Faberge egg lost for decades to be shown in major V&A exhibition

A recently-rediscovered Faberge egg will be one of the highlights of a major exhibition about the Russian goldsmith being staged in London later this year.

The Third Imperial Egg of 1887 was lost for decades before being found and bought by a scrap metal dealer, who had planned to melt it down, at a flea market in the United States in 2011.

The imperial easter egg will be part of the Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, or V&A, telling the story of Carl Faberge and with a focus on his Edwardian high society clientele.

The museum said the show will be the "first major exhibition devoted to the international prominence of the legendary Russian goldsmith and the importance of his little-known London branch" and "will shine a light on his triumphs in Britain as well as the global fascination with the opulence of his creations".

The Third Imperial Egg of 1887 appeared at an auction in New York in 1964, but seemed to be unrecognized. It then disappeared until 2011 when it was bought at the flea market.

The yellow-gold egg was identified as an Imperial easter egg after the buyer contacted antique jewellery firm Wartski.

The V&A said the egg was first given by Emperor Alexander III to Empress Marie Feodorovna for Easter in 1887.

Another major feature of the exhibition is a pair of sculptures owned by the Russian royal family, reunited for the first time in 100 years, since they were confiscated and separated following the Russian Revolution in 1917.

One of the figures remained in the Pavlovsk Palace, south of St Petersburg, while the other was bought by a collector in New York and later sold at auction in 2013.

They will appear alongside the Peacock Egg of 1907-8, displayed in public for the first time in over a decade.

Curators of Faberge in London: Romance to Revolution Kieran McCarthy and Hanne Faurby described the story of Faberge as "one of supreme luxury and unsurpassed craftsmanship.

"Celebrating Faberge's extraordinary achievements, this exhibition focuses on the overlooked importance of his London branch, the only one outside of Russia. It attracted a global clientele of royalty, aristocrats, business titans and socialites," the pair added.

The showpieces and some 200 objects in the collection will be displayed across three main sections of the exhibition, which runs from Nov 20, 2021 till May 8, 2022.

Other highlights include gifts presented by Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to their British relatives, including a notebook given by the Tsar and Tsarina to Queen Victoria for Christmas in 1896. Also on display is the largest Imperial Egg, the Moscow Kremlin Egg, inspired by the architecture of the Dormition Cathedral, on loan from the Moscow Kremlin Museums.