Faberge The Imperial Lillies of the Valley Egg

The Lilies of the Valley Egg was given by Nicholas II to his wife, Tsarina Alexandra Fedorovna, for Easter 1898. It was a reminder of the glorious gardens at the Winter Palace where Nicholas' mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna, had turned the grounds into a world filled with flowers. Lilies of the Valley were plentiful in the gardens, hence this Egg. It is to be noted that Peter Carl Fabergé also was a lover of flowers and that probably explains the gemstone flowers he made that were collected by the Queen of England.

The Egg is a translucent pink enamel guilloché. It is divided into six panels by streamers of diamonds originating at the apex of the Egg and drifting down onto the green gold cabriole legs. Each curled foot bears a single large pearl. Stemming from the base of the Egg each panel is overlaid with dimensional stalks of Lilies of the Valley; the leaves realistically shaped of green enamel guilloché, the stems of green gold bearing life sized pearl blossoms, and each blossom edged in diamonds. 

At the apex of the Egg there is a replica of the Imperial Crown entirely covered with diamonds. On the original Egg, when you touched a particular pearl the Crown rose up out of the Egg revealing portraits of Tsar Nicholas and the Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana, each portrait set in a diamond rimmed oval frame. On this Egg the crown rises with a touch of the hand to reveal the three portraits done in the same manner.

The materials in this Faberge authorized ESSEX Marketing reproduction are 24 karat gold plated sterling silver, Austrian crystals and cultured pearls.

This egg is not the Neiman Marcus edition by ESSEX Marketing but the ESSEX Marketing edition that was sold in the blue velvet fully lined box. Box not included.

The egg is about 6 1/2" high and about 12 1/2" in circumference.