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Russia's Romanov imperial dynasty kept a regular order with Peter Carl Fabergé to make jeweled Easter eggs throughout the final decades of their rule. Here is the history of some of the most significant artistic creations that came up as a result of this extraordinary commission.

Fabergé, whose father Gustav established the namesake company, produced 50 eggs for the royal family, of which 43 are still in existence. He was given creative power after the first egg, and from that point until the piece's premiere, specifics about each successive creation were kept a secret, even from the tsar.

Fabergé controlled the process, but the eggs were made by groups of metalworkers, jewelers, designers, and other professionals who were given a lot of artistic freedom. Even though the eggs were created of expensive materials, their value was not determined by how much money was spent on the specific jewels or metals (some eggs were rather inexpensive in that aspect), but rather by the creativity and talent the artists put into each one.

Alma Theresia Pihl, one of two women who worked as designers at the House of Fabergé at the start of the 20th century, was the brains behind a pair of the most renowned eggs. She sprung from a long line of distinguished craftspeople who worked for Fabergé; her grandpa was the company's chief jeweler and her uncle was a celebrated goldsmith.

The first egg Fabergé created for the Russian royal family was meant to be a one of a kind gift from Tsar Alexander III to his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, in observance of Easter and (it is alleged) to divert her attention from a wave of terrorist attacks that had been launched against the imperial court. The golden "yolk" that opened to reveal a golden hen resting on golden straw was hidden inside the gold banded, enamel encased egg.

Snow Egg, 1913
The eggs have generated a distinct body of scholarship throughout the years, and Géza Von Habsburg, who is 80 years old, is one of the most knowledgeable authorities.

Egg of Coronation, 1897

This egg, which Tsar Nicholas II gave to Empress Alexandra as a souvenir of their 1896 coronation, is encased in multicolored gold and adorned with enamel. A big portrait cut diamond with the empress's monogram visible through its table is one of the surprises, as is a cluster of 10 brilliant diamonds put in the top of the egg.

1887 Third Imperial Easter Egg

The Third Imperial Egg, which Tsar Alexander III gave to Empress Maria Feodorovna, was one of the numerous artifacts taken from the Romanovs during the Russian Revolution and later sold by the Bolsheviks to Western collectors to pay for their new government (the practice was known as "treasures to tractors").


1894 Renaissance egg

The Renaissance Egg and nine other works of art were purchased by American oil tycoon and collector Armand Hammer (the great grandfather of actor Armie Hammer) after World War I for just 1500 rubles, or roughly $12000. In 1937, he sold the Renaissance Egg to British aristocrat and film producer Henry Talbot DeVere Clifton.

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