1892 The Diamond Trellis Egg

Maria Feodorovna

Purchase price: 4,750 rubles.

The Imperial Easter Egg “Diamond Trellis” is distinguished for its minimalist aesthetic, while at the same time retaining all its gracefulness, imparted by a diagonal lattice of platinum bands set with diamonds. The egg itself is carved from light-color bowenite. At either pole, where the bands of the lattice meet, the egg is applied with two large diamonds. The interior features an enclosure for the surprise, lined with white satin. The base — a circular plate of pale-green jadeite supporting three cherubs — is now lost, although as late as 1960 the Egg was sold together with the base.

The Egg’s surprise is a figurine of an elephant with a small gold turret and a key to wind its mechanism. The elephant’s sides are applied with gold crosses, each set with rose-cut diamonds. The surprise was sold separately from the Egg in the 1920s, and is currently in the Royal Collection in London.

After the Revolution of 1917 the Egg, alongside several other Imperial eggs, was sent to the Kremlin Armory. After its sale abroad, it was sold at auction several times into a succession of private collections. At last, it was acquired by the McFerrin family. 

In the McFerrin Collection, Houston Museum of Natural Science.