The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Ruby or Pink Sapphire Surprise from the Lapis Lazuli Easter Egg

Ruby or Pink Sapphire Surprise from the Lapis Lazuli Easter Egg

c. 1885–90
designer

attributed to Peter Carl Fabergé

(Russian, 1846–1920)
maker

attributed to House of Fabergé

(Russian, 1842–1918)
Russia, St. Petersburg
gold, enamel, lapis lazuli, pearls, diamonds, rubies
The India Early Minshall Collection 1966.436.c
Location: 211 Fabergé

Did You Know?

This tiny ruby or pink sapphire dangles from a diamond encrusted crown surprise, which is a replica of the Russian imperial crown made for Empress Catherine the Great in the 1700s.

Description

This Easter egg, like the subsequent ones produced by Fabergé for the imperial family, contains a surprise when opened. In this case, the egg opens to display a yellow enameled cover, resembling an egg yolk, which then opens to reveal a tiny replica of the Russian imperial crown, containing either a ruby or a pink sapphire suspended on a chain.
  • ?-1966
    India Early Minshall [1885–1965], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1966-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Hawley, Henry H. Fabergé and His Contemporaries: The India Early Minshall Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 72-73, cat. 32. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 171 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 227 archive.org
    Habsburg, Géza von, and David Park Curry. Fabergé in America. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1996. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 114, cat. 98. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    Harrison, Stephen, Emmanuel Ducamp, and Jeannine J. Falino. Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 175, cat. 51. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    Solon, Chad. "The Lapis Lazuli Egg in the Cleveland Museum of Art." The Burlington Magazine. 163, no.1422 (September 2021): 828-831 reproduced p. 831; mentioned p. 828-831
  • Fabergé: Designing Luxury, from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (organizer) (October 14, 2012-January 13, 2013).
    Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique . The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 19, 2008-January 18, 2009); Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (February 7-May 31, 2009).
    Fabergé's Menagerie: The Animal Creations of the Fabergé Workshop. Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR (February 8-May 2, 2004).
    Fabergé in America. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (February 12-May 5, 1996); Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (organizer) (May 25-July 28, 1996); Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (August 24-November 2, 1996); New Orleans Museum of Art (December 7, 1996-February 8, 1997); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 12-May 11, 1997).
  • {{cite web|title=Ruby or Pink Sapphire Surprise from the Lapis Lazuli Easter Egg|url=false|author=Peter Carl Fabergé, House of Fabergé|year=c. 1885–90|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.436.c