Fabergé’s Winter Storm Egg heads to auction after decades of mystery
The Fabergé Winter Storm Egg, one of the most celebrated works of Russian art, will go under the hammer at Christie’s in London next month. Created in 1913 for Tsar Nicholas II, the egg is among only three Imperial Eggs still in private hands that could be bought by collectors. Its sale follows decades of mystery, including a near-20-year disappearance before resurfacing in 1994.
The Winter Storm Egg was commissioned by Nicholas II as a gift for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. Its design came from Alma Pihl, one of Fabergé’s female workmasters, who drew inspiration from ice crystals forming on a window. The tsar paid 24,600 rubles for the piece—the third-highest sum Fabergé ever charged for a creation.
The Winter Storm Egg stands as the most artistically inventive and unusual of all Imperial Eggs. Its upcoming auction offers a rare chance to own a piece of Russian history. If sold for the estimated price, it will surpass previous records and cement its status as one of the world’s most valuable decorative objects.
