A diamond-encrusted crystal Fabergé egg that once belonged to the Russian imperial family, the Romanovs, has sold in London for a record £22.9 million.
The winter egg – considered one of the most beautiful creations of the legendary jeweler – was bought on Tuesday, December 2, by an anonymous auctioneer, said Christie’s auction house, according to News.ro.
It is decorated with 4,500 diamonds and was commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913 as a gift for his mother.
“Today’s result sets a new world auction record for a Fabergé work, reaffirming the enduring significance of this masterpiece”said Margo Oganesian from Christie’s, quoted by the AFP news agency.
The previous record for a Fabergé egg was £8.9 million, paid at auction in 2007.
The Imperial Winter Egg, created by Carl Fabergé after the design of Alma Theresia Pihl, one of the two female masters at the St. Petersburg jewelry company, is an 8.2 cm egg carved from rock crystal, decorated with diamonds and platinum snowflake motifs.
Inside hides a flower basket made of white quartz. Of the 50 Fabergé eggs made for the Romanov family, this is one of seven still in private collections.
The eggs were created between 1885 and 1917, until the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II.
Peter Carl Fabergé was a Russian jeweler. He is best known for creating Fabergé eggs, made in the style of authentic Easter eggs, but using precious metals and stones instead of the usual materials. He was one of the sons of Gustav Fabergé, the founder of the House of Fabergé.
His father was a jeweler, and Peter Carl took over his business after his death.
In 1885, Czar Alexander III of Russia asked Fabergé to make an Easter egg-shaped piece of jewelry for his wife, thus giving rise to the famous Fabergé Eggs.
