Individual Eggs

- The 1906 Kremlin Egg
- The 1907 Yusupov Egg
- The 1890 Danish Palaces Egg

The 1906 Kremlin Egg
December 30; 2008. This topic started discussing the Timeline. I came with the suggestion the Kremlin Egg was a clock egg too, but Alex Mogilevski contradicts:

As far as the Kremlin Egg is concerned, I have to register my objection. This egg is definitely not a clock! It is a wonderful musical box, but what you see on the Spasskie Towers is only a replica of actual chiming clocks (KURANTI in Russian). This information is coming from Tatiana Muntian who is a keeper of Faberge objects in the Armory. Actually, in all Russian sources (published by those who actually dealt with this egg) nothing is said about possibility of 2 mechanisms - there is only one mechanism for the musical box. There is also only one key.

Alex, I believe you on your word, but I found in my books for this Egg that it had a "musical clockwork mechanism. The melody of the traditional hymn "Ijey Cheruvime" is played when a button at the back of the Egg is pressed. The clockwork mechanism is wound by a gold key 2,5 inches long".

The hands of the clocks are real hands and the clocks chimed ... How can the clocks chime when there is no clockwork? Could Fabergé really have put little clocks on this egg that did not work?

To be continued...

January 5, 2009 Alex convinced me that technically it must have been impossible to have two simultaniously working clocks on the Egg, besides the musical mechanism. I have posted "the question" in the guestbook of the Kremlin Museum website. If ever I get an answer, I will let you know!

And oh wonder, I have my answer:

So, Alex you were right!

The 1907 Yusupov Egg
Juan F. Déniz from Gran Canaria - Canary Islands - 19 December 2008:

Hi everybody,
I recently sent a message to the Sandoz Foundation curator to suggest them to replace the original medallions with the pictures of prince Felix and his two sons in the Yusupov egg they own. Unfortunately they were replaced by the initials of the new owner, Maurice Sandoz. More information on the Yusupov egg page of this website.

The reasons why I think this must be made is the alteration of a historical piece, a work of art that in my opinion, should remain as it was made and conceived by the house of Fabergé, not adding or changing anything.

It is supposed the company that did the work, I do not know the name of it, maybe somebody does, retaines the original miniatures, so if someone shares the opinion that the egg should be restored to its original condition you could send a message to the curator of the Sandoz Foundation...

Juan, thanks for mailing the curator. Most Fabergé enthusiasts I think prefer the original miniatures, but as the Sandoz Foundation owns the Egg they perhaps see it more as a "family piece" than as a Fabergé Egg. Let's hope that one day the owners want it restored to the original condition.

I believe those miniatures are in an American collection. I will try to find out and get back to you.

Update: I asked around and got some stories, but unfortunately I cannot get confirmed who did the replacement nor who owns the miniatures today...

However, I found an old photograph of the miniatures and now we can make ourselves the picture of what the Egg could look like...

Update February 2009: Hillwood Museum and Gardens have a picture frame in their collection of which they say: "In 1970 Mrs. Post added the miniature of Nikolai which possibly came from the Yusupov egg of 1907". Is this indeed one of the Yusupov Egg miniatures? Judge for yourself...

Just a note; IS it Nicholai/Nicholas in the frame below and not his brother Felix..? It IS Nicholas, confirmed by a lady who knows!

The 1890 Danish Palaces Egg
Christian Steener Eriksen from Denmark - November 2008:

To the 1890 - The Danish Palace Egg - I'm quite puzzled because one of the panels in the surprise is said to be a picture of Hvidøre - I  myself can't see whether this is actually the case. But Dagmar and  Alexandra first bought Hvidøre in 1906 after their father Chr. IX's  death and I just can't figure out WHY there should be a miniature of a  building that Dagmar at the time had nothing to do with...??? Do you have an explanation for this?


Christian and I worked together on this interesting question. The results of what we found you can read here!

Page updated: October 15, 2009