Hen Egg
Quick Summary
The Fabergé Hen Egg was the first of 50 Imperial Easter eggs created by Peter Carl Fabergé for the Romanov family between 1885 and 1917. Commissioned by Tsar Alexander III as an Easter gift for his wife, it featured an unadorned white enamel shell. Inside, a golden yolk opened to reveal a golden hen, which in turn contained a miniature replica of the Russian crown and a ruby pendant egg. This tradition of elaborate, surprise-filled eggs continued under Nicholas II, establishing Fabergé's reputation for exquisite craftsmanship. The egg's origins are tied to the ancient symbolism of fertility and rebirth associated with eggs, which early Christians adapted to represent the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.123
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Peter Carl Fabergé…first egg, known as the Hen Egg, which Alexander III commissioned as a gift for his wife, Empress Maria Fyodorovna. The Hen Egg was an extravagant extension of the tradition of exchanging decorated eggs for Russian Orthodox Easter. Its unadorned white enamel shell housed a yellow-gold yolk, which opened to…
Read More…first egg, known as the Hen Egg, which Alexander III commissioned as a gift for his wife, Empress Maria Fyodorovna. The Hen Egg was an extravagant extension of the tradition of exchanging decorated eggs for Russian Orthodox Easter. Its unadorned white enamel shell housed a yellow-gold yolk, which opened to…
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Fabergé eggThe Hen Egg, as it became known, featured an unadorned white enamel shell, inside of which was the “yolk,” a yellow-gold container that opened to reveal a golden hen. The bird rested on a bed of suede edged with stippled gold, meant to evoke the straw…
Read MoreThe Hen Egg, as it became known, featured an unadorned white enamel shell, inside of which was the “yolk,” a yellow-gold container that opened to reveal a golden hen. The bird rested on a bed of suede edged with stippled gold, meant to evoke the straw…
Read More