Egg Timeline - Discussion
Alex Mogilevski from Russia - December 2008:
I found your recent research on the Blue Serpent Clock Egg extremely interesting! Indeed the telegraphic style used to describe the Easter Eggs in the invoices presented to the Court makes the correct attribution of some eggs quite difficult. Therefore, I am sure that your research is an important contribution to the Quest!
Nevertheless, I believe that a few issues should be addressed. First of all, according to the book Fabergé, Tatiana, Proler, Lynette G. and Valentin V. Skurlov. The Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs, only 3* Imperial Easter Eggs with clock were produced - Blue Serpent Clock Egg (1887), Madonna Lily Clock Egg (1899), Cockerel Egg (1900).
All invoices issued by Faberge specifically mention the clock mechanism present in each and every egg. Surprisingly, the invoice for the 1895 egg does not mention any clock! Of course, the invoice description “Blue enamel egg, Louis XVI style, 4500 rubles” is extremely laconic, but still it is strange that the clock is not mentioned.
Second, the invoice of the 1896 Easter Egg (missing Alexander III Portraits) mentions “Blue enamel egg, 6 portraits of H.I.M. Emperor Alexander III, with 10 sapphires, rose-cut diamonds and mounting, 3575 rubles”. If we consider that the Twelve Monogram Egg is the missing 1896 Alexander III Portraits Egg, then we face an important question - where are the 10 sapphires??? I check all my books for the available pictures of this egg and could not find these sapphires anywhere... Maybe you have any explanations?
On the other hand, Blue Serpent Clock Egg also fails to entirely fit the invoice description of 1887 - I do not see any sapphires on it, though they are mentioned... It seems that sapphires make at least 2 mysteries!
We cannot ignore the opinion of Marina Lopato regarding the unbelievably low price for such a sophisticated egg and its very sophistication for such an early period...
Since you are corresponding with most learned Faberge scholars, I wonder whether you had a chance to discuss your findings with Valentin Skurlov, the leading Russian expert on Faberge. I would be happy to receive your reply and to know your opinion on the issues mentioned.
On the invoices; the invoice for the year 1887 is still missing so we cannot know if the invoice mentions a clock. The notes available do, but those notes were not made by Fabergé. For the invoice we simply do not know. You are right that for the Eggs with a clock, starting with the 1899 Madonna Lilly Clock Egg, the invoices mention a clock, but perhaps Fabergé only started in 1899 adding the word clock to his invoices.
When you look at the invoices in general, you will see that like the Eggs, the invoices evolved too, and more details were added with the years passing by. We will only know for sure when the invoice for the year 1887 is discovered; if that invoice mentions a clock; it is indeed perhaps a little strange the 1895 invoice does not.
On the other hand, the 1895 invoice mentions an easter egg in the Louis XVI style, and the Twelve Monogram Egg is not an egg in that style; the Blue Serpent Clock Egg however is!
As to the sapphires mentioned; I think that the missing miniatures of the now 1886 Egg were decorated with sapphires. Again we can only be sure if those miniatures still exist and are rediscovered.
As you can read in my essay I did this research on request of Mrs. Tillander-Godenhielm, and discussed it only with her and Christel McCanless, who published my findings in her Fabergé Newsletter. I did not discuss my findings with any of the authors of the book you mention.
*The 1910 Colonade Egg was a clock egg too... And, for having a clockwork mechanism, the 1906 Moscow Kremlin Egg also was a clock, (not mentioned on the invoice)...
Alex M: December 29, 2008
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.
Thanks Alex!
I am moving this topic, the Kremlin Egg, to the section "Individual Eggs". This is a most interesting discusion and it would be great if we could settle this issue once and for all!
Page updated: January 1, 2009