GOLDSMITH'S ART - Faberge' Eggs

Order Of St. George Egg

Silver, gold, enamel, rock crystal

Height
3 5/16 inches; 8.4 cm without stand

Marks
Fabergé, dated 1916

Case
Original fitted velvet-covered egg-shaped; lid lining stamped in gold: Eagle/K. Fabergé /Petrograd/Moscow/Odessa/London

Presented by Tsar Nicholas II to the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna on Easter 1916, the egg commemorates the 1915 presentation of the Order of St. George. The Order was created by Catherine the Great to be bestowed by members of the army for military bravery. Nicholas II was presented with the highest class of the Order for his leadership during the First World War. His 12-year-old son, Alexis, who had joined him at army headquarters, received a lower grade of the decoration. A ribbon in the Order's colors of black and orange encircle representations of the medals presented to the Tsar and Tsarevich.

When a button is pressed, painted miniatures of the honored recipients are revealed under their respective awards.

Soon after receiving the egg, Maria Feodorovna was forced into exile.

The Order of St. George Egg was hidden in a jewel box she carried while fleeing the country.

It was the only Imperial egg to leave Russia in the possession of its original recipient.