From www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-98307438/: The Imperial Peter the Great Easter Egg was presented by Tsar Nicholas II to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, in 1903. It commemorates the 200th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg by Tsar Peter the Great. The top of the egg bears the Cyrillic initials of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna. When it is opened, a replica of Étienne-Maurice Falconet’s famous statue of Tsar Peter the Great rises out of the egg. 1903 Egg: gold, silver-gilt, diamonds, rubies, enamel, watercolor on ivory, rock crystal, Statue: gold, sapphire Dimensions: Overall (egg): 4 3/4 × 3 1/8 in. (12.1 × 7.9 cm) Overall (miniature): 1 7/8 × 2 3/4 in. (4.8 × 7 cm) Overall (stand): 3 1/16 × 2 3/4 in. (7.8 × 7 cm) Notes:
The Faberge Obsession -- Russian decorative art Ms. Kitts
Reflection: I've always thought of the Faberge egg as mystical, an art form hailing from a different time -- a different world. In many aspects, this notion of elusiveness coincides with the long history of lost eggs. In the lecture, Ms. Kitts did an excellent job of highlighting the sense of mystique and grandeur of the Faberge eggs. In tracking the journeys of specific pieces from factory to palace to museum to art collector, she showed us how, after decades, the astonishing detail and precision which which each was crafted can still take your breath away. However, I felt like the lecture was extremely fast-paced and much too focused on the historical narrative of the Russian royalty. Ms. Kitts seemed to speed through the descriptions of the eggs themselves and their unique meanings, instead choosing to linger on details like the monetary value and family relationships. I didn't feel like I was able to truly absorb a lot of information because I was scrambling to just follow along with her words. Still, though, I gleaned some important and interesting information. For example, the initial egg was crafted specifically with instructions by Emperor Alexander III for his wife, the empress. What really stuck with me was that he had the present made because she was extremely sad and wished to cheer her up. That initial Faberge egg sparked an annual commission of Karl Faberge so that the Emperor could give both his mother and wife an egg. These handcrafted gifts not only reflected the wealth and prestige of the royal Russian family, but also paid homage to Russians of the past, like Peter the Great. In this manner, the Faberge eggs were not only honoring the contemporary Russian rulers, but also remembering especially revered historical figures, and sometimes even religion. The ornate nature of the eggs indicate a larger trend in contemporary Russian society during this time period; Russians were looking back fondly upon old Russian style, as well as responding to nationalistic sentiments which were sweeping across Europe. In this manner, Faberge had his workmasters design equally lavish and resplendent household commodities, like a gilded cane cap and decorative tea cups. Even though this lecture was sometimes confusing and hard to follow in terms of a timeline and structure, I found it to be an interesting peek into the history of a culture I have never really paid much attention to.
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