgan. The Egg was purchased sometime in the 1920s and bought by A La Vieille Russie in Paris, likely from Barbara Kelch. In 1933 sold by A La Vieille Russie, Paris. Presented at Christmas 1933 by King George V of the United Kingdom as a gift for his wife Queen Mary of Teck, and remains a part of the Royal Collection
The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world.
Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...
of King Charles III.[ Other Fabergé Eggs in the Royal Collection include:
# Basket of Wild Flowers, 1901, Gift of Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
# Colonnade, 1910, Gift of Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
# Mosaic, Gift of Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
]
See also
* Objet d'art
References
{{Fabergé egg
1899 works
Fabergé eggs in the Royal Collection of the United Kingdom
Kelch Fabergé eggs