The Easter Egg "Lilies of the Valley" (1898)

The Lilies of the Valley Egg is a jeweled Faberge egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Faberge in 1898 by Faberge ateliers. The supervising goldsmith was Michael Perchin. The egg is one of the two eggs in the Art Nouveau style (the other is the Pansy Egg). It was presented on April 5 to Tsar Nicholas II, who gave it as a gift to his wife, the Tsarina, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, on Easter 1898. The egg is covered in pearls and topped with rose pink enamel on a guilloche field. The egg is supported by cabriolet legs of green-gold leaves with rose-cut diamond dewdrops. The gold-stemmed lilies have green enameled leaves and flowers made of gold set with rubies, pearls, and diamonds.

Origin

• Series: Imperial Egg
• Company: House of Faberge
• Made in: 1898 St. Petersburg, Russia

Design and Materials

• Workmaster: Mikhail Yevlampievich Perkhin (Michael Perchin)
• Materials used: Gold, Diamonds, Enamel, Rubies, Pearls
• Height: 15.1 cm (5.9 in) when closed, 19.9 cm (7.8 in) when opened

Surprise - Family Portraits

Instead of a surprise when the egg is opened, this egg's surprise is 'elevated' out of the egg by twisting a gold-mounted pearl button. When fully raised, three portraits are visible under the Imperial crown set with a ruby: Tsar Nicholas II and his two oldest daughters, Olga and Tatiana, painted on ivory by Johannes Zehngraf. The portraits are framed in rose diamonds and backed with gold panels

Current Ownership and Location

• Year of acquisition and current owner: 2004 Viktor Vekselberg / The Link of Times Foundation
• Location: Museum of Faberge in St. Petersburg, Russia

Reference: Wikipedia "Lilies of the Valley (Faberge egg)" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilies_of_the_Valley_(Faberg%C3%A9_egg)