Russian master goldsmith Carl Fabergé (1846 – 1920) became a household name through his exquisite Easter eggs made of precious metals and opulent jewels.
The Imperial Coronation Egg. Photo credit: uklondoncom via Wikimedia Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
Fabergé was descended from Huguenots on his father’s side, and exemplified the Huguenot contribution to craftmanship and luxury goods manufacture in countries of refuge.
The choicest of these eggs were made for the Russian Imperial Court, and production came to a halt in October 1917 when the Revolution overthrew and executed the monarchy.
Two of the seven missing Imperial Eggs are known to have survived the Revolution – so where are they? And what happened to the other five? Certainly London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, which holds many Fabergé treasures, would love to know.
The Trans-Siberian Railway Egg. Photo credit: Sergey Korneev via Wikimedia Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
The V&A’s website is a great source of further information; the museum held a Fabergé exhibition in 2021/2.
