The Fifteenth Anniversary Egg is an Imperial
Fabergé egg
A Fabergé egg () is a jewelled egg first created by the jewellery firm House of Fabergé, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. As many as 69 Czarist Russia Era eggs were created, of which 61 are currently known to have survived. Virtually all of the ...
, one of a series of fifty-two
jewelled enameled Easter egg
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...
s made under the supervision of
Peter Carl Fabergé
Peter Carl Gustavovich Fabergé (; – 24 September 1920; also known as Charles Fabergé) was a Russian goldsmith and jeweller. He is best known for creating Fabergé eggs made in the style of genuine Easter eggs, but using precious metals and ...
for the
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n
Imperial family
A royal family is the immediate family of monarch, monarchs and sometimes their extended family.
The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or emperor, empress, and the term papal family describes the family of ...
.
It was an Easter 1911 gift for Tsarina
Alexandra Feodorovna from her husband Tsar
Nicholas II
Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...
, who had a standing order of two Fabergé Easter eggs every year, one for his mother and one for his wife.
Its 1911 counterpart presented to the Dowager Empress is the
Bay Tree Egg.
Design
The egg is made of gold, green and white enamel, decorated with diamonds and rock crystal. The surface is divided into eighteen panels set with 16 miniatures.
The egg's design commemorates the fifteenth anniversary of the coronation of Nicholas II on 26 May 1896.
There is no "surprise" in the egg— contrary to the Tsar's explicit instructions with regard to these eggs and without explanation, apparently none was ever made.
Provenance
It was owned by
Malcolm Forbes
Malcolm Stevenson Forbes (August 19, 1919 – February 24, 1990) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician most prominently known as the publisher of ''Forbes'' magazine, which was founded by his father B. C. Forbes. He repres ...
in the Forbes Collection.
Viktor Vekselberg
Viktor Felixovich Vekselberg (born April 14, 1957) is a Russian-Israeli businessman and oligarch. He is the founder and chairman of Renova Group, a Russian conglomerate. According to ''Forbes'', as of November 2021, his fortune is estimated at ...
purchased nine Imperial eggs, as part of the collection, for almost $100 million. It is estimated that the individual egg cost $10 million to $15 million.
The egg is now part of the Victor Vekselberg Collection, owned by The Link of Times Foundation and housed in the
Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
References
Further reading
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External links
The Link of Times Foundation: Fifteenth Anniversary egg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fifteenth Anniversary (Faberge egg)
Imperial Fabergé eggs
1911 works
Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia