These glorious gifts, all egg-shaped, all stunningly detailed, and each containing a surprise, were presented to the Tsarina Maria Feodorovna each Easter in joint commemoration of her birthday and Easter, first by her husband, Tsar Alexander III, and then by her son, Tsar Nicholas II.
Not all of the 50 Imperial Eggs have been found since the Russian Revolution in 1917 (99 years ago). I'll post just a few of my favourites in the lead-up to Easter.
To start, since we're still recovering from St. Patrick's Day, the Imperial Faberge Clover Leaf Egg,presented by Nicholas II to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Feoderovna (born Alix of Hesse) for Easter 1902.
This Egg, which remained in Russia throughout the Revolution and is still there, was constructed in the plique-a-jour* style, meaning you can look through the surface layers of three and four leaf clovers (some in green enamel with veining of gold in relief and some diamond studded) to the interior. A red enamel ribbon runs through the leaves The Egg has a delicate, clover-footed stand. The inner surprise, which went missing during the Revolution, was a four leaf clover with portraits of the four Grand Duchesses, daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra.
Isn't that lovely way to celebrate?
References:
http://www.christopherevansgoldsmiths.com/story-faberge-easter-eggs/
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/hunt-priceless-faberg-lost-easter-5455842
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faberg%C3%A9_egg
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