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Primary sourceArtifact1913

Romanov Tercentenary Egg

Henrik Wigström · 1913

A jewelled Fabergé egg commissioned by Nicholas II in 1913 to mark 300 years of Romanov rule, given as an Easter gift to his wife.

Nicholas II commissioned this egg as an Easter gift to his wife, marking his dynasty's 300th anniversary.

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A jewelled egg-shaped object of pale blue enamel covered in gold double-headed eagle ornament and set with oval miniature portraits of rulers. It sits on a gold double-headed eagle stand above a red enamel base studded with gems.
Henrik Wigström for Fabergé, Romanov Tercentenary Egg, 1913. Moscow Kremlin Museums.

About this source

What it is

This egg was made in 1913 under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé, with work by Henrik Wigström, for Tsar Nicholas II, who gave it to his wife Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna as an Easter gift. It is covered with eighteen tiny portraits of Romanov rulers and is now held at the Moscow Kremlin Museums.

Why it matters

The egg celebrated three hundred years of Romanov rule, from the dynasty's first tsar to Nicholas II himself. Its surprise, a rotating globe, shows how much Russian territory grew between 1613 and 1913. Made only four years before the dynasty's fall, it shows the wealth and confidence of the monarchy just before revolution swept it away.

Look closer

  • Why might an emperor choose portraits of all his ancestors to decorate an Easter gift?
  • What does the costly material and craftsmanship tell you about the court's priorities in 1913?
  • What does the egg leave out about the lives of ordinary Russians at the time?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Tsar Nicholas II on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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