Catherine the Great Egg
Gold, enamel, diamonds, seed pearls, and velvet lining; h. 12.1, d. 8.9 cm
by House of Fabergé, Henrik Wigström (attributed), Vasilii Zuiev, and Andrei Plotnitskii, 1914
Hillwood Museum, Washington DC
After a photograph by ctj71081, 2011

Created for Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, this piece embodies the elegance of the Louis XVI style. Crafted from four distinct gold colours – yellow, rose, green, and red, and set with a multitude of tiny diamonds and pearls. The primary decoration lies in eight monochrome camaïeu enamel panels, painted in the style of French artist François Boucher by Vasilii Zuiev. These panels depict allegorical scenes related to the arts and sciences. Smaller enamelled ovals featuring putti associated with the seasons are featured. The frames are lined with rows of pearls and outer borders of white enamel, with some ovals receiving additional embellishment of two-coloured gold frames, diamond-encrusted bowknots, and leafy sprays. Interwoven between these enamels are panels of white and gold opalescent enamel adorned with allegorical trophies in four-coloured gold set against foliage. The egg displays Maria Feodorovna's initials in a rosette at the top, and the year 1914 in a rosette at the bottom, both under a table diamond. The decorated interior held a surprise, now lost. The original stand is also lost, the current one dating from 1940. The egg was confiscated in 1917 and eventually left Russia through sale by 1930.