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Image courtesy of the Fabergé Museum

Discovered this fabulous constellation Easter egg by Carl Fabergé, a gift for the Russian royal family that was never received:

Image courtesy of the Fabergé Museum

Nephrite, rock crystal, dark blue glass, gold, diamonds.
Height 29 cm

This egg was made for Empress Alexandra for Easter 1917. The egg has the form of a sphere with a turning dial made out of dark blue glass with clockwork inside. It is encrusted with diamonds and a lion is engraved on it. The heir to the throne, Tsarevitch Alexei, was a Leo in the zodiac. The pedestal is made out of a whole crystal rock placed on a nephrite base. The egg corresponds completely to the original sketch made by Carl Fabergé. According to the sketch, a dark blue sphere engraved with diamonds is encircled with a gold dial plate; the sphere lies on the “clouds” that have been cut from a whole crystal rock placed on the nephrite platform. The only detail which is missing from the egg is five angels who are ascending the “clouds” towards the sphere. Probably this detail wasn’t finished due to the start of the Revolution. And because of the Revolution, «Constellation » was never gifted to the Imperial family.

K. Fabergé firm, H. Wigström’s workshop
Petrograd. 1917