Mosaic (Fabergé egg)
Encyclopedia
The Mosaic egg is a jewelled
enameled
Easter egg
made under the supervision of the Russia
n jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé
in 1914. The egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia
, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna on Easter 1914.
and is made of yellow gold
, platinum
, brilliant diamond
s, rose-cut diamonds, ruby
, emerald
, topaz
, sapphire
, garnet
, half-pearls, moonstone
, white enamel
and opaque pink enamel. It consists of a series of yellow gold belts which are pave-set with diamonds and a variety of gems in a floral pattern, providing a look of petit point tapestry work.
The pattern of the egg contains five oval panels bordered by half-pearls set in enamel, with brilliant diamonds placed at each intersection. The technical precision of the design was complimented by platinum that was cut, rather than welded. At the apex of the egg is a moonstone through which can be seen the year 1914 and Empress Alexandra's initials in Russian characters.
brooch style. The back of the frame is enameled with a sepia basket of flowers. The basket is bordered with the year 1914 and the names of each of the Romanov children (Anastasia Nikolaevna, Alexis Romanov, Olga Nikolaevna, Maria Nikolaevna, Tatiana Romanov). The frame rests on a gold stand in the shape of the royal crown and is held in place within the egg by gold clips.
. In 1933 the egg was sold by the Antikvariat to an unknown buyer for 5,000 roubles, though the Royal Collection online object description suggests that it was likely purchased by Armand Hammer
. On 22 May 1933 it was purchased from Cameo Corner, London by King George V
for 250 pounds "half cost", likely as a gift for Queen Mary of Teck's
birthday.
The Mosaic Egg remains a part of the Royal Collection
of Queen Elizabeth
and was included in a public display from July to October 2011 in the exhibit Royal Faberge during the summer opening of Buckingham Palace
.
Other Fabergé eggs
in the Royal Collection include:
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
enameled
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
Easter egg
Easter egg
Easter eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime.The oldest tradition is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans...
made under the supervision of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé
Peter Carl Fabergé
Peter Karl Fabergé also known as Karl Gustavovich Fabergé in Russia was a Russian jeweller of Baltic German-Danish and French origin, best known for the famous Fabergé eggs, made in the style of genuine Easter eggs, but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more mundane materials.-Early...
in 1914. The egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna on Easter 1914.
Design
The Egg was crafted by Albert Holmström (1876–1925) under the supervision of Peter Carl FabergéPeter Carl Fabergé
Peter Karl Fabergé also known as Karl Gustavovich Fabergé in Russia was a Russian jeweller of Baltic German-Danish and French origin, best known for the famous Fabergé eggs, made in the style of genuine Easter eggs, but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more mundane materials.-Early...
and is made of yellow gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
, brilliant diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s, rose-cut diamonds, ruby
Ruby
A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
, emerald
Emerald
Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
, topaz
Topaz
Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al2SiO42. Topaz crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and its crystals are mostly prismatic terminated by pyramidal and other faces.-Color and varieties:...
, sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
, garnet
Garnet
The garnet group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus , possibly a reference to the Punica granatum , a plant with red seeds...
, half-pearls, moonstone
Moonstone
Moonstone may refer to:* Moonstone , gemstoneWilkie Collins* The Moonstone, 1868 book by Wilkie Collins, considered the first detective novel in English...
, white enamel
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
and opaque pink enamel. It consists of a series of yellow gold belts which are pave-set with diamonds and a variety of gems in a floral pattern, providing a look of petit point tapestry work.
The pattern of the egg contains five oval panels bordered by half-pearls set in enamel, with brilliant diamonds placed at each intersection. The technical precision of the design was complimented by platinum that was cut, rather than welded. At the apex of the egg is a moonstone through which can be seen the year 1914 and Empress Alexandra's initials in Russian characters.
Inspiration
The floral tapestry pattern was designed by AlmaTheresia Pihl, who was inspired by needlework fire screens found in aristocratic sitting rooms of the time. Pihl was the niece of the egg's workmaster Albert Holmström, who came from a family of Finnish jewelers employed by Fabergé.Surprise
The pedestal surprise is made of gold, pearls, rose-cut diamonds, green garnets, translucent green, opaque white, opalescent pale pink, pale green and pale sepia grisaille enamel. The surprise is a removable miniature frame with relief profiles of Nicholas and Alexandra's five children in a cameoCameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
brooch style. The back of the frame is enameled with a sepia basket of flowers. The basket is bordered with the year 1914 and the names of each of the Romanov children (Anastasia Nikolaevna, Alexis Romanov, Olga Nikolaevna, Maria Nikolaevna, Tatiana Romanov). The frame rests on a gold stand in the shape of the royal crown and is held in place within the egg by gold clips.
History
The Mosaic Egg was commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II and presented to his wife, Empress Alexandra Fedorovna for Easter 1914. It was later confiscated, along with much of the family's belongings, by the provisional government in 1917 during the Russian RevolutionRussian Revolution
Russian Revolution can refer to:* Russian Revolution , a series of strikes and uprisings against Nicholas II, resulting in the creation of State Duma.* Russian Revolution...
. In 1933 the egg was sold by the Antikvariat to an unknown buyer for 5,000 roubles, though the Royal Collection online object description suggests that it was likely purchased by Armand Hammer
Armand Hammer
Armand Hammer was an American business tycoon most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran for decades, though he was known as well as for his art collection, his philanthropy, and for his close ties to the Soviet Union.Thanks to business interests around the world and his...
. On 22 May 1933 it was purchased from Cameo Corner, London by King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
for 250 pounds "half cost", likely as a gift for Queen Mary of Teck's
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
birthday.
The Mosaic Egg remains a part of the Royal Collection
Royal Collection
The Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
of Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and was included in a public display from July to October 2011 in the exhibit Royal Faberge during the summer opening of Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
.
Other Fabergé eggs
Fabergé egg
A Fabergé egg is any one of the thousands of jeweled eggs made by the House of Fabergé from 1885 to 1917. Most were miniature eggs that were popular gifts at Eastertide...
in the Royal Collection include:
- Twelve PanelTwelve Panel (Fabergé egg)The Twelve Panel egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1899. The egg was made for Alexander Kelch, who presented it to his wife, Barbara Kelch-Bazanova.-Craftmanship:...
, 1899, Alexander Kelch to his wife Barbara (Varvara) Kelch-Bazanova. - Basket of Wild FlowersBasket of Wild Flowers (Fabergé egg)The Basket of Wild Flowers egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1901...
, 1901, Gift of Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. - ColonnadeColonnade (Fabergé egg)The Colonnade egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made by Henrik Wigström under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1910. The egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, Alexandra Feodorvna upon the birth of their only son, the tsarevich Alexei...
, 1910, Gift of Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
External links
- Images of the Mosaic Egg, Buckingham Palace Royal Fabergé exhibition (Flickr).
- A detailed article on the Mosaic egg from mieks.com