The Romanov Faberge Eggs

do november 16 1994 christie's auction house geneva the imperial winter egg created by the great jeweler peter carl faberge for russia's last tsar nicholas ii and his wife alexandra is available to the highest bidder my favorite egg is probably the winter egg of 1913 which had been lost for virtually 50 years before it was re-found and came up at auction the egg is a transparent rock crystal and inside is a little basket of spring flowers the block underneath seems to be melting ice i don't think it's just it's sheer genius one of the big appeals in addition to the beautiful art form that they are is the element of surprise they had very personal very special surprises in them they had jewels family pictures mechanical toys and they were exquisite art forms that had a very special meaning the auction of a faberge imperial egg is a rare event only 50 of the precious orbs were made of those just 42 are known to still exist the majority of them are held in private collections and museums throughout the united states the largest single collection 12 eggs was acquired by malcolm forbes the late publisher of forbes magazine he was always intrigued by both the historical connotation and then the beauty of the objects he never liked me saying this but i always maintained that it was also because our mother didn't like jewelry and if you like jewelry and you have a wife who won't wear it what better thing to collect than fabric [Music] after intense bidding the winter egg is sold to an anonymous buyer for 5.5 million dollars a record was it worth it the essence of a faberge egg is craftsmanship and not intrinsic value take for instance the winter egg if you break that down into its little parts you have two blocks of rock crystal a couple of thousand dollars three thousand minute little diamond chips another couple of thousand dollars and a bit of platinum so you're paying for the genius of faberge and his unbelievable craftsmanship beyond the unbelievable craftsmanship there is something else that would compel one to pay five and a half million dollars for an egg something less tangible than rock crystal and diamond ships but just as real maybe more valuable the faberge imperial legs continue to fascinate people because of the history of nicholas and alexandra it's a family-based story nicholas and alexandra seemed to have been a love match they had five very beautiful children and they themselves were beautiful couple and they seem to be united as a family and i think that there's an appreciation for that coupled with the artistry of the the pieces not to mention the celebration of easter the story of the faberge eggs begins in 1885 when czar alexander iii nicholas's father ruled russia he wished to give his wife zarina maria feodorovna who was born a danish princess a special easter present to remind her of home [Music] for this exclusive commission alexander had only one man in mind peter carl faberge one of the most prominent jewelers in all of saint petersburg the capital city alexander was very familiar with faberge's work in 1882 he had attended the pan-russian art exhibition and admired the jeweler's prize-winning hardstone animals now alexander wanted faberge to create something just as amusing to give the tsarina at easter [Music] faberge did not disappoint he put his best craftsmen on the project they delivered what became known as the first imperial easter egg at a quick glance it resembles a real egg its shell is made of plain white enamel and stands just two and a half inches high but once opened all such similarities end and faberge's talent for transforming a common holiday trifle into a unique object of fantasy is revealed the inside cradles a golden yolk which opens to display a tiny gold hen with ruby eyes the egg's simplicity expresses the artistic principles that distinguished faberge from his competitors [Music] his feeling was it should be craftsmanship rather than carrot content and design and and in some cases a great sense of humor that made an object delightful and valuable and desirable empress maria must have found the egg delightful and desirable faberge had made sure it reminded her of home the inspiration for it came from a similar one made in denmark for her father king christian ix the first imperial egg was a total success zarina was happy the tsar was pleased a tradition was born faberge would present a new egg to the court each easter the annual ritual provided faberge and his craftsmen the opportunity to continually experiment with a classic form of decorative art the easter egg it was as rich in religious meaning as it was in artistic potential the egg is a symbol of rebirth fertility new life and is very symbolic of the easter holiday in the resurrection of christ and thus it becomes a very apt symbol for faberge's creativity these potent themes came together in the imperial resurrection egg presented in 1889 inside its rock crystal shell is a scene of the risen christ atop his tomb [Music] the resurrection egg is one of the few to have a purely religious theme faberge preferred secular subjects especially anything to do with the czar and his family the imperial palmiatizoga egg is an early example in 1890 alexander and maria urged their eldest son 22 year old nicholas to take a trip around the world they wanted to break off an affair he was having with a ballerina and at the same time enhances education and diplomatic skills nicholas sailed aboard the cruiser pamiata zova for nine months his itinerary included stops in egypt india and japan [Music] the egg commemorates the voyage the dark green jasper shell is decorated with gold rococo scrollwork and set with diamonds [Music] the seaworthy surprise within is a minutely detailed model of the palmiatazova itself made of gold and platinum it floats on a wave of aquamarine [Music] the egg was more memorable than the voyage it honors my trip is senseless nicholas wrote in his diary homesick for his carefree life the callow prince had little patience for the endless rounds of official ceremonies you must remember what you represent admonished his mother in a letter those words gained unforgettable urgency in 1894 that year tsar alexander died unexpectedly of kidney disease at the age of 49. suddenly nicholas became emperor of all [Music] russia nicholas's main source of support during this trying time was the new love in his life he had given up his dalliance with the ballerina to be engaged to a princess the german-born alex of hesse darnstadt better known as alexandra as the granddaughter of britain's queen victoria she possessed the royal pedigree cultivated intellect and passionate personality that nicholas required in a potential mate within a week of laying alexander iii to rest nicholas and alexandra were married when the official year of mourning was over in 1895 nicholas continued the tradition established by his father of presenting a faberge easter egg to the tsarina first one he gave to alexandra was the imperial rosebud egg [Music] the red enameled shell is decorated with gold wreaths and diamond ribbons and arrows the egg takes its name from the surprise inside a rosebud enameled in a matte finish to give it a more natural appearance [Music] it symbolizes not only the rebirth of romanov rule with a new czar in power but also the love blooming between the newlyweds a love alexandra expressed to nicholas with her own verse may love and peace and blessing without end she wrote read all your path with flowers oh my friend and if a thorn should touch you where they grow believe indeed i would not have it so the rosebud egg also symbolized the budding relationship between nicholas and faberge theirs would be a creative and prolific arrangement unlike any between a jeweler and his patron with the ascendance of nicholas ii to the throne faberge gained the patron with whom he would be most closely associated the new czar's reign was destined to be filled with the kind of drama and tragedy that would endow the faberge eggs with an aura of mystery and myth unlike any treasures in history if social change is a catalyst for artistic breakthroughs then faberge produced his best work during nicholas's turbulent time on the throne beginning with his coronation in may 1896. the coronation was a very big event it's a very big event for us in america when we inaugurate a president we do that every four years in russia you had a coronation only when one monarch died and his heir her came in so it was much less frequent and in a sense much more important 28 year old nicholas had more power than any head of state in the world an autocrat his word was law in an empire covering one-sixth the earth's land surface beyond being a political figure he was considered god's representative and saw himself as the savior of his people [Music] fittingly his coronation in the kremlin was an awe-inspiring ceremony the religious service in which he was crowned lasted five hours when it was over a hundred and one guns fired in salute mobs parted like the sea for the procession if you could imagine the most magnificent pageant you've ever seen put on the stage reported one observer coupled with the most gorgeous religious ceremony then that will give you an idea of nicholas's coronation to honor this event faberge created his most lavish easter egg up to that time the coronation egg presented in 1897 only five inches tall the egg's gold shell is machine engraved with sunburst patterns and covered with a sharp yellow enamel so much caution was taken in the making of this egg that the holes to secure the pegs for the lattice work were drilled under water so that the heat from the drill bit would not crack the enamel though the shell is considered the epitome of the goldsmith's art the surprise inside makes the egg truly memorable an exact replica less than four inches long of the coach nicholas and alexander road on coronation day it took its creator george stein a master carriage maker 15 months to complete the frame is made of gold the body red enamel the windows are etched rock crystal the hinged doors open the wheels rotate and even make turns when they restored the coach itself they were able to refer to the egg because all the detailing was so exact they knew exactly what was missing in terms of the steps that pulled out the way the door handles work i mean it's an extraordinary job of the goldsmith's craft nicholas father alexander iii initiated a massive rail building program it was nicholas's wish to realize his father's vision in 1900 after nine years of construction the trans-siberian railway the most ambitious of these lines opened this engineering marvel ushered in a new era in travel and communication [Music] nicholas commissioned faberge to create an egg whose novelty was commensurate with this grand achievement the imperial trans-siberian railway egg is the result the green enamel shell's main feature is a wide silver band inscribed with the legend great siberian railway 1900 and the map tracing the 4 000 mile route from moscow to vladivostok the surprise is a foot long miniature train authentically detailed made of gold and platinum the engine's headlamps are set with diamonds the brake lights rubies the five coaches have inscriptions reading for smokers and ladies only the last car represents the imperial chapel when wound with a golden key the train runs on its wheels [Music] the trans-siberian railway egg is a unique tribute russia's industrial might and rising fortunes at the turn of the century faberge's own operation reflected this prosperity faberge produced an art form that was very russian that showed the gems the minerals the wealth of russia and uh appealed to the tsar and that because he appealed to the czar he was popular as a result faberge saw his company grow from a small family business to one of the most successful private enterprises in russia he owned four stores three in russia and one in london employed 500 craftsmen and produced over 120 000 unique pieces of jewelry many of them including these miniature easter eggs were sold through a booming catalog business it was his promise of novelty that kept faberge's customers loyal sometimes to a humorous extent there's a wonderful story of a woman who comes into the shop and wants to know what he's producing new for easter this year and he says that he's going to make a square egg and much to the amusement of the people in the shop and who try to keep a straight face while this woman goes out and lo and behold she comes back the next week wanting to see this square egg and he has to confess well we had a little problem with it didn't quite work but of all the jewelry bearing the faberge stamp it was the imperial easter eggs that were the most renowned they were made at his headquarters on bolshaya morskaya street in st petersburg faberge himself did not hand craft the eggs yet his vision and style were present every step of the way it began with his rough sketch of an idea for an egg designers refined it then work masters directed teams of goldsmiths enamelers engravers painters and jewelers to produce it it took a year sometimes two to create a single imperial egg if it or any other item did not meet faberge's approval it was returned to the workshop to be redone or destroyed according to tradition by the hammer of faberge himself i think that that is a nice little story a legend but i think it does illustrate the fact that fabian must have had an eagle eye to examine every single piece that came from tens of thousands we now know over a hundred thousand pieces that they had to be perfect nicholas appreciated faberge's high standards he became the jeweler's most famous patron and most effective promoter in addition to the imperial easter eggs he commissioned pins and other trinkets to give away to everyone from foreign dignitaries to humble servants the ultimate endorsement came when the tsar selected faberge to represent russia at the 1900 exposition universal in paris there the imperial easter eggs went on public view for the first time europeans and americans received them enthusiastically the recognition made faberge one of the most famous jewelers in the world [Music] faberge's imperial easter eggs reveal much about their creator's artistic background and influences before inheriting the family business faberge studied the art of goldsmithing in paris and other european cities he also frequented the hermitage in his native saint petersburg there he was inspired by the collections of german and french works amassed by catherine the great faberge's clever adaptations of the styles he studied and his ability to make them his own gave his eggs as much distinction as their craftsmanship did perhaps the most dazzling example of faberge referencing an artistic style is the imperial lilies of the valley egg his personal expression of art nouveau a movement sweeping through europe at the turn of the century my favorite egg has to be the lilies of the valley egg because it's so over the top it's very art nouveau it's this wonderful candy box pink with beautiful green leaves and these gorgeous lilies that climb up the side of this egg the selection of different sized pearls to indicate a natural range of buds to full blooms demonstrates faberge's belief that materials should serve the purpose of design the surprise befits the life-affirming symbolism of the egg portraits of nicholas and the first two children alexandra boreham daughters olga and tatiana eventually nicholas and alexandra had three more children daughters maria and anastasia and their only son and heir to the throne alexi the family would become the center of the tsar's life he loved being with his family they withdrew these suburban palaces because he did not like public events public affairs he hated the council meetings and the meetings with ministers and so forth he had to have what he liked was to have tea with his family with his daughters playing around the tsar's family both the one he was born into and his own were frequent subjects for faberge eggs nicholas had spent his childhood at guccina a 900 room palace located 25 miles from st petersburg there his father alexander iii had insisted that nicholas his two brothers and two sisters observe a spartan life lest they be spoiled amidst the opulent surroundings nicholas ate simple food took cold baths and slept on an army cot the strict discipline was relieved by his fun-loving mother maria theodorodna who let nicholas and his siblings romp through the grounds when alexander wasn't looking perhaps out of gratitude nicholas commissioned faberge to make the gachina palace egg which he presented to his mother around 1902 inside the 5-inch egg is an exact replica of the palace right down to the statuary lampposts and flag flying from a turret the accuracy extends to the landscaping including a graveled courtyard the gachina egg is a gilded memorial to the life nicholas and his mother led at the palace [Music] when nicholas had his own family faberge produced equally shining gifts to remind him of the good life he shared with alexandra and the children the romanovs spent their summers sailing the gulf of finland on the standard nicholas's favorite yacht [Music] it was on board the richly appointed vessel that some of the most candid scenes of the czar and his family were filmed the children skating on her deck and when they were older the grand duchess is dancing with naval officers to remember these carefree moments faberge made the ultimate ship in a bottle the imperial standard egg presented to alexander from nicholas around 1909 inside the six-inch rock crystal shell is a gold replica of the yacht sailing on a sleek wave of aquamarine the egg is supported by the intertwined tails of two lapis lazuli dolphins the tiered base is layered with rock crystal diamonds gold and white enamel the handles on either side are two imperial eagles if there is one imperial easter gift that definitively demonstrates the close link between faberge and the tsar it is the 15th anniversary egg presented to alexandra in 1911 it celebrates nicholas's decade and a half on the throne my favorite is the 15th anniversary egg for the reason cited it is probably the egg which is most completely associated with nicholas and alexandra literally like a family album and not only are the portraits of the czar and his wife and children but they're all these incredible miniatures of all the major events of his reign the only thing missing is the tragic denouement the miniatures are painted on ivory by artist vasily zuyev from photographs and drawings of the time among the nine views of places and events associated with nicholas's reign are the coronation procession the coronation ceremony the opening of the state duma a legislative body the alexander iii bridge in paris and the canonization of saint seraphim to whom alexandra had prayed for a son the egg's incredibly detailed artwork is all the more impressive when one realizes that these panels are each less than two inches across the egg is evidence that nicholas had much to celebrate in 1911. he had survived the 1905 revolution and a disastrous war with japan to see his nation prosper russia's industrial growth rivaled that of the united states and the arts exemplified by faberge's jeweled wonder flourished but the 15th anniversary egg's dazzling craftsmanship could not distract nicholas from the burden of keeping a dark family secret his seven-year-old son and only heir alexi was diagnosed with hemophilia a life-threatening blood disease his condition was so precarious that he often had to be carried at public events it was a real family tragedy it didn't become publicly known because they withheld the knowledge they felt that it would be too devastating for the dynasty for the people to know that the heir to the throne had this very serious disease the health of her son possessed alexandra she did anything to keep him alive when doctors could not cure the boy she prayed for help it came in the form of a siberian holy man a charismatic figure with his own mystical brand of medicine gregory rasputin you had this boy in great pain this desperate mother in comes this holy man who by telling stories by singing songs could distract the boy by using these extraordinary eyes you have only to see a photograph of them to realize the power of those eyes [Music] rasputin's miraculous healing powers gave him extraordinary influence over the royal family especially alexandra who made him her confidant many questioned the zarina's association with rasputin for when he was not tending to alexi he indulged in orgies with saint petersburg prostitutes everybody in st petersburg knew about this alexandra did not and when she was told she refused to believe these stories she said they're made up by our enemies all she knew was that he could help her son nicholas uh had more information and tried to get rid of rasputin and then alexander would come to him and say you know our son's life depends on him rasputin's debauchery soon fueled unfounded and sinister rumors about the nature of his relationship with the imperial family [Music] the hint of scandal combined with the tragedy of alexi's fragile health added intrigue and irony to the 300th anniversary of romanov rule in 1913 the event was marked by religious services parades official ceremonies and of course a faberge the imperial tercentenary egg is a gilded gallery of russia's ruling house its white enamel shell is almost completely covered by golden cage work amidst the swirling pattern is a repeated motif of the imperial double-headed eagle and various crowns set into the egg are portraits of the 18 romanovs to rule russia painted on ivory by zou yev the artist who had done the magnificent miniatures on the 15th anniversary egg a few of the monarchs depicted on the ter centenary became the inspiration for individual faberge eggs the most spectacular of which is the imperial cameo a tribute to catherine the great the monarch whose art treasures formed the basis of the hermitage collection that faberge had studied it was presented to nicholas's mother the dowager empress marie in 1914 though it stands less than five inches high the egg is a towering achievement in cameo the panels painted by zuyem are in the style of 18th century french painting the large central panels are allegories or symbols the one in front represents the arts [Music] the back panel sciences the smaller panels frame personifications of the four seasons the surprise now lost resembled this sedan chair on which sits a figure of catherine the great carried by two bearers the katherine the great egg is the only one in the series for which the reaction of its royal recipient was recorded nikki presented me with the most beautiful easter egg the dowager empress beamed in a letter to her sister queen alexandra of england faberge brought it to me himself it is a true chef derv faberge is the greatest genius of our time the same year the dowager emperors received the catherine the great egg world war one broke out russia had one of the largest armies in the world but soon proved to be one of its most ill-prepared outgunned and outmaneuvered by german forces one million russian soldiers were killed wounded or missing in action in just the first five months of war in 1915 after critical munition shortages led to more crushing defeats nicholas appointed himself commander-in-chief and went to the front where he was briefly joined by son alexi the tsar did not trust his independent-minded ministers to run the government in his absence so alexandra became his surrogate her sole advisor was rasputin whose capricious council turned the palace into a revolving door of appointments and dismissals as government stability declined food and fuel supplies ran short many russians frustrated with these conditions accused the german-born alexandra of treason nicholas fared no better on the warfront munitions supplies were so low that his men often went into battle limited to three shots a day if they had weapons at all the wounded came home at such a rate that the tsar's palace at sarskoy cello became an army hospital there alexandra and her two eldest daughters olga and tatiana became red cross nurses [Music] they'd spend the day not only going from bed to bed and holding hands and saying something really they were actually in the operating one of the alexander's defense i have seen the empress of russia the surgeon would hand her an arm he had just taken off and she felt fulfilled she felt well at last i'm doing something really useful i'm sure that the red cross egg was intended to commemorate this the red cross egg presented in 1915 is austere reflecting a wartime economy that made precious metals scarce the exterior's plain white enamel is reminiscent of the first imperial easter egg the shell features portraits of the grand duchesses in their red cross uniforms a somber contrast to their joyful innocent faces that appeared on the lilies of the valley egg 17 years earlier befitting the times in which it was made the red cross egg surprise is serious a painting entitled the harrowing of hell [Music] it's a very simple leg it's beautiful in its simplicity which gets to the situation which russia was then the opulence had been put aside and this was a russia with its back to its walls bleeding world war one would end in disaster for russia and plunge her into another revolution marking the end of nicholas and alexandra and the production of faberge eggs to be the last imperial easter egg faberge ever made the cross of saint george presented by the tsar to his mother the dowager empress on easter 1916. it honors a medal that the tsar conferred upon himself [Music] the shell is enameled in yellow with a matte finish the under painting of leafy lattice work sections off miniature red and white st george crosses a gold ribbon enameled in black and orange the order of st george colors loops across the surface in the aftermath of what was to come the egg seems to be a final tribute to the czar foreshadowing the end of romanov rule [Music] in 1916 conditions in russia worsened to save the country members of the imperial circle carried out a plot to murder rasputin the holy man was poisoned shot several times and dumped in a freezing river the act spared the country one of its most controversial figures but failed to save it from revolution in 1917 as food and fuel supplies declined civil unrest mounted strikes and street fighting broke out in the shadow of the winter palace when soldiers joined the revolutionary movement the government collapsed aboard the imperial train at pskov nicholas yielded to demands that he abdicate he hoped that he and his family would be sent to england where his cousin king george v ruled but there would be no exile to a foreign country after lenin and the bolsheviks rested control of the government the romanovs were eventually removed to the town of ekaterinburg in the urals there they were imprisoned in what revolutionaries called the house of special purpose [Music] in the pre-dawn darkness of july 16 1918 guards ushered nicholas alexandra and their five children into the cellar of the house and executed them the bodies were burned covered in sulfuric acid and buried in a mine shaft its location remained a secret until the fall of communism in 1989 in a blaze of violence the reign of nicholas and alexandra as well as 300 years of romanov rule had come to a sudden end in the new order all those associated with the imperial family were forced to flee the country among them peter carl faberge posing as a courier to the british embassy he escaped russia in september 1918 and reunited with his family in lausanne switzerland he died there in 1920 the bolsheviks seized his st petersburg shop and reduced its operation finally the craftsmen left and the stock was sold or removed but what became of the imperial easter eggs miraculously in the chaos of war and revolution these fragile precious objects of fantasy survived lenin surprisingly enough was very conservative he ordered that the palaces should be sealed and that their contents should be put under lock and key and everything that was valuable such as crown jewels and imperial eggs faberge pieces were listed very carefully all these objects were transferred to the kremlin where they were kept virtually unknown until they were rediscovered somewhere around 1921 at that time the communist regime sought ways to finance their first five-year economic plan to get hard currency quickly they made many romanov art treasures including faberge imperial eggs available to foreign buyers one was an american entrepreneur dr armand hammer he acquired a number of faberges intending to resell them in the united states his timing could not have been worse the depression made any sales difficult however by 1933 the american market for faberge eggs emerged when dr hammer arranged to sell them through the lord and taylor department store in new york this and other exhibitions initiated the collecting of faberge in the united states early collectors including cereal heiress and philanthropist marjorie merryweather post helped make the united states the home of more faberge eggs than any other country in the world of the 42 faberge eggs still known to exist 29 are in various private and museum collections throughout america the largest is at the offices of forbes magazine in new york home to 12 eggs acquired by the late malcolm forbes my father loved history the russian revolution occurred just two years before he was born ironically occurred just one month after forbes magazine was created and that was his excuse ultimately for creating the forbes magazine collection that the capitalist tool should be uh competing with the soviets and he liked to refer to the eggs race in fact he loved assuring casper weinberger when he came to forbes that while cap was in the pentagon he didn't know for sure who had more missiles when he came to forbes he knew he had more eggs collectors are not the only ones who covet the imperial easter eggs the general public is fascinated by them too in 1996 record-setting crowds attended faberge in america an exhibit that traveled to museums from new york to san francisco why such enthusiastic interest the answer is in the eyes of the beholder people are attracted in droves of course there is the nostalgia factor everything that reeks of romanovs of this dreadful calamity that happened to the poor sweet girls and and the rest of the imperial families this is headline stuff and fabian is glittering little objects of art they are the most tangible record of what the imperial court was i don't think they were necessarily meant to be taken so seriously the way one might take the mona lisa seriously in their own right they are incredible works of art but the fun thing is is you don't have to be a goldsmith to appreciate them they are so beautifully made and they are some of them so whimsical they just give pleasure when you look at faberge it's a reminder of both the times out of which they came and of the taste of the people who ordered these things and also the jewelers who made them if we look around now in our society we're not producing anything of the quality of these eggs why not we have as much money where is the faberge of today he does not exist no artist can boast the unique combination of talent and patronage that made the imperial easter eggs possible they're of a time and place that is no more and will never come again yet their enduring value is that they can be treasured forever [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] foreign you

Channel: The Romanov Royal Martyrs

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Keywords: romanovs, romanov, romanov royal martyrs, Nicholas II, Tsar of Russia, Royal Family, Romanov execution, Romanov dynasty, Romanov trailer, Romanov family, Romanoffs, Helen Rappaport, Four sisters, Last Tsar, Ekaterinburg, Olga Shirnina, Anastasia Romanov, Alexandra Feodrovna, Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Royalty, British Royalty, romanov family today, romanov family death, romanov coronation, romanov sisters, romanov jewels, romanov saints, romanov book, National Geographic

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Length: 43min 44sec (2624 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 11 2020