Russia, St. Petersburg / c. 1885–90
Lapis Lazuli Easter Egg
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Lapis Lazuli Easter Egg as miscellaneous (Russia, St. Petersburg · c. 1885–90).
This egg may have been made for one of the tsar's relatives very early in the run of Fabergé's production of Easter eggs.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this miscellaneous as gold, enamel, lapis lazuli, pearls, diamonds, rubies and credits Peter Carl Fabergé (Russian, 1846–1920).
The museum's collection notes: Peter Carl Fabergé became the crown jeweler to the imperial court of Russia after he produced the very first Easter egg for Tsar Alexander III to give to his wife, Empress Marie Feodorovna. Fabergé created his celebrated Easter eggs, symbols of rebirth and renewal, as gifts for the Russian imperial family every year until he had to leave the country in 1919 after the Russian Revolution. Made of gold and lapis lazui from the Ural Mountains, this egg conceals a delightful surprise within of an imperial crown and a tiny ruby or pink sapphire on a chain.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtLapis Lazuli Easter EggOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.