Some of the most unusual items to enter our conservation studio are in the form of Fabergé eggs. These highly valuable antiques often present our conservators with a complex challenge due to their various materials and finely crafted designs. This article will look into a favourite collectible of the Russian Tsars, one that encouraged such an extreme sense of wealth that it is now seen as a symbol of an opulent Imperial family heading towards a tragic finale.
Above: the Rose Trellis Egg by Fabergé, 1907 – this egg was gifted by Tsar Nicholas II to Alexandra Fedorovna in commemoration of the birth of Tsarevich Alexei
Fabergé Eggs and the Romanov dynasty
From 1613, with the introduction of the young Boyar Michael Romanov, until the revolution of 1917 – and the subsequent mass execution of the family in 1918 – the House of Romanov reigned over imperial Russia. This period of history oversaw the Russian empire in its most powerful form, encompassing almost 20 of today’s independent states, from the beautiful Ukraine to the icy Alaska, making the Russian empire the third biggest empire in history, surpassed only by the British and Mongol empires.
Above: two pairs of Fabergé parrots inspired by Japanese netsuke and a nephrite urn
With this immense land mass came immense imperial dominance from the Romanovs. Peter the Great was particularly influential, expanding his empire in every direction, bringing it respect and status among other nations, and paving the way for the wealth and influence of future tsars and tsaritsy, although this would eventually lead to public anger, and consequently their demise by the Bolsheviks.
Above: a lapis lazuli Easter egg by Fabergé, this is one of the earliest examples dating to 1885–90
The history of the Fabergé egg stems from this extreme wealth, as the first egg was a commission from Alexander III for his wife, Maria Fyodorovna, in 1885. Fabergé was well known for his fine craftsmanship, and his creative approach when working together with the Tsar led to the development of the Fabergé egg from the Orthodox tradition of exchanging decorated eggs at Easter.
Above: a selection of Fabergé ornaments and frames including a nephrite clock, frames for portrait miniatures and a parrot on a perch
The first of these was the Hen Egg, as it was later called. The Hen Egg has a white, plain enamel exterior, but opens to reveal a golden ‘yolk’, which can also be opened to find a golden hen on a bed of suede. The hen also opens to reveal a miniature replica of the Imperial crown – encrusted with diamonds and rubies, and holding a precious ruby pendant. Unfortunately, both the crown and the pendant have been lost over time.
Above: the Gatchina Palace Egg by Fabergé, 1901
The Fabergé egg can almost be considered symbolic for this period of imperial Russia, due to their extreme opulence and priceless value. After the success of the Hen Egg, they continued to be produced until 1917, when the revolutionary government seized the House of Fabergé, causing the man himself to flee to Switzerland, where he died in 1920 – some suggest of a broken heart. Of the eggs produced in this period, of which the numbers are limited, the fifty Imperial eggs created for the Romanov family were by far the most well-known, and the most intricate.
Above: a selection of Fabergé objects made primarily of nephrite and jade
Alexander gave an egg to his wife every Easter until his death in 1894, when his son Nicholas II continued the commission, giving two eggs a year: one for his wife Alexandra, and one to his widowed mother. The eggs became even more elaborate and creative as time went on, and Fabergé, having gained his status as a “fabricator of jewelled fantasies”, took on numerous craftsmen for the construction of the eggs, including the most prominent Mikhail Perkhin and Henrik Wigström.
Above: a selection of flower studies by Fabergé
What happened to Fabergé after the Russian revolution?
After the Russian revolution, the Bolsheviks seized the eggs. Whilst Lenin – an appreciator of the fine arts – retained the eggs, his successor, Stalin, sold some to foreign countries to gain much-needed foreign currency. To begin with, the eggs were not sold so frequently, due to the market’s fixation with Romanov art, but the eggs became more popular due to their collectibility. Malcolm Forbes most famously had a collection of nine eggs at one point. However, the sale of these eggs inevitably led to the loss of some.
Above: the Imperial Red Cross easter egg by Fabergé, 1915 – exterior portrait and enamel decoration (left) and inner artwork depicting Christ and female saints (right) – this egg was one that was confiscated by the Bolsheviks and sold by Stalin
Out of the 50 Imperial eggs, only 44 remain, and these are all over the world. 10 are kept in Moscow’s Kremlin Armoury Museum, 9 at the Fabergé Museum in St Petersburg, and the rest in various collections, both public and private. Of the 6 missing eggs, photographs exist of 3 – for example, the Alexander III Commemorative egg.
Above: examples of intricate guilloché and cloisonné enamel on a Fabergé clock, frame and parasol handle
The fate of the missing eggs is yet unknown. Some are feared to have been destroyed at some point during the course of the century, and rumours exist regarding the whereabouts of the others. The last egg to be found was in 2014, when a scrap metal dealer bought what was later identified as a missing Imperial egg for $13,302, unaware of its history and cultural value, and expecting to sell it on to a buyer who would melt it down for its component metals.
Above: a Fabergé swan kovsh with a nephrite centre, 1898-1903
Conservation and restoration of a Fabergé Egg
In early 2023, we received a Fabergé egg to restore. The egg was simple, made of translucent, solid precious stone – we suspect nephrite – with a beautiful gold hinge around the centre, that had become clogged through use.
We suspect that the egg’s stand may not have been original, due to its lower quality than the gold on the actual egg, and it had bent out of shape over time. Due to the extremely delicate and valuable nature of Fabergé eggs, restoration required extreme care, microscopic accuracy, and an extremely steady hand.
Above: the Fabergé egg restored in our studio
One half of the egg displayed signs of previous restoration, due to a residue of glue, which needed cleaning up and repairing. To restore the hinge to its original smoothness when opening, it needed to be cleaned, and loosened with the smallest possible drop of oil. The stand was extremely carefully and precisely reshaped. Once all of this was completed, the egg was restored to its former elegance.
Above: a selection of Fabergé eggs also carved from green nephrite
Fabergé eggs, although symbols of an oppressive and unjust imperialist regime, are also cultural and artistic beacons, as well as views into the life of the family for which they were made, as symbols of love from husband to wife, and son to mother. Retaining and maintaining the quality of these objets d’arts is of paramount importance to historical Russian culture, and further global culture.
Credits
This article was written by Martha Alban in collaboration with the conservation team and lead art historian at Fine Art Restoration Company. Martha is a work experience student who hopes to study Russian and German languages at university, with a secondary focus on Art History and Business.
How can we help?
If you have any questions about restoration and conservation, please do not hesitate to get in touch. As part of our service we offer a nationwide collection and delivery service as well as information on worldwide shipping to our studio. E-mail us via info@fineart-restoration.com or call 0207 112 7576 for more information.
