Rare Fabergé Egg Commissioned for Russian Empress Fetches £23 Million at Auction
London – A stunning Fabergé egg, originally created in 1913 as an Easter gift for Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, mother of Russia’s last emperor, Nicholas II, has sold for a record-breaking £22.895 million (approximately $28.7 million) at Christie’s in London. The sale establishes a new world auction record for a work by the renowned Russian jeweller, surpassing the previous high of £8.9 million set in 2007 for the rothschild egg.
Known as the Winter Egg, the piece is celebrated as one of Fabergé’s most opulent imperial creations. Its design features intricately engraved frost patterns on the interior of a rock crystal shell, complemented by delicate rose-cut diamond-set platinum snowflake motifs on the exterior.
Peter Carl Fabergé, considered the greatest Russian jeweller of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, crafted these exquisite eggs as personal gifts for the Russian, Danish, and British royal families. Fewer than a handful of these imperial Easter eggs remain in private ownership, making this a uniquely meaningful acquisition.
The egg’s history is marked by upheaval and rediscovery. Following the 1917 Russian Revolution, it was initially held in the Kremlin armoury before being sold off in the 1920s by the Soviet government. It passed through the hands of London dealer Wartski in 1934, selling too a British collector for £1,500. The egg was even considered lost for two decades, between 1975 and 1994, before resurfacing at auction. Christie’s has previously sold the winter Egg in 1994 for £6.8 million and again in 2002 for £7.1 million.
“Christie’s is honoured to have been entrusted with the sale of the exquisite Winter egg by Fabergé for the third time in our history,” said Margo Oganesian, Christie’s head of department for Fabergé and Russian works of art. “Today’s result sets a new world auction record for a work by Fabergé, reaffirming the enduring significance of this masterpiece and celebrating the rarity and brilliance of what is widely regarded as one of Fabergé’s finest creations, both technically and artistically. With only a handful of imperial Easter eggs remaining in private hands, this was an exceptional and historic chance for collectors to acquire a work of unparalleled importance.”
