At a Christie's auction in London, Fabergé's "Winter Egg" sold for £22.9 million, or approximately $30.2 million, setting a new record. This is one of the last imperial eggs remaining in private hands. This was reported by The Guardian, writes UNN.
Details
The "Winter Egg" was commissioned in 1913 by Emperor Nicholas II as an Easter gift for his mother, Empress Maria Feodorovna, and is considered one of Fabergé's most luxurious imperial creations.
Peter Carl Fabergé is considered the most outstanding Russian jeweler of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The royal collection of his works consisted of personal gifts belonging to the Russian, Danish, and British royal families.
The "Winter Egg" is a rock crystal with a frosted pattern engraved on the inside and platinum snowflakes inlaid with rose-cut diamonds on the outside.
On Tuesday, it sold for £22,895,000, surpassing the world auction record for Fabergé items. The previous record was set in 2007 when the Rothschild egg sold for £8.9 million.
According to Christie's, this is the third time the "Winter Egg" has set a record price among Fabergé items. It has been resold repeatedly, as its history attracts collectors.
Addition
After the 1917 revolution, the egg was moved from St. Petersburg to the Kremlin Armory in Moscow along with other valuables of the royal family.
In the 1920s, the Soviet government began selling off art treasures from the Hermitage and other collections, often for a tiny fraction of their value. It was later acquired by the London firm Wartski, and in 1934 it was sold to a British collector for £1,500.
For two decades — from 1975 to 1994 — the egg was considered lost before it was sold for £6.8 million at a Christie's auction. Eight years later, in 2002, the auction house sold it again — this time for £7.1 million.
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As the publication notes, this result sets a new world auction record for a Fabergé work, confirming the enduring significance of this masterpiece and highlighting the rarity and brilliance of what is widely considered one of Fabergé's finest creations — both technically and artistically.
Given that only a few imperial Easter eggs remain in private hands, this was an exceptional and historic opportunity for collectors to acquire a work of extraordinary importance."
Recall
In November, a rare crystal and diamond Fabergé egg, created for the Russian imperial family, was put up for sale with an estimated value of over $26 million. This "Winter Egg" is one of seven luxurious ovals remaining in private hands.