Lilies of the Valley (Fabergé egg)
| Lilies of the Valley Fabergé egg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Year delivered | 1898 |
| Customer | Tsar Nicholas II, as a gift for Tsaritsa Alexandra Fyodorovna |
| Current owner | |
| Individual or institution | The Link of Times Foundation, Russia |
| Year of acquisition | 2004 |
| Design and materials | |
| Materials used | enamel, gold, diamonds, rubies, pearls |
| Height | 15.1 cm when closed, 19.9 cm when opened |
| Surprise | portraits of Tsar Nicholas II and Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana |
The Lilies of the Valley Egg is a jewelled Fabergé egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1898 by Fabergé ateliers. The supervising goldsmith was Michael Perchin. The egg is one of the two eggs in the Art Nouveau style. It was presented on April 5 to Tsar Nicholas II, who gave it as a gift to the Tsaritsa, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. The egg is part of the Victor Vekselberg Collection, owned by The Link of Times Foundation and housed in the Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Craftsmanship
The egg is covered in pearls and topped with rose pink enamel on a guilloche field. The egg is supported by cabriolet legs of green-gold leaves with rose-cut diamond dewdrops. The gold-stemmed lilies have green enameled leaves and flowers made of gold set with rubies, pearls, and diamonds. [1]
Surprise
Instead of a surprise when the egg is opened, this egg's surprise is 'elevated' out of the egg by twisting a gold-mounted pearl button. When fully raised, three portraits are visible under the Imperial crown set with a ruby: Tsar Nicholas II and his two oldest daughters, Olga and Tatiana, painted on ivory by Johannes Zehngraf. The portraits are framed in rose diamonds and backed with gold panels engraved with the presentation date of July 31, 1898.