Imperial Tsarevich Easter Egg (Primary Title)
Vasilii Zuiev, Russian, 1870 - after 1931 , painter of miniature (Artist)
Fabergé firm, Russian, 1842 - 1917 (Manufacturer)
Henrik Wigström, Finnish, 1862 – 1923 (Workmaster)
The Imperial Tsarevich Easter Egg was presented by Tsar Nicholas II to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, in 1912. The egg is cleverly constructed to appear as if it is carved from a single piece of lapis lazuli. It actually has six lapis lazuli sections. The joints are concealed under the elaborate gold decorations that include double-headed eagles, a symbol of imperial Russia. The top of the egg is set with a table diamond (a thin, flat diamond) that covers the Cyrillic monogram AF (for Alexandra Feodorovna) and the date 1912.
Miniature on view is a reproduction photograph (taken before 1930) of the original painted miniature by Zuiev, now in storage.
Stamped Fabergé, initials of workmaster Henrik Wigström
Bequest of Lillian Thomas Pratt
Exhibitions: Hammer Galleries catalogue 1933 (p. 3, no. 4756); Hammer Galleries catalogue 1933A (no. 4756); Hammer Galleries catalogue 1934 (pp. 2/3, no. 4756); Hammer Galleries catalogue 1935; Hammer Galleries catalogue 1937 (p. 6, no. 9); Hammer Galleries catalogue 1939; Richmond 1948, 1954, 1983; Roanoke 1950; New York/San Francisco/ Richmond/New Orleans/Cleveland 1996/97 (cat. no. 151, pp. 120, 126/7, 160/1, ill. p. 160); Richmond/Detroit/ Salem/ Montreal/Las Vegas/ Oklahoma City/ Beijing 2012–2016 (cat. no. 190, pp. 282–285, ills. pp 282–285).
(for the full citations, above, see the Bibliography - Taschen" in the Bibligraphy section, 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, New Orleans Museum of Art, December 7, 1996 - February 8, 1997, Cleveland Museum of Art, March 12 - May 11, 1997
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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.