This broke his own record as the most expensive work by a Russian jeweller ever to appear at auction.
The Winter Egg was ordered by Tsar Nicholas II as a gift for his mother in 1913. It went to an unknown buyer after a 3-minute bidding battle at Christie's auction house in London. The record slightly exceeded Christie's pre-sale estimate of 20 million pounds ($26 million).
The astronomical price reflects the increasing rarity of Fabergé Imperial Ears. But none have appeared at auction in the last 23 years.
The historic jewellery house of St Petersburg made only 50 of them. And the Winter Egg is one of only seven that remain in private hands. The others have either been lost or belong to foundations or museums.
The head of Christie's Fabergé and Russian art department, Margo Oganesian, emailed a statement. She said the new record «confirmed the timeless significance» and «the rarity and brilliance of what is widely regarded as one of Fabergé's finest creations. Both technically and artistically. This was therefore an extraordinary and historic opportunity for collectors to acquire a work of unparalleled importance.».
The eggs decorated with precious stones were made for Nicholas II and his predecessor Alexander III. They offered them as Easter gifts to members of their family between 1885 and 1916. The design and construction of each egg took about a year. With the Tsars usually ordering the elaborate items immediately after the previous one was delivered.
Before the sale, Oganesian described the Winter Egg as «the most striking, artistically inventive and unusual» of the 50.
«Most are based on historical styles, Rococo or neoclassicism. But the Winter Egg is an object with its own style,» he told CNN over the phone. Adding that «the design is timeless, it's so modern.».
Made mainly of mineral crystal or transparent quartz. The Winter Egg was designed to look like a piece of ice covered in frost. The exterior features a platinum snowflake pattern and 4,500 diamonds in a rosette cut. Inside is one of Fabergé's signature «surprises». A tiny hanging basket filled with anemones of white quartz, jade and garnets.
The design of the Winter Egg was - unusually for the time - the work of a female jeweller, Alma Pihl. Legend has it that Pihl, was the niece of Fabergé's chief jeweller, Albert Holmström. She had the idea after seeing ice crystals forming in a window next to the counter in her workshop.
Nicholas II bought it for 24,600 rubles. The third highest amount Fabergé ever charged for a work, according to prices published by Christie's.
According to Kieran McCarthy, co-CEO of Wartski, a British antique jewellery dealer specialising in the works of Peter Carl Fabergé, the price of the Winter Egg reflects the technical skill required to transform «precious materials into a moment of nature».
The thousands of diamonds are so small that they «have no intrinsic value». He added in a telephone interview with CNN before the auction. «Their value comes solely from their artistic expression and their use in creating this brilliant idea of frost.».
This was the last time an Imperial Egg appeared at auction. Although in 2007 a diamond egg that Fabergé made for a member of the Rothschild banking family sold for over £8.9 million (then about $18.5 million). In 2015, an anonymous American bought a lost imperial egg. Its value is estimated by some experts at £20 million, or $33 million at the time. He bought it for just $14,000 at a flea market, although it has yet to appear at auction.
The Winter Egg was part of a larger sale of nearly 50 other Fabergé objects. They included jewellery, decorative boxes and fantastic miniatures, which were auctioned by an unknown king. Known for protecting the privacy of its clients, Christie's described the items only as coming from a «princely collection».
Source: goldbookmagazine.com
