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Danish Palaces Egg

Workmaster: Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin Russian
1890
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 555
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
Czar Alexander presented this egg to his wife, Maria Feodorovna, on Easter 1890. The egg is extraordinary in its conception and technical virtuosity. It possesses one of the most sophisticated palettes of all the imperial Easter eggs. Divided into twelve sections in opalescent pink enamel, it opens on a hinge to reveal its surprise—a folding ten-panel gold screen in a crimson velvet pocket. Resting on Greek-key feet, the screen bears ten miniatures of the empress's favorite Danish and Russian retreats. A nostalgic reminder of her home country, the egg accompanied her on her travels.

From left to right: imperial yacht Polar Star; Bernsdorff Palace, Copenhagen; Emperor Villa in Fredensborg Park, Hvidøre, Copenhagen; Fredensborg Palace, summer residence, Copenhagen; Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen; Kronborg Castle, Elsinore; Cottage Palace, Alexandria Park, Peterhof; Cottage Palace, Alexandria Park, Peterhof (south main entrance); Catchina Palace, Saint Petersburg; imperial tacht Tsarevna.

[Wolfram Koeppe, 2011]

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Danish Palaces Egg
  • Maker: House of Carl Fabergé
  • Maker: Workmaster: Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (Russian, 1860–1903)
  • Artist: Miniatures by Konstantin Yakovlevich Krijitski (died 1911)
  • Date: 1890
  • Culture: Russian, St. Petersburg
  • Medium: Green, rose, and quatre-couleur gold, guilloché enamel, star sapphire, cabochon emerald, rose-cut diamond nacre, crystal crimson silk velvet
  • Dimensions: Overall: 4 x 2 5/8 x 2 5/8 in. (10.2 x 6.7 x 6.7 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Gold and Platinum
  • Credit Line: Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation
  • Object Number: L.2011.66.53a–c
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts