Fabergรฉ Winter Eggโ Shatters Auction Records, Fetching $28.7 Million in london
A Fabergรฉ Imperial Easter egg, the Winter Egg, realized a record-breaking ยฃ22.9 โmillion (approximately $28.7 million) at ChristieSโ in London today,โฃ eclipsing all previous auction prices for โa Fabergรฉโค creation. The sale โunderscores the enduring allure and investment value of these opulent artifacts โof Russian imperialโฃ history.
Created between 1913 and 1914 for Tsar Nicholas II as a gift for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, the Winter Egg’s price dramatically exceeds โthe ยฃ9.6โค millionโค ($8.3 million) it garnered at a 2002 New York auction-a previous record. โฃThe extraordinary โคresult signals heightened demand for Fabergรฉ eggs among collectors and investors,with implications for the future valuation of the remaining,historically significant pieces.
The tradition of these lavish Easter โgifts began in the 1880s under Tsar Alexander II, who โcommissioned the firstโฃ Imperial egg from goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergรฉ.โฃ Nicholas II continued the practice, annually presenting twoโฃ eggs-one for his mother and another โคfor his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Over 31 years, fabergรฉ and his workshop crafted approximately 50 of these intricate masterpieces โfor the Romanov family.
The Winter Egg’s journey since the 1917 Russian Revolution has been markedโค by periods of uncertainty. Between 1929 and 1933, theโ Soviet goverment sold the egg โคto London jewelers Wartski โฃto raise foreign currency. It subsequently โฃpassed throughโค several British collections before disappearing from view between 1975 and 1994. โฃ
Today, onyl 43 of the original 50 Imperial Fabergรฉโ eggs remain,โ with seven still โunaccounted for.โ “They are extremely rare and valuable,” noted Margo Oganesian ofโ Christie’s, highlighting the exceptional status of these objects as both works of art and ancient relics.The interior of theโฃ Winterโ Egg features โขa โคmeticulously crafted miniature replica of the Imperial Yacht Standart,and a delicateโฃ basket โคcontaining anemones.