Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg
firm of Peter Carl Fabergé (Russian, 1846-1920), fabricated by Henrik Wigström (Russian, 1862-1923)
Date:
1915
Medium:
gold, silver, enamel, glass
Collection:
Dimensions:
Overall - h:8.60 w:6.35 cm (h:3 3/8 w:2 1/2 inches)
Credit Line:
The India Early Minshall Collection
Accession Number:
1963.673
Gallery ID:
Gallery 211
The House of Fabergé made two imperial Easter eggs in 1915 that honored the contributions of Tsarina Alexandra and her two eldest daughters, Olga and Tatiana, to the war effort as Red Cross Sisters of Mercy. The Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg becomes an icon when opened, revealing miniatures of the patron saints of the tsarina’s daughters.
The India Early Minshall Collection 1963.673
Inscription:
inscribed (interior of egg): symbols for Alpha and Omega and imperial crown for Alexandra Feodorovna; 1915; inscriptions in Cyrillic, Old Church Slavonic, and Roman letters which identify Sts. Olga and Tatiana and presumably describe the central scene of the triptych. Inscribed (on velvet case): double-headed eagle, Fabergé, Petersburg, Moscow, London, all in Cyrillic on lining of case; 17.559, abbreviation for "Red Cross" in Cyrillic in ink on outside of case.