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{{short description|1903 Imperial Fabergé egg}}
[[Image:Peterthegreategg.JPG|right|180px|thumb|The 'Peter the Great' egg]]
⚫
{{Infobox Fabergé egg
The '''Peter the Great Egg''' is a [[Jewellery|jewelled]] [[Easter egg]] made under the supervision of the [[Russia]]n jeweller [[Peter Carl Fabergé]] in 1903, for the last [[Tsar]] of Russia, [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]].
| name =Peter the Great
| image =12 - Richmond - VMFA - Imperial Peter the Great Easter Egg (1903) (25052461497).jpg
| image_size =250px
| caption =The egg on its original stand
| year_delivered =1903
| made_for =[[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]]
|recipient=[[Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse)|Alexandra Fedorovna]]
| owner =[[Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]]
| acquisition_year =1947
| workmaster =[[Michael Perkhin]]
| materials = [[Gold]], [[diamond]], [[platinum]], [[rock crystal]], [[Vitreous enamel|enamel]]
| height ={{convert|111|mm|in}}
| width =
| surprise_in_egg =Miniature gold replica of [[Bronze Horseman|Peter the Great equestrian statue]]
}}


Tsar Nicholas presented the egg to his wife, the Czarina [[Alexandra Fyodorovna]]. The egg is currently located at the [[Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]] in Richmond, Virginia, in the [[United States]].
The '''Peter the Great''' egg is a [[Jewellery|jewelled]] [[Easter egg]] made under the supervision of the [[Russia]]n jeweler [[Peter Carl Fabergé]] in 1903 for the last [[Tsar]] of Russia, [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]]. Tsar Nicholas presented the [[Fabergé egg]] to his wife, the Czarina [[Alexandra Fyodorovna (Alix of Hesse)|Alexandra Fyodorovna]]. The egg is now in the [[Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]] in [[Richmond, Virginia]], in the [[United States]].<ref name="Faberge">{{Cite book |last=Curry |first=David Park |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_0917046412 |title=Fabergé |publisher=[[Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]] |year=1995 |isbn=0917046412 |access-date=2023-01-22 |url-access=registration}}</ref>


==Craftsmanship==
==Design==
Made in the [[Rococo]] style, the Peter the Great Egg celebrated the two-hundredth anniversary of the founding of [[St. Petersburg]] in 1703. It is made of red, green and yellow gold, [[platinum]], rose-cut diamonds, [[ruby|rubies]], enamel, rock crystal, and miniature watercolor portraits on [[ivory]]. The egg measures 4{{fraction|1|4}} by 3{{fraction|1|8}} (diameter) inches.<ref name="mieks">[http://www.wintraecken.nl/mieks/faberge/eggs/1903-Peter-the-Great-Egg.htm Mieks – Fabergé Peter the Great Egg] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080222144348/http://www.mieks.com/Faberge2/1903-Peter-the-Great-Egg.htm |date=2008-02-22 }}</ref>
Made in the [[Rococo]] style, this egg celebrated the two-hundredth anniversary of the founding of [[St. Petersburg]] in 1703.


Executed in gold, the curves are set with diamonds and rubies. The body of the egg is covered in laurel leaves and bulrushes that are chased in 14-carat green gold. These symbolize the source of the "living waters". The spikyheads are set with square rubies. The egg shell features four miniatures by B. Baal that show [[Peter the Great]], the wooden hut that is traditionally said to have been built by himself, [[Nicholas II]] and the 1000 room [[Winter Palace]]. Each of the miniatures is covered by rock crystal. White [[Vitreous enamel|enamel]] ribbons inscribed with historical details encircle the egg. The inscriptions read "The Emperor [[Peter Pedro the Great]], born in 1672, founding [[St. Petersburg]] in 1703" and "The [[Cabin of Peter the Great|first little house]] of the Emperor [[Peter the Great]] in 1703". "The Emperor Nicholas II born in the 1868 ascended the throne in 1894" and "The Winter Palace of His Imperial Majesty in 1903."
Executed in gold, the curves are set with diamonds and rubies. The body of the egg is covered in laurel leaves and bulrushes that are chased in 14-carat green gold. These symbolize the source of the "living waters". The spiky heads are set with square rubies. White [[Vitreous enamel|enamel]] ribbons inscribed with historical details encircle the egg. On the top of the egg is an enameled wreath which encircles Nicholas II's monogram. The bottom of the egg is adorned with the double-headed imperial eagle, made of black enamel and crowned with two diamonds.<ref name="Faberge"/>


The egg shell features four miniature watercolors painted by B. Byalz. The paintings representing the "before" and "after" of St. Petersburg in 1703 and 1903. The front painting features the extravagant [[Winter Palace]], the official residence of Nicholas II two hundred years after the founding of St. Petersburg. Opposite this, on the back of the egg, is a painting of the [[Cabin of Peter the Great|log cabin]] believed to be built by [[Peter the Great]] himself, representative of the founding of St. Petersburg on the banks of the [[Neva River]]. On the sides of the egg are portraits of Peter the Great in 1703 and Nicholas II in 1903. Each of the miniatures is covered by rock crystal. The dates 1703 and 1903, worked in diamonds, appear on either side of the lid above the paintings of the log cabin and Winter Palace, respectively.<ref name="Faberge"/>
The dates 1703 and 1903 appear on either side of the lid.

Below each painting are fluttering enamel ribbons with inscriptions in black Cyrillic letters. The inscriptions include: "The Emperor Peter the Great, born in 1672, founding St. Petersburg in 1703", "The [[Cabin of Peter the Great|first little house]] of the Emperor Peter the Great]in 1703", "The Emperor Nicholas II born in the 1868 ascended the throne in 1894" and "The Winter Palace of His Imperial Majesty in 1903."<ref name="mieks"/>

The design of the piece is based on an egg-shaped gold and enamel clock nécessaire made in Paris in 1757 for the Tsarina [[Elizabeth of Russia|Elizabeth]], which is in the collection of the [[State Hermitage Museum|Hermitage Museum]].<ref>[https://fabergeresearch.com/eggs-faberge-imperial-egg-chronology/#peterthegreategg Fabergé Research Site, Peter the Great Egg]</ref>


==Surprise==
==Surprise==
[[File:Fabergé VFMA (5991461449).jpg|thumb|right|Surprise in the background]]
The surprise is that when the egg is opened, a mechanism within raises a miniature gold model of [[The Bronze Horseman|Peter the Great's monument on the Neva]], resting on a base of sapphire. The model was made by Gerogii Malychevin. The reason for this choice of surprise is the story of a legend from the 19th century that says enemy forces will never take [[St. Petersburg]] while the "[[Bronze Horseman]]" stands in the middle of the city.
The surprise is that when the egg is opened, a mechanism within raises a miniature gold model of [[The Bronze Horseman|Peter the Great's monument on the Neva]], resting on a base of red granite. The model was made by Gerogii Malychevin. The reason for this choice of surprise is the story of a legend from the 19th century that says enemy forces will never take [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]] while the "[[Bronze Horseman]]" stands in the middle of the city.<ref name="Faberge"/>

==History==
St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 during the [[Great Northern War]]. Peter moved the Russian capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg and intended the new city to be a "window on the west," in an effort to [[Westernize]] Russia. St. Petersburg became a European cultural center and continues to be the most westernized city in Russia.<ref name="Petersburg">{{Cite book |last=George |first=Arthur L. |title=St. Petersburg: Russia's Window to the Future--the First Three Centuries |last2=George |first2=Elena |publisher=Taylor Trade Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=9781589790179}}</ref>

The ''Peter the Great Egg'' was sold in 1930 to [[Armand Hammer]], an American entrepreneur who had business interests in Russia. It was later bought by A la Vieille Russie, [[New York City]]. In 1944, it was purchased by Lillian Pratt of [[Fredericksburg, Virginia]] (1876&ndash;1947) and bequeathed to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 1947. It remains on permanent view in their European Decorative Art Collection.<ref name="Faberge"/>


==See also==
==See also==
⚫
*[[Fabergé egg]]
*[[Egg decorating]]
*[[Egg decorating]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book|last=Faber|first=Toby|title=Faberge's Eggs: The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire|publisher=Random House|year=2008|isbn=978-1-4000-6550-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/fabergeseggsextr00fabe}}
*{{cite book|author-link=Christopher Forbes|last1=Forbes|first1=Christopher|first2=Johann Georg |last2=Prinz von Hohenzollern|title=FABERGE; The Imperial Eggs|publisher=Prestel|year=1990|asin=B000YA9GOM}}
*{{cite book|last=Lowes|first=Will|title=Fabergé Eggs: A Retrospective Encyclopedia|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=2001|isbn=0-8108-3946-6}}
*{{Cite book|author-link=Kenneth Snowman|last=Snowman|first=A Kenneth|title=Carl Faberge: Goldsmith to the Imperial Court of Russia|publisher=Gramercy|year=1988|isbn=0-517-40502-4}}

==External links==
==External links==
*[http://andrejkoymasky.com/liv/fab/29/fab29.html A detailed article on the 'Peter the Great' egg]


{{Commons category}}
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[[Category:Fabergé eggs]]
*[http://www.vmfa.museum/Collections/Fabergé/Imperial_Egg_47_20_33.aspx Virginia Museum of the Fine Arts description]
[[Category:Visitor attractions in Moscow]]
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[[Category:1903 works]]


{{Fabergé egg}}
[[pt:Pedro, o Grande (ovo Fabergé)]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peter The Great (Faberge Egg)}}
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[[Category:Imperial Fabergé eggs]]
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[[Category:1903 works]]
[[Category:Peter the Great]]
[[Category:Fabergé in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]]

Latest revision as of 22:21, 15 December 2024

Peter the Great Fabergé egg
The egg on its original stand
Year delivered1903
CustomerNicholas II
RecipientAlexandra Fedorovna
Current owner
Individual or institutionVirginia Museum of Fine Arts
Year of acquisition1947
Design and materials
WorkmasterMichael Perkhin
Materials usedGold, diamond, platinum, rock crystal, enamel
Height111 millimetres (4.4 in)
SurpriseMiniature gold replica of Peter the Great equestrian statue

The Peter the Great egg is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1903 for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the Fabergé egg to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna. The egg is now in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States.[1]

Design

[edit]

Made in the Rococo style, the Peter the Great Egg celebrated the two-hundredth anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg in 1703. It is made of red, green and yellow gold, platinum, rose-cut diamonds, rubies, enamel, rock crystal, and miniature watercolor portraits on ivory. The egg measures 41⁄4 by 31⁄8 (diameter) inches.[2]

Executed in gold, the curves are set with diamonds and rubies. The body of the egg is covered in laurel leaves and bulrushes that are chased in 14-carat green gold. These symbolize the source of the "living waters". The spiky heads are set with square rubies. White enamel ribbons inscribed with historical details encircle the egg. On the top of the egg is an enameled wreath which encircles Nicholas II's monogram. The bottom of the egg is adorned with the double-headed imperial eagle, made of black enamel and crowned with two diamonds.[1]

The egg shell features four miniature watercolors painted by B. Byalz. The paintings representing the "before" and "after" of St. Petersburg in 1703 and 1903. The front painting features the extravagant Winter Palace, the official residence of Nicholas II two hundred years after the founding of St. Petersburg. Opposite this, on the back of the egg, is a painting of the log cabin believed to be built by Peter the Great himself, representative of the founding of St. Petersburg on the banks of the Neva River. On the sides of the egg are portraits of Peter the Great in 1703 and Nicholas II in 1903. Each of the miniatures is covered by rock crystal. The dates 1703 and 1903, worked in diamonds, appear on either side of the lid above the paintings of the log cabin and Winter Palace, respectively.[1]

Below each painting are fluttering enamel ribbons with inscriptions in black Cyrillic letters. The inscriptions include: "The Emperor Peter the Great, born in 1672, founding St. Petersburg in 1703", "The first little house of the Emperor Peter the Great]in 1703", "The Emperor Nicholas II born in the 1868 ascended the throne in 1894" and "The Winter Palace of His Imperial Majesty in 1903."[2]

The design of the piece is based on an egg-shaped gold and enamel clock nécessaire made in Paris in 1757 for the Tsarina Elizabeth, which is in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.[3]

Surprise

[edit]
Surprise in the background

The surprise is that when the egg is opened, a mechanism within raises a miniature gold model of Peter the Great's monument on the Neva, resting on a base of red granite. The model was made by Gerogii Malychevin. The reason for this choice of surprise is the story of a legend from the 19th century that says enemy forces will never take St. Petersburg while the "Bronze Horseman" stands in the middle of the city.[1]

History

[edit]

St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 during the Great Northern War. Peter moved the Russian capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg and intended the new city to be a "window on the west," in an effort to Westernize Russia. St. Petersburg became a European cultural center and continues to be the most westernized city in Russia.[4]

The Peter the Great Egg was sold in 1930 to Armand Hammer, an American entrepreneur who had business interests in Russia. It was later bought by A la Vieille Russie, New York City. In 1944, it was purchased by Lillian Pratt of Fredericksburg, Virginia (1876–1947) and bequeathed to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 1947. It remains on permanent view in their European Decorative Art Collection.[1]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Curry, David Park (1995). Fabergé. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. ISBN 0917046412. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  2. ^ a b Mieks – Fabergé Peter the Great Egg Archived 2008-02-22 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Fabergé Research Site, Peter the Great Egg
  4. ^ George, Arthur L.; George, Elena (2003). St. Petersburg: Russia's Window to the Future--the First Three Centuries. Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 9781589790179.

Sources

[edit]
[edit]
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