Renaissance Egg
White agate, gold, enamel, diamonds, rubies; l. 13.3 cm, h. 8.2 cm
by House of Fabergé, and Mikhail Perkhin, 1894
Fabergé Museum, Saint Petersburg
Photograph by Mikhail Ovchinnikov, 2013

This jewel-encrusted egg is crafted from translucent, milky agate, with gold mounts. It rests on its side upon an oval gold base. Its upper half swings open on a gold hinge, revealing a hidden compartment within. The upper exterior of the egg is adorned with a trellis design formed from opaque white enamel. This trelliswork creates a grid-like pattern across the surface, with intersections adorned by quatrefoils – four-lobed floral motifs. Each quatrefoil is a dazzling display of gemstones, featuring a centre cabochon ruby surrounded by a cluster of rose-cut diamonds. A red enamelled gold band circles the egg midway, visually dividing this upper section and the lower, which is also decorated with foliate devices and diamonds. Handles on either side of the egg depict lion masks in gold. The foot is decorated green leaves and red husks. The upper portion features the date, rendered in rose diamonds. The egg's surprise is lost, and is thought to have been a creation incorporating pearls. It has been postulated that the Resurrection Egg was not a separate egg, but in fact the surprise for this egg.