Alexander III Portraits

The Alexander III Portraits egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1896, for Nicholas II of Russia.[1]

It was presented by Nicholas II to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. The egg is one of four commemorating Alexander III; the other three are the missing Empire Nephrite (1902) and Alexander III Commemorative (1909) eggs and the Alexander III Equestrian egg (1910).[2]

The Egg may have been lent to a London Exhibition in 1935.

Identification

A missing Fabergé egg known from its description as the "Alexander III Portraits egg" was previously thought to be the egg from 1895 in the Maria Feodorovna series.

However, following the 2012 rediscovery of the 1887 Third Imperial Egg, announced to the world in March 2014, and the reassignment of the Blue Serpent Clock Egg as the 1895 egg, it became clear that a missing egg identified in the series as the "Alexander III Portraits egg" must be the extant Twelve Monograms egg of 1896.[3][4][5]

The 1896 Twelve Monograms Egg is held at the Hillwood Museum in Washington, D.C.

This theory is now universally agreed and been accepted by Hillwood Museum.

Surprise

It is believed that this egg contained six miniatures of Emperor Alexander III painted on an ivory background and mounted with sapphires.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.wintraecken.nl/mieks/faberge/eggs/1896_Alexander_III_Monogram_Egg.htm 1896 Twelve Monogram Egg / Alexander III Portraits Egg], Mieks Fabergé Eggs.
  2. ↑ List of Fabergé Eggs, Mieks Fabergé Eggs.
  3. ↑ http://wintraecken.nl/mieks/faberge/eggs/1887_Third_Imperial_Egg.htm
  4. ↑ Von Habsburg, Geza (2011). Fabergé Revealed. ISBN 9780847837380. p. 29, note 62.
  5. ↑ http://wintraecken.nl/mieks/faberge/eggs/1895_Blue_Serpent_Clock_Egg.htm
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