The Missing Eggs and Missing Miniatures

A quick overview of the missing Imperial Easter Eggs.

There are now seven missing Imperial Easter Eggs. They are the Eggs for the years 1886, 1888, 1889, 1897, 1902, 1903 and 1909. And yes, they are all seven Maria Feodorovna's Eggs!

Three of these missing Eggs are known because of old photographs, and one is more or less known because of a drawing made of the reflection of the egg in an exhibition case.

Go to the Egg pages to read what is known about them. If you find one, shout out and let the world know! Let Wartski in London or ALVR in New York know, and let me know for I want to celebrate with you!!

Update March 2014: The missing 1887 Third Imperial Egg is no longer missing! See its page for the remarkable story!

As Wiki has a link to the article Christel McCanless and I wrote for Paul Gilbert of Royal Russia, I might as well have a link myself too. Here you are, courtesy Paul Gilbert!! Empress Marie Feodorovna's Missing Fabergé Easter Eggs, article by Annemiek Wintraecken and Christel Ludewing McCanless.

* Egg disputed. See page.

Besides the missing Eggs with their surprises, there are those Eggs that we know, but their surprises are missing. A list is below:

The Missing Surprises (or parts of surprises)

1885 First Hen Egg - Crown and ruby egg pendant (photo)
1895 Rosebud Egg - Crown and ruby egg pendant (photo)
1896 Alexander III 12 Monogram Egg - Miniatures AIII (no image, only description) --- Surprise now known!
1897 Coronation Egg - Emerald pendant egg in coach (no image, only description)
1899 Madonna Lily Clock Egg - Ruby pendant egg (photo, but not available)
1900 Cockerel Egg - Pearl decorating the swag of the dial (photo, but not available)
1902 Clover Leaf Egg - Four-leaf clover with 4 miniatures (identified? See research)
1907 Love Trophies Egg - Surprise (description miniature of Imperial children)
1907 Rose Trellis Egg - Surprise (description diamond necklace with medallion of heir - photo)
1914 Catherine the Great Egg - Sedan chair

Five of these missing surprises are small items like ruby, emerald or pearl (egg) pendants, or other pieces of jewelry. Chances of finding these surprises are in my opinion nil for the items were (worn as) jewelry and no one knows today if they were once part of an Imperial Easter Egg.

1885 First Hen Egg Crown and Ruby Egg Pendant

  1895 Rosebud Egg Crown and Ruby Egg Pendant

On the other hand, two of these surprises were crowns containing a pendant; the 1885 First Hen Egg and the 1895 Rosebud Egg (see above). The crowns possibly still exist and might be found.

And then there are the Eggs with a surprise that is missing but could possibly still be around. Like the missing Eggs, these surprises were very valuable even at their time and there seems to be no reason why the objects would have been destroyed, melted down, thrown away, or else. These Eggs and their surprises are:

1896 Alexander III 12 Monogram Egg - Six miniatures AIII with 10 sapphires - identified 2014
1902 Clover Leaf Egg - Four-leaf clover with 4 miniatures (although this is jewelry, a four-leaf clover with 4 (Imperial?) miniatures is clearly defined and possibly could be traced).
1907 Love Trophies Egg - Easel with miniature of Imperial children
1907 Rose Trellis Egg - Diamond necklace with medallion of heir - identified October 2017
1914 Catherine the Great Egg - Sedan chair with Catherine the Great

All six surprises described above, and in the case of the 1907 Rose Trellis Egg the medallion of the heir, may still exist and be found. Would it not be great for them to be reunited with their Eggs?

On a whole different level are those surprises which have not yet found their Egg. One is the Resurrection Egg, that for me is the surprise to, or at least part of, the 1895 Renaissance Egg. My reason why that Egg is not listed here.

Another surprise, usually connected to the missing 1897 Mauve Egg with Miniatures, is still looking for its Egg. But is the strawberry red miniature really the surprise to the missing Mauve Egg?

Above and Below, from Left to Right the Three Miniatures, before 1896 (1997Stockholm Catalog),
1897 (Mauve Egg Surprise?) and 1902 (Kelch Rocaille Egg)

We know Fabergé later made a similar frame for the 1902 Kelch Rocaille Egg, but is it not odd that Fabergé also made an earlier, similar frame, dated before 1896, and still used the frame miniature for the 1897 Imperial Easter Egg? [1]

Update October 2015: The missing surprise to the 1892 Diamond Trellis Egg is no longer missing! See the Egg page for yet an other remarkable story!

***

[1] For the story on the 1897 Mauve Imperial Easter Egg, also see the Fabergé Research Newsletter, Summer 2014. The photos of the before 1896 frame are courtesy to Welander-Berggren, Elsebeth, Carl Fabergé: Goldsmith to the Tsar, 1997, 161, Photographs ©Erik Cornelius, Nationalmuseum Stockholm. My thanks to Elsebeth for the open frame photograph not published in the 1997 catalog!

[2] For more on the Elephant surprise of the 1892 Diamond Trellis Egg, see my page Fabergé's Imperial Easter Eggs on the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle - New information on the Eggs!

The Missing Stands

The best known missing stand is the stand for the 1892 Diamond Trellis Egg. Until the 1960's the Egg and stand were still united, but today the stand is sadly lost. Now that the Egg and Elephant are reunited, would it not be great to find the stand too?

Below left an archival photograph of the Egg in the original stand or pedestal. Right a composition of the now missing stand and how it could look without the egg.

1892 Diamond Trellis Egg with now Missing Stand. Click for Enlargement
(Image courtesy Sotheby's London 1960 Auctioncatalog)

The circular base is described in Fabergé literature as jadeite but probably is now identified as bowenite, like the Egg itself. The little naked figures are silver putti, little silver angels, suggesting to be the three sons of Emperor Alexander II and his wife Marie Feodorovna holding the Egg. On the photo two of the silver putti are clearly visible, the third is hidden behind the Egg.

Same goes here as for the missing Eggs. The stand could well be, and probably still is, alive and is perhaps in use as a holder for something, a vase, a photograph, a piece of rock or another egg.

My emailaddress is below on this page and I will be most happy to help with reuniting the little angels with the Egg they should support!

 

More missing stands later.

aw November 2013 and april 30, 2014, 2015 - 2017 etc.

 

last updated: August 1, 2019