Alexei, the long-awaited heir to the Romanov dynasty was born to Emperor Nicholas II and the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna in 1904. Unfortunately in 1911 the Heir-Tsarevich fell seriously ill…
…as he had inherited haemophilia from his mother via the line of Queen Victoria. Alexei wavered for a time between life and death, but he survived, thanks in the Empress’s mind to the ministrations of controversial priest Rasputin. His miraculous recovery was therefore the inspiration for the 1912 Egg that the Emperor gave to his wife. In the regal rococo-style, the body and the cover of the Egg is formed from six segments of the finest lapis lazuli, making 12 in total. The egg was then embellished with gold cagework including double-headed eagles, hanging Chinoiserie canopies, scrolls, baskets of flowers, double-winged caryatids and sprays concealing the joints. The gold embellishments on the Egg’s body cover the joins of the segments. Unfortunately, as the image shows, a crack has developed in the stone on the right. A Faberge egg recently sold at auction for almost $30 million.

Faberge Steel Military Egg

Fabergé egg with pattern and gold stand
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