Who ordered the first Faberge egg?

The gift made such a strong impression on the Empress that from then on, jeweler Carl Faberge made a new egg for her every year for Easter. The Emperor set only 2 conditions: unique design and an obligatory surprise inside. Nicholas II also preserved this tradition. Only he had already given 2 eggs – to his wife and mother.

The story of the jeweler Faberge

The Faberge jewelry house was opened in St. Petersburg in 1842. The founder of the company is Gustav Faberge, whose ancestors were Baltic Germans and French Huguenots. Moreover, initially they had a different surname. But the change of residence led to the fact that Favry (or Fabry) first changed to Fabrière, and in 1825 turned into Faberge. At first, things went well for Gustav. There were orders, but there was no talk of any popularity. In 1846, there was an addition to the Faberge family – a son, Karl, was born. And the father did everything to give his first-born an excellent education. At first, Karl studied at one of the St. Petersburg gymnasiums, and continued his studies in Dresden. Then he met the best jewelers in Germany, France, England, and visited museums and galleries. However, it was clear that Karl would not become a jewelry genius. But he found himself in someone else. He approached jewelry making as a scientist, studying all kinds of techniques for working with precious stones and metals. In 1864, Karl returned to St. Petersburg. The knowledge he gained allowed him to begin cooperation with the Hermitage. Faberge seriously engaged in research and restoration work, restoring jewelry. Gustav was not disappointed in his son. On the contrary, he understood that Karl would be able to manage the family business without his help. And so he moved to Dresden. And Faberge Jr. inherited a company that employed about a hundred craftsmen from different European countries. His younger brother Agathon became his assistant. In 1882, the Faberge brothers presented their works at the All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition. There they were noticed by Emperor Alexander III. The exhibition of the Faberge house delighted him. Soon Karl became the jeweler of His Imperial Majesty and the jeweler of the Imperial Hermitage. This title allowed Karl to reach a new level. His company began to receive orders for jewelry not only from Russia, but also from Europe. Karl managed the company, not suspecting that the hour of triumph was approaching.

surprise egg

The spring of 1885 had arrived and Easter was approaching. According to one version, it was Emperor Alexander III who ordered a surprise egg from Faberge to please his wife. However, there is a version that the idea of ​​​​an unusual souvenir came to the mind of master Mikhail Perkhin. The basis was taken from precious egg-shaped trinkets belonging to the Danish monarchs. The souvenir was made and put up for sale. When the sovereign found out about this, he paid over 4 thousand rubles for the jewelry, which at that time was a substantial amount. Maria Fedorovna received a unique gift for Easter – a precious egg. Its “white” was made of white enamel, its “yolk” was made of gold. Inside the “yolk” was a golden hen that held a ruby ​​crown. Naturally, Maria Fedorovna remembered her Danish origin and was touched. Whether the emperor himself came up with the Easter egg or simply bought it does not matter. He hit the bull’s eye with the gift. Since then, the life of Carl Faberge himself and his company has been divided into “before” and “after”. He became the Supplier of the Supreme Court and had the right to place the emblem of the empire on his products. At the same time, Charles had an obligation to the imperial family – every year at Easter he was required to give a new egg. The monarch did not force the creator into strict limits. Alexander only demanded that the product be unique and with a mandatory surprise inside. And the House of Faberge got to work. The following year, Charles presented the sovereign with a chicken with a sapphire pendant inside. However, this egg was the last of the “simple” ones. In subsequent years, Faberge masters complicated the product. For example, in 1891, Maria Fedorovna received an egg called “Memory of Azov.” The frigate of the same name was hidden in the egg, on which Tsarevich Nicholas and his brother George made the Far Eastern voyage. When creating a souvenir, jewelers used gold, platinum, aquamarine, and diamonds.

Keeping traditions

Nicholas II, who replaced his deceased father on the throne in the fall of 1894, continued the Easter tradition. Only now Faberge received 2 annual orders for eggs. One was intended for the sovereign’s wife Alexandra Feodorovna, the second for his mother. Thus, Faberge Easter eggs finally strengthened their status as a symbol of the Russian imperial family. And the jewelers tried to match it. In 1898, Maria Fedorovna received a Pelican egg. It was covered with gold in the Empire style, and on top sat a pelican in an enamel nest. The gift hid inside platinum miniatures with images of the institutions that the sovereign’s mother founded. Nikolai presented his wife with a Lily of the Valley egg. The gift was decorated with pearl flowers, and inside there were portraits of the emperor, as well as his daughters Olga and Tatyana. In the early 1900s, the Russian Empire was overwhelmed by a wave of revolutionary upheavals. However, Faberge regularly produced 2 eggs for the emperor year after year. The only exception is 1904 and 1905. It is not known whether the jeweler made souvenirs at all or not. Possibly 2 unnamed eggs were lost. In 1912, Nikolai presented his mother with a Napoleonic egg in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Patriotic War. Jewelers used not only gold, diamonds and ivory, but also velvet and satin. The wife received the “Tsarevich” souvenir. Hidden inside the egg was a double-headed eagle with a portrait of Tsarevich Alexei. The tradition was not interrupted even during the First World War, into which the Russian Empire entered unprepared. The difficult situation in the country left its mark on works of jewelry. This is especially clearly seen on souvenirs from 1916. Maria Feodorovna received the Order of St. George egg. And although the craftsmen used gold, crystal and silver, not a trace remained of the former luxury. Alexandra Feodorovna received an even more modest gift – an egg called “Military Steel”. The souvenir was made of steel, on which the jewelers placed a gold coat of arms and a crown. Inside was a miniature depicting the visit of the emperor and the heir to the troops.

After the revolution

The February Revolution of 1917 took place in the country. In March 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne. But, as you know, this did not save the royal family. Maria Feodorovna was able to escape from Russia and return to Denmark in 1918. She took with her only 1 egg as a souvenir – “Order of St. George”. Over three decades, Carl Faberge and his jewelers made more than fifty Easter eggs for the royal family. But besides Maria Feodorovna and Alexandra Fedorovna, several other people had unique souvenirs. The philanthropist and philanthropist Varvara Petrovna Bazanova received at least 7 eggs as a gift from her husband Alexander Kelkh. Princess Yusupova, the Duchess of Marlborough, the Rothschilds and several other rich and influential people could also boast of souvenirs. While the Civil War was going on, no one paid attention to the Easter eggs of the imperial family. They were remembered only in 1925. A catalog of valuables from the House of Romanov was compiled, including souvenirs. And then some of them were sold, and at a low price – about $400 per egg. Times were hard, the country needed currency. As for Carl Faberge himself, he fled Russia in 1918. The jeweler understood that he had no chance of life under the new government. The revolutionary events greatly undermined the old man. He was never able to recover from the blow and often repeated: “There is no more life.” Faberge passed away in September 1920. Charles’s four sons also left Russia. Evgeniy and Alexander, having settled in Paris, even founded the company “Faberge and Co.” But they failed to achieve their former greatness. It is not known exactly how many eggs were produced by the Faberge jewelry house. It is generally accepted that 71 (imperial – 54). But 65 have survived to this day (imperial – 48). Now they are kept in state museums and private collections. And not only in Russia, but also in the USA, Great Britain, Switzerland, Monaco. Throughout history, crowns, diamonds, and necklaces have been and remain symbols of power and wealth. Jewelry is an illustration of both ambition and achievement. Often, the authors of jewelry works are not so well known to a wide circle. But there is an exception to this rule – his name is Peter Carl Gustavovich Faberge. Collage 78.ru: wikimedia.org, press service of the Faberge Museum, freepik.com, flaticon.com/Freepik

Biography of Carl Faberge

Peter Carl Faberge was born in St. Petersburg in 1846 among precious metals and precious stones – his father was a jeweler, although not a very successful one. To take the family business to unprecedented heights, Karl had to study a lot. Young Karl received his jewelry education in Germany, and his economic education in France. Then I studied everything related to precious metals, stones and enamel. For this purpose, I traveled literally all over the world. And upon returning to St. Petersburg, he worked for free as a restorer in the Imperial Hermitage. At the age of 26 he took over the family business. He began to create in the Art Nouveau style. And then he completely revolutionized the jewelry business.

“If the whole value of expensive things lies in just a lot of diamonds or pearls, then they interest me little,” said Faberge.

That is, he was the first to set the principle: artistic value is more important than the cost of the material. For work, a jeweler could use both steel and tin. And he would hardly be upset if he learned that for the film “Ocean’s 12” a copy of his egg was made not from the most expensive metal. Faberge worked with any materials. Thanks to him, products made from Karelian birch came into fashion, and the jeweler also had an excellent sense of humor. A unique still life – a brick, scrambled eggs, a cut glass and a snack – is proof of this. At an exhibition in France, Faberge received the Order of the Legion of Honor, and at the Nuremberg Exhibition of Fine Arts – a Gold Medal. But still, the All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition of 1882 became the fateful opening day in his career.

Faberge eggs

There, Faberge’s products impressed the royal family. Empress Maria Feodorovna bought a pair of gold cufflinks in an antique style. And Alexander the Third ordered Faberge Easter eggs because his wife really liked them: the empress remembered such eggs from her Danish childhood. The jeweler agreed to make an Easter egg, but flatly refused to make a copy of what Maria Fedorovna’s parents kept. This is how “The Hen” appeared – Faberge’s first Easter egg. It was made of gold and covered with opaque enamel – rough to the touch, like an eggshell. It contained a golden yolk, in which was enclosed a chicken made of multi-colored gold, and inside the chicken was a tiny diamond imperial crown. The egg had an effect!

“Faberge is the incomparable genius of our time!” – Maria Feodorovna wrote to her sister, Queen Alexandra of England.

Looking ahead, we note that of all the epithets with which Faberge was praised, the jeweler himself preferred the capacious “supplier of the Supreme Court.” And not only Russian. The Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Spanish and English royal courts also valued Faberge’s works. But his most famous creations remain Easter eggs. These Faberge masterpieces and the criminal interest in them are a favorite topic among filmmakers. And not only in the West, but also here – both during the USSR and in modern Russia. Intrigue is what unites cinema and Faberge’s masterpieces. After all, even the emperor never knew what kind of plot the jeweler would embody.

“Your Majesty will be pleased!” – that’s all Faberge told the monarch.

But there were still certain rules: the obligatory shape of the egg, an unexpected surprise inside and a plot related to the life of the royal family! And no repetitions! A total of 71 eggs were made, of which more than 50 were imperial. Every surprise is a miniature miracle. The most famous is an exact copy of the coronation carriage of Nicholas II. The most unexpected ones are a manicure set and a map of the Empire with the Trans-Siberian Railway. After the death of Alexander III, his successor, Nicholas II, continued the tradition of his father. Now gifts by Faberge were received by two crowned ladies – the wife and mother of the emperor. Maria Fedorovna was able to take away only one gift – the “St. George’s Egg” – when she left Russia for Denmark in 1918. Faberge himself had to leave Russia without money and jewelry; he died in poverty in 1920.

St. Petersburg Faberge

In St. Petersburg, a lot is connected with the famous jeweler.

Monument to Faberge on Carl Faberge Square

The name of the jeweler appears in this area because the Russian Gems jewelry company is located here, which specializes in the production and sale of jewelry and jewelry. In 1966, a bust of Carl Faberge appeared on the square. It was installed to mark the 150th anniversary of the jeweler’s birth.

Faberge House, Bolshaya Morskaya, 24

A jewelry store is located on the ground floor. The second and third were occupied by the workshops of great jewelers and the master himself, who worked under a single trademark. On the top floor are the apartments of Karl Gustavich’s family – a 15-room apartment with a luxurious library, study, boudoir and bedrooms. The Faberge House on Bolshaya Morskaya gave the family many joyful moments – creative recognition and popularity, the birth of sons Evgeniy, Alexander and Agathon. Happiness was destroyed by the revolution of 1917, when the family was forced to flee Russia. Now the house also houses a jewelry store where you can buy jewelry from modern Russian masters.

Faberge Museum, emb. Fontanki, 21

In 2013, the Faberge Museum opened in the Shuvalov Palace. The main value is nine imperial Easter eggs. But there are many other elegant items that were sold in his stores, including on Bolshaya Morskaya. These things were not always expensive; Carl Faberge did everything possible so that not only the empress, but also the maid could buy them. And in doing so, he may have changed the taste of an entire era. Imperial gifts are represented in the museum’s collection not only by products of the Faberge company – the museum has a wonderful collection of gold tray boxes of the 18th–19th centuries, decorated with miniature portraits of the Romanovs, starting with Peter the Great. Another important part of the museum’s collection is the collection of Russian enamels created by leading Russian jewelry companies of the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. Information about all events, new exhibitions and permanent exhibitions can be found on the museum’s website. Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 20:45. You can purchase tickets at the box office from 9:30 to 20:15.

Expensive things: prices for Faberge eggs

The egg clock was created in 1902. When opened, a crowing jeweled cockerel jumps out from under the lid. The appearance of such a unique specimen caused a real sensation among collectors, and many people wanted to get this pearl. A Russian billionaire managed to buy an egg for a record $18,5 million for the private Faberge Museum. Since 2007 it has been exhibited in the Hermitage. For a long time, the coronation egg was considered the most expensive – it was estimated at $24 million. Nicholas II gave it to his wife in 1897 in memory of the coronation ceremony in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. During the famine of 1921, an American businessman was able to purchase 11 Faberge eggs, but was unable to agree on the purchase of the Coronation egg. Instead, in 1927, the egg was acquired by a London gallery, where it remained until 1979. And then Malcolm Forbes (the owner of the magazine) became the owner of the Coronation Egg until it returned to Russia in 2004. The cost of the egg is approximately $24 million. The exact price was not disclosed. The most expensive egg costs. Are you ready? 33 million dollars! Alexander III presented the “third imperial” egg to Empress Maria Feodorovna in 1887. Then it disappeared and was considered lost forever. However, the egg was found more than 100 years later on the other side of the world – in America. A pawn shop owner bought a gold egg at a flea market for $13 from a man who wanted to send it to be melted down. The signature of the built-in clock eventually led him to a photo of the Romanov collection. As it later turned out, this is the original of one of the first “Kinder surprises” created by Faberge. There are millions of copies of the famous precious eggs all over the world. From cheap plastic ones with rhinestones for 2-3 thousand, which can be found on regular marketplaces, to quite precious ones, but still not original. Prices do not reach 33 million, but you can order a copy made of gold with precious stones for 180 thousand rubles.

Faberge neural network

The Faberge Museum keeps up with the times, just like the famous jeweler himself once did. In honor of its 10th anniversary, the museum launched a neural network. The idea is based on a reference to the history of the famous jewelry company Faberge, which was famous for its individual approach to the customer and took into account not only fashion trends, but also the personal wishes of the client and important events in his life when executing the order. The organizers of the project decided to give everyone the opportunity to feel like a Faberge customer and imagine what a precious egg could look like, for example, in the style of steam punk, pop art or biodesign. To get your own family egg, you need to subscribe to the museum’s VKontakte community, write in private messages, and the Faberge bot will create a unique piece of digital art. This is the egg we got from the request: “TV Channel 78, St. Petersburg Television”: