Imperial Pelican Easter Egg (Primary Title)
Fabergé firm, Russian, 1842 - 1917 (Manufacturer)
Johannes Zehngraf, Danish, 1857 - 1908 (Painter)
Mikhail Perkhin, 1860 - 1903 (Workmaster)
The Imperial Pelican Easter Egg was presented by Tsar Nicholas II to his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, in 1898. The egg commemorates the 100th anniversary of the charities and educational institutions she directed, which were founded by an earlier Russian empress who also took the name Maria Feodorovna (Alexander I’s mother, who was born Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, 1759–1828).
miniatures signed "Zehngraf"
initials of workmaster Mikhail Perkhin, assay mark of St. Petersburg before 1899, 56 zolotnik Stamped "Fabergé"
According to an email from Kathy Gillis, former conservator of objects,dated June 29, 2011, she says:
"based on the side with pictures - on the egg - going left to right:
No notches found, but there appears to be a signature on the inside cavity;
"IIIIIII" located at 2:30 on edge of bezel; "IIII" "IIII" very faint at 8:40 on interior cavity;
"IIIIII" located at 2:00 on edge of bezel; No apparent mark on inside;
"IIIII" located at 2:00 on edge of bezel; "IIII" @ 1:00 on flat back; "I" inside;
"IIII" located at 2:00 on edge of bezel; "1" @ 7:00 on inside'
"III" located at 4:00 on edge of bezel; "...." just shy of 3:00 on the inside;
Didn't remove this bezel, it was adhered and I didn't want to force it;
"I" located at 3:00 on edge of bezel; no apparent marks on the inside, but appears to have a signature on the inside cavity.
The egg is engraved with two Biblical quotations in Old Slavonic. To the left side of the pelican are the words: “Visit this vine,” (from Psalms 80: 14, King James Bible) which was the motto of the dowager empress’s institutes for the betterment of women. On the right are the words “Ye shall live also,” (from John 14:19, King James Bible) which was associated with her charities.
Bequest of Lillian Thomas Pratt
Exhibitions: St Petersburg 1902; Hammer Galleries catalogue, 1937 (p. 5, no. 4); Hammer Galleries catalogue 1939; Richmond 1947, 1948, 1954, 1983; Raleigh 1979 (no. 1); New York/San Francisco/ Richmond/ New Orleans/ Cleveland 1996/97 (cat. no. 150, pp. 158/9, ills. pp. 158/9); Richmond/ Detroit/ Salem/ Montreal/Las Vegas/Oklahoma City/Beijing 2012–2016 (cat. no. 188, pp. 268–275, ills. pp. 268–270, 272–275).
(for the full citations, above, see the "Bibliography - Taschen" under the Bibliography field in this TMS entry)
Fabergé Revealed, Palace Museum, Beijing, China, April 16 - July 17, 2016
Fabergé: Jeweler to the Tsars, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, June 20 – September 27, 2015
Fabergé Revealed, Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 14, 2014 - May 25, 2015
Fabulous Fabergé, Jeweler to the Czars, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, June 14 - October 12, 2014
Fabergé Revealed, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, June 22 - September 29, 2013
Fabergé: The Rise and Fall, Detroit Institute of Art, October 14, 2012 - January 21, 2013
Fabergé Revealed, VMFA, July 9, 2011 - October 2, 2011
Lillian Thomas Pratt Collection of Fabergé, coinciding with Fabergé in America, Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 12 - April 18, 1996, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, May 25 - July 28, 1996, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, August 24 - November 10, 1996, New Orleans Museum of Art, December 7, 1996 - February 8, 1997, Cleveland Museum of Art, March 12 - May 11, 1997
VMFA, Collector of the Year, February 6 - March 13, 1983
"Today Show", New York, March 26, 1968;
March 9, 1902. "Charity Exhibition of Faberge Artistic Objects, Old Miniatures, and Snuff Boxes," Von Dervis Mansion, St. Petersburg, Russia (unnumbered)
(for the full citations, above, see the "Bibliography - Taschen" under the Bibliography field in this TMS entry)
Fabergé Revealed, Palace Museum, Beijing, China, April 16 - July 17, 2016
Fabergé: Jeweler to the Tsars, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, June 20 – September 27, 2015
Fabergé Revealed, Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 14, 2014 - May 25, 2015
Fabulous Fabergé, Jeweler to the Czars, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, June 14 - October 12, 2014
Fabergé Revealed, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, June 22 - September 29, 2013
Fabergé: The Rise and Fall, Detroit Institute of Art, October 14, 2012 - January 21, 2013
Fabergé Revealed, VMFA, July 9, 2011 - October 2, 2011
Lillian Thomas Pratt Collection of Fabergé, coinciding with Fabergé in America, Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 12 - April 18, 1996, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, May 25 - July 28, 1996, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, August 24 - November 10, 1996, New Orleans Museum of Art, December 7, 1996 - February 8, 1997, Cleveland Museum of Art, March 12 - May 11, 1997
VMFA, Collector of the Year, February 6 - March 13, 1983
"Today Show", New York, March 26, 1968;
March 9, 1902. "Charity Exhibition of Faberge Artistic Objects, Old Miniatures, and Snuff Boxes," Von Dervis Mansion, St. Petersburg, Russia (unnumbered)
On Von Dervis 1902 Exhibition in St. Petersburg, where Pelican Egg was displayed, see Faberge Newsletter, Spring and Summer 2017
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
Lillian Thomas Pratt’s Fabergé: Shopping, Collecting, Remembering
27:02This intimate documentary unveils the world-renowned Lillian Thomas Pratt Collection of Fabergé and Russian Decorative Arts at the VMFA through recollections of family members and others who share their experiences about Mrs. Pratt, the passionate collector, and the facts behind the fantasies.
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
