Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg

1915

Imperial Red Cross Easter Egg, 1915. Peter Carl Fabergé (Russian, 1846–1920), Henrik Wigström (Russian, 1862–1923), House of Fabergé (Russian, 1842–1918). Gold, silver gilt, enamel, glass, ivory; overall: 8.6 x 6.4 cm (3 3/8 x 2 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The India Early Minshall Collection 1963.673 Commissioned to honor Empress Alexandra's founding of the Red Cross in Russia at the start of the First World War as well as the commitment to wartime service of her and her daughters Olga and Tatiana, this egg is poignant in its spare design. Compared to other Fabergé eggs elaborately ornamented with jewels, the egg reflects the mood of austerity in Russia during World War I with its two simple red enamel crosses, emblazoned with miniatures of Olga and Tatiana, over a white enamel background. When opened, the egg reveals a depiction of Christ's resurrection flanked by the patron saints of the two young grand duchesses. This egg was confiscated by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution and sold by the government of Josef Stalin in the 1930s to raise money for the Soviet treasury.