Alexander III Portraits Egg
Gold, diamonds, enamel, and satin; h. 7.9, d. 5.6 cm
by House of Fabergé and Mikhail Perkhin, 1896
Hillwood Museum, Washington, DC
After a photograph by ctj71081, 2011

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia commissioned this egg as an Easter gift for his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. The egg is constructed from six dark blue enamel panels separated by bands of rose-cut diamonds. Each panel features a diamond-set Cyrillic inscription of the interlaced monograms of Maria Feodorovna and Alexander III, surmounted by a diamond-set Imperial crown. The red-gold guilloché embellishes the background of the monograms, adding a subtle textured detail. The egg opens, and is lined with ivory satin, but the surprise is lost. Historical records indicate it was a sapphire and diamond-adorned folding screen, displaying six miniature portraits of Alexander III, a touching tribute to the late Tsar. It is believed that the stand is also not original, but a modern replacement.