New Website Tells the Story of VMFA’s World-Famous Fabergé Collection

VMFA has 190 objects by or attributed to the Fabergé firm, including five of the famous imperial Easter eggs. This extensive collection is largely attributed to one donor, Mrs. Lillian Thomas Pratt, who collected over 400 of these treasures between 1933 and 1946. Mrs. Pratt bequeathed a large portion of her collection to the museum in 1947, and those objects have continued to enchant and delight visitors through the decades.

The new website is dedicated to telling the story of Mrs. Pratt and the formation of her world-famous collection through rich content never before offered online. With generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Mrs. Pratt’s archive has been digitized and made available to the public.  Visitors can search the complete archives and view recently digitized materials, including her correspondence, invoices with object descriptions, and price tags from both the Schaffer Collection and the Hammer Galleries.

The website also features many educational resources on the collection itself, including newly filmed videos of the eggs opening, interactive 360° views of the eggs, and recently digitized rare books related to Fabergé and Russian decorative arts.

VISIT THE SITE

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